Erik the Flutemaker Purple Heart Pennywhistle (D)

This handmade whistle has been crafted by the great Erik the Flutemaker. The body is made of purple heart wood, and the mouthpiece is the popular Susato ABS fipple. The tone is much fuller and organic than a regular tin whistle. This instrument is suited for beginners.

The Purple Heart whistle is not part of Erik's continuous catalog. As of recent he has made only 3 of these Purple Heart whistles as an experiment. They turned out beautiful, the sound is very similar to the Cocobolo whistle.

The Purple Heart Pennywhistle has a length of 28 centimeters. It is available in D tuning.

How to play the pennywhistle?

• Blow into the mouthpiece at the end of the flute
• It's very easy, just like blowing a recorder
• It doesn't require a lot of air like many wind instruments
• It does require more air than the average tin whistle
• The whistle is played in front of you, it's very comfortable to hold
• It's suited for all hand sizes

The musical possibilities

• You can play in various keys
• You can 'bend' notes by slowly sliding your finger off the fingerhole
• The whistle has a reach of more than two octaves

Which keys are easy to play in?

On a tin whistle you can easily and comfortably play in the following keys:

Purple Heart Pennywhistle D:
D major - G major - B minor- E minor

It is possible to play in different keys as well, but you would have to use more 'half notes' by covering half of the hole with your finger.