Reviol Low Whistles

Maurice Reviol hand makes his low whistles out of aluminum alloy, a popular and well-suited material for Irish whistles. Fipples are hammered into shape, which in turn strengthens the material. Finger holes, after being meticulously checked for proper tuning, are finished smooth for improved airflow and comfort. Cork tuning slides are fitted allowing the player to make small adjustments in pitch as necessary. The entire whistle is glass bead blasted to create a matte finish, and is anodized to create a black protective layer against typical wear and tear. These are certainly difficult whistles to scratch!

The sound of Maurice's low whistles could be initially described as rich with an earthy chiff. On further playing and listening you'll notice their impressively wide dynamic range of tone. Both first and second registers can be played anywhere from gingerly soft to forcefully robust with ornamentation speaking clear and crisp.

For the experienced low whistle player who might be considering a Reviol, their back pressure (the resistance that you sense when blowing into the whistle) could be described as low to moderate when comparing to peers such as Goldie or Howard low whistles, which could be described as high back pressure. We feel that it is this type of airflow that partly contributes to a Reviol whistle's wide dynamic range of tone.

About Maurice Reviol

Maurice Reviol began to create woodwind instruments during an apprenticeship at W. Schreiber in Nauheim, Germany, where he learned to make Bassoons. Four years later, Reviol became a woodwind repair technician with Wood, Wind & Reed in Cambridge, England while under the guidance of Bassoon-maker and wood-turner Jeremy Soulsby in Hereford.

In 1998, Reviol met Cillian O'Briain, well-known Uilleann-Pipe maker who also hand tweaks Feadog whistles, and the two worked together for several years creating beautifully made Uilleann- Pipes and Low Whistles. Reviol quickly began to develop his own wooden flutes while working with O'Briain, an interest of his that had finally become a reality.

Currently, Maurice Reviol resides in New Zealand with his wife. It is there that he creates these wonderful Low Whistles as well as wooden flutes by hand.