Low whistle grip" may be required due to the distance between the holes. They belong to the same woodwind instrument family of end-blown fipple flutes. Though the tone of this instrument varies subtly among makers, low whistles are generally characterised by a more breathy, flute-like sound than traditional tin whistles. While the precise history of the low whistle is often debated, it is known that various kinds of vertical fipple flutes have existed in antiquity. The fipple flutes developed during the 16th century were the ancestors of today's low whistle, carrying through from early transverse flutes the six-holed design tradition and conical
Low whistle sound of traditional instruments such as the low whistle with modern jazz or RnB, for example, has done much for the instrument's visibility. Some of the most famous low whistle players are: Michael McGoldrick, Kevin Crawford, Phil Hardy from England, Davy Spillane, Paddy Keenan, John McSherry from Ireland, Brian Finnegan from Northern Ireland, Fred Morrison, Rory Campbell, Tony Hinnigan and Ross Ainslie from Scotland. Unlike the regular pennywhistle, the low whistle is a relative newcomer to folk music, and some criticise it for attempting to fill a musical role already well served by the tin whistle and Irish flute. To