I currently own a Sustato Low D and an Oak high D. I realize that these are sort of on opposite ends from each other, and I have a feeling that there would be a more useful whistle that fits in between. I’m considering a Low G or an Mid A or something. What key do you suppose would be the most handy to have?
[ This Message was edited by: Sam on 2002-04-07 16:26 ]
Sam, if you’re planning on playing with other people in an Irish session, the high and low Ds you already have will allow you to play the 90% of the tunes that are in the keys of D major, G major, E minor, E dorian, B minor, etc. If you’re at all comfortable with half-holing, you can also get A major out of your D whistles. So other keys are somewhat optional; I find myself using a C whistle next most, but others may have other experiences depending on the sessions they play with.
Hope this helps,
Jon Michaels
I’ve been thinking lately about the possibilities of using an “A” whistle for traditional session tunes.
An A would cover any key with two or three sharps without half-holing. It seems like an A would be less technically cumbersome and should project better than a low D, but should blend well with other instruments and be less prominent than a high D. The high D would still be the mainstay, but could an A be an usefull alternative for a subset of traditional tunes?
I don’t own an A so this is a question, not a recommendation. But I wonder if anyone has experimented using an A whistle this way.
–Jay
On 2002-04-07 18:09, JayMitch wrote:
I’ve been thinking lately about the possibilities of using an “A” whistle for traditional session tunes.
You need to consider the range of the tune and your desire and ability to play in the third octave. If a tune in the key of D goes up to the A or B of the second octave of a D whistle, playing that tune on a A whistle will make you play in the third octave. I don’t own an A whistle but I certainly don’t want to play in the third octave of a D whistle.
Steve
I do own an A whistle (a Sindt, I love it), and I have tried to do a bit with playing jigs and reels on it. I find for the most part, as mentioned, the range of most tunes just doesn’t fit very well. There are a few tunes that work, but you do have to look for them.
I use the A mostly for solo playing. It’s really the perfect whistle for that. Not so high that people could be annoyed, but there’s still no difficulty in playing quickly, as one sometimes has with the low D.
If you play alone, get a full range that you enjoy. If with others, you’re covered with the high and low D, and could use a low G. Bflat could complement pipes. Enjoy. Philo
Other posters are correct to point out that some tunes in D will go above the range of an A whistle. However, the same goes for the lower end – a lot of tunes go below the range of a D whistle, so an A whistle is quite useful for those.
I play my A and G whistles quite a bit for just that reason, plus I really like them – both Water Weasels.
Charlie
I use an A whistle for D tunes a lot. It has a fuller, less ‘thin’ sound than a high D, and for slow tunes and backing vocals and instrumental solos, it really works well. I own Hoover and Burke aluminum A’s and like them both.
Cheers.
Byll
Are you people who like your A’s talking about high or low whistles? I have a high G which is only good for calling dogs, and the thought of going up a step to a high A scares me even though I am particularly fond of the A scale.
Is there a high A? I don’t think I’ve ever seen one.
Tonaly,A whistles are in a grey area,neither low nor high and offer few advantages over a nice sounding soprano D.Sopranos start with Bb and lows with G.The only good sounding A I have played is surprisingly,a Shaw. 
Mike
For some reason Mike, I’ve had the same experience, i.e., no really extraordinary A. The most fun deviation from the D I’ve had is Bflat, Low G, Low F. Philo
Unless you are recording in wierd keys, or just get a kick out playing other keys, you should only ever need a whistle in D. Though there may be some tunes that go outside the range of the whistle it is easy enough to play the notes in the whistle’s range. Besides, those tunes are few and far between compared to the thousands of good tunes that can be played on a D whistle no problem. I would recommend against using an A whistle to make it easier to play certain tunes, because what are you going to do in a session when you’ve got a D whistle or flute and that tune starts up? You won’t know how to play it… unless, of course, you bring your A whistle with you and switch from the D to the A whenever that tune starts up, which is, in my opinion, pretty lame.
Stick with the D.
Chris