I’ve played the flute since I was a child. I have recently become interested in the tin whistle, but I’m not sure which whistle to purchase. I would like a whistle that doesn’t have a “breathy” sound. I recently heard a tin whistle played on the Dixie Chicks “Fly” album, but it’s only listed as tin whistle. Could someone point me in the right direction? Thanks
If you give us a little more info, that would help, as there are so many whistles to choose from. For instance, how much do you want to spend? Do you want to buy a cheap one to start off on (a good idea), a mid-priced, or more expensive whistle? If you don’t want breathy, don’t buy a Clarke, Sweetone, or Meg. They are fairly breathy. My favorite whistle is a black nickel Feadog–for me it has a clear tone that suits my needs just fine. It cost me about $7.50.
If you do a search of the archives with keywords such as “first whistle” or something like that, you’ll likely come up with other threads that have more suggestions.
Good luck!
If you don’t like “breathy”, I’d recommend a Burke brass whistle…in D obviously. I think it’s called a Brass Pro or Brass Session. Try a store on line called “Son of the Sea”. They might have one in stock. Cost is about $100. The sound is the least breathy that I know of, with reasonable volume. I’d also recommend you try a Clarke Sweetone. I’m not crazy about the sound, but it doesn’t have much breathiness to it.
Oops! Disagreement in the ranks. There is SOME breathiness to a Sweetone, but not as much as the Clarke Original. I’m not familiar with the Meg. It’s funny how low-cost whistles can very. I bought a Feadog and got a lot of breathiness and squeeks from it. (It was in brass, not nickel). The other day I bought 2 Acorns for my nieces. One was unplayable and I handed it back over the counter. The second is so good I’m not giving it to a child for a toy. It’s a keeper. So, you never know!
My recommendation is to get the first one you see. . .really. Just go to a store and get one of those cheapie whistles with a beginner’s book. Play a little. . .have fun. Learn a few tunes.
If in a month you’re still interested, get another brand. ANY one. . .don’t be too fussy. A new book too. Play it for a while and learn some more tunes.
NOW.. .. ..after two whistles you should have a feel for what your problems may be, what you like and don’t like. For me it was shrillness in the high range…couldn’t stand it, but I needed to be able to hit those notes. I found a whistle that sounded better to me and let me learn to control my breath a bit better.
What I"m getting around to is don’t over analyze. If you haven’t played much, just get something that gives you a place to start. Three bucks gets you a serviceable Meg…ten gets you a nice Gen or Walton or Oak type…twenty gets a Susato, a hundred gets a hand crafted whistle with a very specific sound. Three hundred gets you something that better sound exactly as you want, and look damned good too, maybe with a felt lined case and need a bit of care.
So don’t analyze. . .get something and play.
I dislike breathy whistles as well, but I still really like my Sweetones. However, my favorite is still my Dixon. They are 2-3 times more than most cheap whistles, but they are worth it.
I held off answering because I couldn’t immediately think of a non-airy whistle, but then it dawned on me that the closest you’ll come is the Dixon soprano D. In fact, it’s the only one that matches what you’ve said you’re looking for. If it weren’t for the non-air thing, you’d have lots of choices.