I’m new to the forum. I have played recorders for about 20 years and want to start playing the whistle, but don’t know where to begin. What I need to know is what is a good whistle for me to start on? I will use it primarily with a contemporary worship band. If any of you have heard the CD - Revival in Belfast, that will give you some idea of how I plan to use the whistle.
I should also say I can’t afford a high end one, and I assume being a beginner that, it wouldn’t be wise for me at this point anyway.
dennis, buy yourself a ‘d’ whistle, they are quite cheap and just let yourself go.
having a recorder background should make it easier for you. I too am a beginner and find that these sites and the info from all your new whistling pals will be a great help. What area are you from? there may be clubs or sessions near you that you can join in.Welcome and all the best mate, happy new whistling year and beware of Dales WHOA Syndrome!
Yeah, I thought I’d probably get a “D”, but what kind? There are a lot of different brands, and I want one that plays in tune well. I live in Elgin. About an hour west of Chicago.
You’ll want to have a talk with Tom at the Whistle Shop then; if I remember correctly he’s not too far south of you in Normal.
As for brand - you’ll be fine with almost any of the inexpensive brands. There’s always a chance for a dud, but with your recorder background you should get a feel very quickly for what’s good and what’s not.
Generation, Clark, Oak, Acorn, Feadog, Walton’s… the list goes on, but any of these would be a fine purchase for under $10. You may also want to check out Mack Hoover’s site at http://bewellweb.com/l21082o/. He has a link for Praise Whistlers and also has some of the more inexpensive handmade whistles.
I’ve recommended Clark Sweet tone whistles(and so has half the board) because of price and consistancy of tone. They’re also very durable(mine still looks brand new) and won’t be easily damaged. I picked up mine for 8 dollars a few years back. I got mine through “song of the sea’s” website, but I know “the whistle shop” also sells them. It may not become your favorite whistle(as we all tend to buy and try many down the road) but it seems to have the ability to make playing other, more tempermental whistles easier. I feel that once you can play a Sweet tone well, you can proabably play any model well. Nuff said.
I also can recommend the “Clark Tin Whistle Book”, proabably the best tutorial out there. I think everyone on the board has giving it a thumbs up. It covers all aspects on whistle playing, has lessons for each step, but is challaging enough to keep your attention.
Dennis,
Welcome! I am a fairly new beginner, too, and so far I have 6 whistles. My favorite by far is the Feadog black (nickel) D. It is fairly loud, clear, and in pretty good tune. I also have a Walton’s brass which I don’t like very well because it is sometimes squeaky and also quieter, and a Sweetone that is quite breathy but it is also pretty in the upper octave. I just got a Susato D and haven’t had much chance yet to play it, but it seems pretty good so far. But I do like the Feadog best and then probably the Sweetone or Susato. All of these whistles were under $8. Also, I went to my first session recently and one of the players there who’s been playing for years prefers a brass Feadog for most of his session playing.
Best of luck!
[ This Message was edited by: cees on 2001-12-31 11:54 ]
Out of the 4 D whistles I have, I like the Oak the best. It has the purest tone of all of them and takes the least amount of breath to play. (the others being a Sweetone, a brass Generation, and a Clare 2 peice)
Just my humble opinion, I am by no means an authority on the subject…
Dennis, I currently use a Susato whistle in a similar situation. When I went to my local whistle-carrying store, this was the (inexpensive) whistle they had that played best in tune. The high notes can be monsters, but I’m finding them to be tamer as I gain experience with it. These are loud whistles, but good quality for the price. (I paid about $33.00 for a D, C, Bb set.) Sweetones and Generations are both easier to play, but (in my experience) have some rather severe intonation problems.
Something to consider playing for praise music is volume too - I like my Susato because it IS loud and can be heard over other instruments (people tend to either love or hate Susatos). I like my Oak too, but I found in my situation it couldn’t be heard. If you’ll be miked, it’s not as much of an issue, but can still be a problem depending on the quality of your sound system.
Whatever you choose, good luck!
BTW, I LOVE Revival in Belfast, it’s a great P & W recording!
You all have been great. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this site. It would be a lot easier if you all agreed on a whistle!
It seems each have their own personality. It’s a little different with recorders. There’s only one or two really good ones in the inexpensive line. Like Yamaha 300 series and Aulos. But with these whistles it’s very different. I guess I’ll just have to get 2 or 3 and find out for myself.
Thanks again. I’m sure I’ll be back with more questions once I start playing.
In addition to a whistle ( or 2) I would recommend a good whistle tutor book/CD combo such as Bill Ochs’ “The Clarke Tinwhistle” ( will work with any D whistle, not just a Clarke, although those are definitely worth trying). As a recorder player, you already know how to read music, so you are one step ahead. Such a tutor will acquaint you with the different types of tunes, and especially the Celtic style of ornamentation, which is VERY different from Baroque styles. You now have 20 years of “bad” habits to unlearn, which can be confusing ( I speak from experience here-- been a recorder player for nearly 30 years). You are in for a LOT of fun.
I’m going to give you some slightly different advice:
Since you’ve been playing recorders for a long time you are most likely used to having an intune instrument. I honestly doubt you’d be happy with many of the “Cheap” whistles that have been mentioned so far - the Susato being the exception, which might be a really good choice for you. A Water Weasel is also a good, well tuned and relatively inexpensive instrument.
Other than that, I’d suggest going strait to a more expensive instrument like a Burke, or Silkstone. Honestly, the tuning, sound and playability of these insturments will be significantly better than most of the cheapos, good Generations aside.
