Hello all, new to whistling but not to musical instruments. Long time string player (guitar, violin, mandolin when I can find one) but a frustrated bagpiper. Never could form a seal to blow the chanter. I picked up a Clarke Meg whistle and have been working my way through the free Online Academy of Irish Music lessons on my lunch break. Once I’m done with that it’s on to You Can Teach Yourself Tin Whistle by Mizzy McCaskill.
Now, once I’ve made some good progress in learning, I assume it would be a step up to acquire a Freeman Blackbird? It seems like some make mention of it requiring greater breath control, while others comment on how great a whistle it is and easy to play. Or should I look at his Mellow Dog variant? I like the idea of a quiet whistle since I play on my own and like my ears. I would assume that it is higher in quality since we’re talking individually tweaked versus mass-produced.
I have several Blackbirds and also a Mellow Dog. The Mellow Dog has a very slightly more mellow/round tone, but it seems to require a little bit more air push, maybe because the tube is a tiny bit wider than the Blackbird diameter. The Blackbird sounds more birdlike/warbly, and is very easy to produce pure notes on- requires less air push. Perhaps that’s why some folks say it requires more breath ‘control’… because if you are coming from a whistle that requires more air push, then you’ll find on a Blackbird you’ll be able to lighten up a bit and still gets lovely pure tone. I find it very easy to go back and forth between notes on a Blackbird.
Neither whistle is too loud, nor shrill. In my opinion both play easily and smoothly, are nicely in tune, and are great fun to play.
And if you want to fit right in with the rest of us who are over-whistled, get them both and see which you like best… Whistles are perhaps the best bargain in the musical world—after Air Guitar of course.
Best wishes.
Steve
I don’t want to go too crazy with the whistle acquisition disease, but I will admit to a fascination with the low D whistles out there. I watch this video repeatedly.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PJnR3vsTkKs
Blackbirds and Mellow Dog are great whistles! Buy both ya can’t go wrong with these whistles. 
I am curious though, if the conical tin whistle makes for an easier transition to second octave and a more in-tune second octave, why are the Freeman whistles parallel bore? Could I stick a Freeman fipple on a conical bore body?
the blackbirds are tapered bore, not straight cylinder. They only come in three keys. I think Mellow dog is not tapered, but im not at home to double check.
Don’t mean to be rude, but the Blackbirds do have a cylindrical bore. At least the one in my hand does…
Best wishes.
Steve
Metal tubing (cylindrical) is much easier to source in quantity than metal cones. This keeps manufacturing costs lower.
It wouldn’t play in tune. The tuning of a whistle depends on the geometry of the whistle head, the size and position of the toneholes, and the diameter (and taper, if applicable) of the body.
You’re right! My mistake, so sorry. I should never describe whistles at home when I’m travelling. 
So for Blackbird and/or Mellow Dog owners of recent vintage, are they cast fipples now or are they still tweaked with bits glued on?
As I play the Clarke Meg more, I dislike the rasp it tends to develop. I like the idea of the more mellow sounding tin whistle, but will the blackbird have less rasp?
The ones I have from a couple of years back are tweaked. As far as I know, all of Jerry’s whistles are tweaked. But the best source is Jerry himself. He posts here from time to time and can be reached via either PM or email.
Best wishes.
Steve
Spoke with Jerry and got an amazingly detailed response on what goes into making his whistles. Now I just need to decide if the Blackbird or Mellow Dog is the one for me. I’ve listened to a number of recordings and am still on the fence. It seems like the Mellow Dog is just a little warmer in recordings, and has more of a hiss/breath undercurrent to its notes.
My first thought is to pick up a Blackbird, then save for a Dixon low D. But the other thought is to go Mellow Dog and try to get that flutey timbre from a high D since in my mind I’d play the high D more frequently than a low D. Silly I know, since we’re talking about roughly $160 if I bought all three and I’ve spent $600 on a single guitar in the past.
My suggestion would be to buy one of the high D whistles you mention and learn to play it. Then you can decide whether you like the sound of that whistle or not and whether you want to venture to a lower pitch. As you mention, these are pretty low on the price per instrument scale, but learning on one may give you insights on where you really want to go (flute, pipes, ukulele?).
Best wishes.
Steve
Blackbird is on the way! Now I need to find more music to learn.
Lots of options for that. Here’s one…
Best wishes.
Steve
My first whistle was a $2 clarke woodstock. And after developing a little more technical control, and and creating a proper block w/ bluetack I’m returning to it, it’s not bad.
I see I came too late to this, but… The blackbird is good choice, it’s my own favorite right now and sounds and plays wonderful, but I would suggest a dixon polymer d might be better for you. It’s slightly quieter (and easy to tape a bit of the blade to quiet it more) and in my opinion just more expressive. I felt like, without the dixon polymer it would have taken longer to turn practice into results.
I hope you love it as much as I do- it’s really my favorite D whistle!
I’m looking forward to it. And don’t worry, I plan on a Dixon whistle in my future. It’ll just be the low D.
Edited to add: I ordered just in time it seems. The labium of my Meg seems to be falling apart. Maybe a casting defect but the right side seems to have bubbled up and come away from the side of the fipple. I guess that’s what happens when you leave it in a car.
Edited again: Maybe not the car to blame. The other edge is starting to bubble and tear away from the side as well. Really odd. I hope I don’t have plastic-dissolving spit. That would be a pathetic super power.
Got the Blackbird - amazing difference. Beautiful tone, flute-like, pure. It does clog up faster than the Clarke but is easily cleared. I do need to practice second octave as it isn’t as easy as the Clarke.