I just got a new Freeman tweaked Generation D. It’s a cracking whistle. I’m really enjoying playing it. The problem is, when I switch back to my Burns Irish flute, I can’t play it worth crap. Maybe because I started late in Irish music and didn’t play whistle as a kid, I just can’t seem to go between flute and whistle, the embouchures and blow are so different.
What’s your experience? Any tips on switching between the two? Seems one has to play one or the other to play well.
Yeah, they’re pretty different, fingering aside. Whistle playing doesn’t tend to do my embouchure any favors (I sometimes sound a bit fluffy for a minute or two when switching from whistle to flute–and I’ve been playing for 20-odd years). Then there’s the issue of phrasing, the use (or not) of glottals, tonguing, etc. I do enjoy playing Bb whistle, however. It somehow seems more compatible with flute playing than the D whistle.
While of course there are differences that invite/demand adjustments, there can’t be many more compatible instruments so I’d say they mix as well as anything!
you may try to keep your mouth/lips totally soft while play the whistle. this could be helpfull when you are going back to the flute. I had similar troubles after practice trumpet (so the connection with lips) and I immediately quite playing that.
I agree with Radcliff. Keep your embouchure relaxed when playing the whistle. Because the tip is small, there can be a tendency to tense the muscles around it.
I hardly play whistle at all now. When I want to play something blowy (as opposed to scrapy) I play flute. This is a shame, as I have some truly amazing whistles knocking about the place.
I keep hoping that, one day, I’ll be able to play both flute and whistle. But that day ain’t yet.
PS As an aside, for some odd reason I seem to be able to play whistle better when somewhat “tired and emotional”, just at the point when I can’t play flute for toffee.
I am a beginner flute (Burns) and whistle (Killarney) player in middle age, and have been at it for almost a year. I am so green that I enjoy playing both, and find that sometimes I can solve things on the whistle that I can transfer to the flute. I see them as complementary at this early stage in my development. It still thrills me that when I add air to the tube, sound comes out, flute or whistle.
Marc
I think some of this depends on the beak of the whistle you’re playing. Cheapies are actually great for me flipping back and forth, Susato VSB and Killarney are good, but SB susato and other thicker beaked whistles are more difficult.
I have a Syn on the way for Christmas, so I’ll see how that works (will be getting it Sunday and have a session following the exchange).
Despite the above, unless I’m playing a show where I want to vary what I’m playing…I play flute 95 to 100% of the time in a session or when I’m playing at home for my own pleasure.
Eric
I play both flute and whistle on a daily basis. I can play whistle after playing flute with no problems. However, my embouchure turns to crap if I play flute after whistle. I have a mouth type where my teeth are not really exposed much when I speak, as my frontmouthbit is a bit longer perhaps. Because of this, when I play whistle I wrap my lips around the bottom of my teeth ever-so-slightly. The pressure placed on the inside of my mouth/lip from my teeth slightly inflames this part of my mouth, and I believe this is what causes difficulties with playing flute immediately after whistle.
I played whistle long before playing flute, and this habit has never had any negative impact on my whistle playing, so it has gone ignored for a long time and become ingrained. I’m sure if I could stop myself from doing this, I would not continue to have issues playing flute immediately afterwards.
Just do it.
For many years I was a fluteplayer and during that period I didn’t have much interest in whistles. I would play them from time to time, usually for certain pieces in the band I played in.
At sessions and with the ceili band and so on, it was just flute.
During that whole time, though, I’ve been a Highland piper and playing Highland pipes really plays havoc with your embouchure, due to the lips having to be tense in order to make a high-pressure seal around the very un-scientific blowpipe shoved in your mouth. It’s more of a factor playing in competition bands where having a big tone is important, which means stronger reeds.
Now that I can’t play flute any more and I play whistle all the time, I find my style changing, using far more tonguing and so forth. I never, or very rarely, tongued on the flute.
Perhaps a stranger thing than having trouble playing both flute and whistle is my inability to play bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes. I’ve been playing Highland pipes for 40 years and the fingering is second nature. I’ve been playing uilleann pipes nearly as long and the working of the bellows is autonomous. One would think that I could strap on bellows and play away on bellows-blown Scottish Smallpipes, but such is not the case. When I’ve tried to do it I found that when blowing the bellows I couldn’t finger the chanter. My answer is to play mouth-blown Scottish Smallpipes!
Reminds me of an old band-mate who started out playing mandolin at age 8. In our band he played mandolin, octave mandolin, and guitar, and sometimes when switching from guitar to mandolin he would say something like “ah, it feels good to be back on four courses!”
Pick your Instrument of the two and stay with it.
I started out as a Flute Player but over time migrated to the Whistle.
The Whistle is just so easy to play that it will suck you in totally. 
I could be wrong, but I think most primary Flute Players play 80%/20% between the two.
Here’s a thought: most primary Flute Players can certainly play the Whistle.
However many Whistle Players cannot play the Flute.
Just sayin…
Funny, I thought it was just me. I cant play flute after having just played a whistle. I have to wait till the next day as I wont be able to get any sort of nice tone.
I also play the saxophone and highland pipes. I have found that both of those have been beneficial to my flute playing as long as I give my lips e few hours rest. Helped with breath support and embouchure…
In like manner you can hand most fluteplayers a Kaval and quote Shakespeare:
“It is as easy as lying.
Govern these ventages with your fingers and thumb, give it breath with your mouth, and it will discourse most eloquent music.
Look you, these are the stops.”
Yet they will be as helpless as the guy in the play.