…you didn’t sound like a beginner - in terms of tone. My 9 year old sounds as “good” as I do! Any idea when I’ll start sounding a least a little beautiful???
Sorry to say, but it depends on the person. I started sounding good within two weeks, but then I’d had other ‘wind instrument’ training beforehand. I’ve also heard people who it took months before they started sounding good.
So, it really depends. Best advice is to be patient. 
Hi Anej, I’ve been at it a year. I have very little musical talent and I know it, but I’ve spent a lot of time at the whistle because I love the music.
You’ll need a whistle that sounds good to you. If it grates on your nerves you’ll never be happy with how you sound. Keep in mind that the whistle will never sound 100% sweet, like a harp. I’d recommend one of those improved Feadog’s that are sold by Shannaquay. At $30 approx, it’s worth it.
Give it lots of practice, at least an average of an hour a day. After a year you should feel you’ve made decent progress. If you love the music and the sense of accomplishment, you’re a happy camper. (The above are just one man’s opinion).
Well, I’ve been whistling for eight months…so I’ll let you know when “it” happens for me, ok?
Sometimes it depends on the day, more than anything else. I’ll have days where I think “Wow! I’m really not bad” and days when I think “Yikes! Why am I torturing this nice instrument in this way?” 
Redwolf
In my experience, you won’t know when it happens. But suddenly other players will start to tell you you play well.
At first, you won’t believe them.
This is why I love this place. You all give us new-bees hope. What would be fun to know is is how your practice sessions go, that is back when you first started. I taught myself guitar some 35 odd years ago and I am sure I have many more bad habits then good whitch may limit what I can do with it. I dont know. But I would like a little head start on the whistle. I live in a very isolated area so I havent yet found anyone who plays or even knows what a tin whistle is. And lessons are out of the question until I`ve saved up enough money for an Elfsong and a half decent flute.(I will then find a flute teacher). Anyway, just thought I would ask.
By the way Jayhawk got my hardware store flute blanks and am drilling holes today. Total cash outlay $2.47 for 3 flutes.
T
Hey Blackbeer, according to yahoo maps you are about an hour out of Spokane? There is a session there on Tuesday nights according to http://www.sessionsnw.com :
O’DOHERTY’S IRISH GRILLE
525 W. Spokane Falls Blvd. (across from the Carousel)
(509)747-0322
Time: approx. 8 to 10 or 11 PM, depending
I recommend calling to make sure the sessions are still going on. If you go you may be able to catch up with other semi-local whistlers and maybe others would want to get together with you to help you get started.
I’ve heard of that one, but haven’t had the opportunity to pop in. 
Actually, the only session I’ve been in was a bluegrass session this summer after the Festival… lol whistle in bluegrass…
Holly smokes avanutria; where`s my head at. I had a bowl of Irish stew and a Jonny Walker black with a Guinness back there about a year ago. Completely slipped my mind. I keep forgetting these confussers will do other things beside get me here. Thanks for the kick in the head!
Tom
Now you have me woundering Whistling Elf, If I throw a saddle on Molly morgan and ride off with whistle in hand, and play a few tunes would you suddenly apear? On secound thought Molly would probably throw me to the ground if I dared to play that close to her ear.
Tom
Wow..you’re lucky Blackbeer. New guy already gonna be connected with an actual live session only right up the road! sigh No such luck over here. =/ Wish there was a http://www.sessionsSE.com LoL
Anej
One of the things beginners tend to do when they first play whistle is try to play a tune. Then they try to play another and then another - ‘so many tunes, so little time’.
They get so caught up with fingering, breathing, counting, and possibly reading notation that they forget about tone. No matter how many tunes a person can play, and no matter how fast and accurate the fingers are, if their tone is not good, they will never sound beautiful.
So, my advice (as a whistle teacher)is every day, take a few minutes of your practice time to work on tone.
Example:
Play a note. Hold it for as long as you can. Really listen to it. Do you like the sound? If not, try blowing less (or maybe more) air through the instrument. Most beginners can improve their tone remarkably by reducing the airflow, especially on the inexpensive whistles.
Try keeping your breath smooth and steady.
Then try this on other notes. Think “slow; calm; steady”. Do this for a while.
Then, play one of your tunes, very slowly - as though it was a slow air, listening closely to your tone and making adjustments as you did on your long notes earlier. I guarantee that if you do this little excersise regularly, your tone will improve and you will have a beautiful sound. Good luck.
I classify myself as a beginner because I started messing around with these things about 10 years ago and pretty much gave it up before I could get good at it. I’ve just come back round about 8-10 months ago and I’m starting to sound pretty O.K. I’ve got a few tunes I’m not yet ready for prime-time, but one day…
Another thing, Anej is that different whistles seem to sound good after you get a feel for how they are supposed to be played. (some just aren’t any good no matter what) Like I said I’m still pretty much a beginner, but after playing on “decent” cheapies exclusively I recently broke down and bought a Copeland D. At first, I didn’t like it at all but once I gave it a chance and figured out how it wanted me to play it I really started to love it. Now the cheapies are getting a break! Just stay with it, Anej. It will come with practice. DON’T GIVE UP!!!
BTW, if you think you have a bad whistle let someone who has some experience try it out. I had a Generation-style that wouldn’t hold some notes or transition into the second octave. I almost chucked it but a really good whistle player in the local pub told me that it had some plastic from the molding process partially blocking the airway in the mouthpiece. He told me to take a razor to it and smooth it out. I’ve still got the whistle and It plays great. I love it and will never part with it.
It takes time to sound decent…
I knew I was getting better when my roommates started poking their heads in my room when I practaced and told me it was sounding good… I find that other people generally will tell you that you are sounding better…
-Angela
Sometimes I think I’ll never sound good. As my playing improves, my standards of what sounds good seem to get proportionately higher, so that my goal remains elusive. It’s so frustrating that I try not to think about it.
I’ve been playing for about nine months, and when I play alone, I think I sound great. Then I hear whistle music (just watched that Star Trek episode with the whistle, Lessons) and I realize I actually sound pretty bad. Or my roommate with no musical training picks up the whistle and sounds as good as me, or better. At these times, I think I should never ever play in public and wonder why I bother at all.
However, every once in a while, I hit the right notes on a nice whistle, and it sounds beautiful for a moment. So that gives me hope.
And don’t forget, most performers tend to be MORE critical than their audience. You know what the whistle should and can sound like, but to the average non-whistle-playing person on the street, any music coming out of the damn thing is going to seem pretty neat. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself in preparation for my holiday busking this weekend…
On 2002-12-09 13:43, Kar wrote:
And don’t forget, most performers tend to be MORE critical than their audience. You know what the whistle should and can sound like, but to the average non-whistle-playing person on the street, any music coming out of the damn thing is going to seem pretty neat. At least, that’s what I keep telling myself in preparation for my holiday busking this weekend…
There’s actually a lot of truth to this. I got a lot of compliments when I was only a year or two in, and I know how I sounded compared to how I sound now.
Even now, when I make the occasional flub at gigs, folks don’t seem to mind as long as the overall flow of the piece isn’t disturbed.
Greg
Hey Kar; I hear ya. But wow, going out busking. I wish I had the courage to do that. Back in the sixtys when I was playing and singing alot I would get such bad stage fright I would darn neer puck!! Once I was playing at a folk-jazz festival, I think about 67 or so I had to follow this jazz group. They were great, loud and real kickers. Then me with my guitar and fear. I remember playing a tune I was pretty sure nobody had ever herd before called the Insest song by Buffy Saint Marie…well when I finished the song there was complete silence, my knees turned to rubber and I couldn`t swollow. It lasted maybe 3 or 4 secounds and then they clapped. Must have startled them or something. But I know one thing; that was the highest high I have ever had. So keep on whistling and know you have the respect of at least one howler in the night:-)
Tom
Oh I almost forgot; avanutria, I called the pub you mentioned and they do still do sessions on Tue. nights. Oh Boy. Guinness and Irish music. It will be heaven.
Now Im going to saddle my horse and ride into the hills behind my place and see if I cant whistle up whistling Elf.
Tom
PS: I can never get those stupid smily face things to work???