I consider myself a budding musician. I play piano/keyboards and acoustic guitar. I want to explore other instruments, and the Tin Whistle is one of them!
I’m all for spending about $150 or less. I know, after reading the information on this website, that there are inexpensive whistles out there, but, preferably, what I want is one which is hardwood bodied. I’d like an heirloom quality with a slightly warm tone.
It seems like a low D would be a good start.
Any suggestions on the best looking and sounding whistle at this price point?
I’ve been on night shift, so hopefully I haven’t come across as a moron with my questions! Let me know if I’m off-base in my desire for a wooden whistle. If metal is better, let me know. Any suggestions would be excellent.
I’m not sure if anyone actually makes a wooden low D whistle, and if they do it certainly wouldn’t be for $150.
My advice would be to start with something cheap in high D, just a Feadog or Generation, and when you’ve got a few tunes learnt and the fingering is starting to come more naturally, think about a Copeland or Howard low D. Copeland will be over $150, but I’ve recently played one and it was gorgeous. Howard will be cheaper, and very nice too.
I’ve only played Low Whistles by Kerry, Overton, Howard, Dixon and Copeland, the other’s I haven’t tried but I’m sure someone on the forum has, so ask plenty of questions before deciding.
Thank you, everyone, for the replies and for sharing your knowledge. I will read, read, and then read a little more about the various makers, then I’ll be asking a couple of other questions before deciding.
I too thought that I could skip right to the Low D (even though I had never touched a whistle in my life). I wound up having to come back to a Soprano D and work on the basics for a while before being able to do anything that made sense on the Low D. When learning new tunes, I still use a Soprano and only move to the Low when I have it figured out.
Of the Low D’s I have, the Alba is the best one to start out: easier to play than the others but still a lovely sound. Relatively affordable as well. Beautiful to look at, too.
Good luck!
I agree completely that the best way to learn to play low whistle is to start with a high D whistle.
When you move to low whistle, you have plenty to worry about just in sealing the tone holes and finding a hand position that isn’t physically painful, without having to worry about basics like fingering and breath control.
And speaking of breath control: a really nice, inexpensive high D whistle is the Oak. They go for about $10 to $15, and they have a wonderful sweet, traditional tone and lots of chiff. Also they require good breath control, which you will need when you move to low whistle.
One last thought about low whistle when you get one: be careful not to whack yourself in the lips with the fipple! I did my very first day, and looked like I had been in a fight for a few days afterwards.
If you want a wooden whistle (trust me you do!) Paul Busman makes an astonishingly good whistle for a little less than half the price of other wooden whistles. Here’s a link to his site. Tell him I said “Hi”.
He only makes Hi-Ds currently. i wouldn’t recommend you start only with a low-D. Get a high D for learning tunes and playing fast stuff and get a low-D for aires until you develop the lungs and hand strength to do some jigs and reels on the mega-tooter.
i’d start with a cheap high D aswell, like feadog or generation. these whistles are not that well in tune, you’ll have to shift the mouthpiece in the right position. then after a couple of tunes on it, buy a good low D.
i wouldn’t waste any money on a cheap low D. you play guitar, so low D size would be no problem. i believe the only wistles that are completely wooden are sweathearts http://www.sweetheartflute.com/whistles.html
the other make are burke composites, http://www.burkewhistles.com/about_burke_whistles.htm these whistles have plastic mixed with woodfiber in them. to my ears they sound more wooden then sweathearts, composites have a rich and mellow tone and are very sweet whistles, the best balanced whistles, and bang in tune. any whistle with any peace of metal don’t give me this gronded feeling, but that’s just my opinion.
there’s a sound sample of a burke low D EZ composite in the link below.
there’s only a sound sample of a sweatheart high D, there also are a few alba sound samples.
i hope you’ll find your low D james, these are just my opinions, but you’ll have to like the sound
i second everyone else’s opinion. as far as wood, i understand where you are coming from. as musicians we love the warmth and life of wooden instruments. however the whistle is different. wood is only one way to go.
i happen to like the sound and feel of the plastic ones- susato, water weasel, dixon. don’t invest in wood unless you have put in some time on the cheaper ones.
as a matter of fact, in the higher whistles, alot of us would consider spending more than 25 bucks a waste of money.
the low whistles are another story. try to find someone who has a good one (unlike the supranos, there are no cheap alternatives as far as i know) and see what you think.
