I’m new to the whistling world. I would like to learn to play some traditional Celtic music, and I have been told that the best whistle for me would be one in the key of D.
I stumbled upon this guy on youtube, let me know what you think of his whistles.
You’ll get mixed reviews of Susatos — some love 'em, others not so much. Another moderately priced (about $35) is the Mellow Dog in D from Jerry Freeman. It’s a metal tube with a plastic head. Jerry posts here and sells directly or through his e-Bay store.
Most people starting out eventually try a range of whistles (or just buy a whole bunch, but that’s a different story) before settling one one (or more). Enjoy the search…
Hi Jeremy,
The whistle Pat is playing is a SUSATO Kildare ‘S’ Series in the key of ‘D’. If you want an inexpensive good polymer whistle like that I would recommend the Tony Dixon whistle. Heritage Music sells them on Ebay and Chiff and Fipple has info about them being good whistles. I saw a non tunable whistle on their site for $22 and a tunable one for $48.
As far as Erik’s penny whistles I think they are very nice. Just a little too pricey for me. I like the wood and appearance, but what is so nice is the sound. Also, remember he is a very good musician. If I had the extra money I would not hesitate to buy one if I wanted a wooden whistle. Remember with those you might have to consider a drying out issue if you live in a dry climate. I am not sure. That is something that you would need to talk to him about. I have my name on a list for a D whistle from John Sindt which is about a 9 month wait at this time and will cost $130 + shipping.
For beginners, I always say go for a Generation or Clarke, maybe a Feadog. Cheap and good.
If you like to play and have fun with it, then take a look at some of the more expensive things if you like but really there are a huge amount of fantastic players that play Generations, Clarks, Oaks, etc…
As an aside, I like Erik the Flutemaker’s stuff. I have a Bb whistle by him in concert tuning. Plays nice in tune with itself but slightly sharp. Very comfortable player though…
Also, thanks to everyone who replied, you guys are quite fast and helpful.
Of course I am a fan of the Susato. It sounds nice in my opinion.
But there have been two different recommendations for a Dixon. I think I’ll look at both of those to start out. But I’ll make sure to look at several different brands of whistles to find the one that suits me best.
On a separate note, I play oboe, violin, and percussion. I’ll probably end up liking something that has a similiar feel to my oboe.
Thanks for responding everyone. I’ll keep you updated on what I end up getting!
The Dixon doesn’t have a lot of back-pressure, so, if you’re looking for something that “feels like your oboe” that might not be the one for you, after all. Mind you, nothing is going to have anywhere near the pressure you’d be used to.
My experience with $5-$15 whistles (and I bought a bunch of 'em) was that as a beginner all were very difficult for me to control in their untweaked versions. The difficulty was enough to put me off the instrument for a bit until I found something from which I could actually coax music.
The first whistle that gave me some hope was the tweaked Clarke Sweetone. It’s a bit chiffy and the tuning isn’t spot on, but the notes are much easier to hold. At some point, I discovered the DIY tweaking guide that Jerry Freeman wrote and tweaked all my cheap whistles. The end result of that was that my Walton Little Black Whistle became very useable but none of the others thrilled me any more after the tweak than before.
I don’t know much about the Dixons, Susatos, and others in that price-point since once I decided this was an instrument I’d work on getting better at, I ordered an Oz and a Burke.
I’d offer up these two suggestions though, if the OP can stretch his budget a bit… Guido Gonzato Whistles
Guido’s pvc whistles are very well spoken of on this board and at $33 for a high D, including shipping, it may be a real bargain. I’m expecting a GG low A in the mail any day. Tilbury Woodwinds Company
I just got a aluminum Bb from him about a month ago. I really do love the whistle. It’s easy to control and has a wonderful sound to it. Chuck posts in this forum and he’s been offering his whistles for $50+$8 shipping. You can also order other bodies from him so the one head can be an Eb, D, or C whistle. I think he recently posted that he’ll sell the bodies for $20 each.
For my money, the Clarke, Oak and Feadog are better then the LBW which always sounds fuzzy to me. Maybe with some tweaking it is a bit better but it’s not high on my list of inexpensive whistles.
In my own experience, I have found that both Walton’s and Feadog whistles, can be extremely hit or miss - with the emphasis being on miss. Most of them will require some tweaking, and if you are just beginning on the whistle, then you are NOT the person who should be tweaking these. No offense, but you just don’t know what you are aiming for - what is better, and what is not. This is especially true if your whistle budget is extrememly low, because it is way too easy to ruin a whistle by attempting to tweak it.
Clarke Sweetone is good beginning whistle for $10 or less. You can get the same whistle under the name “Woodstock” as well, usually for less money. The Dixon Trad is a fabulous beginner’s whistle, IMO, and very appropriately priced at around $30. After many years of playing whistle, I still enjoy playing both my Clarke and Dixon whistles on occassion.
I would make my strongest suggestion for Jerry Freeman tweaked whistles. These are inexpensive whistles that have been tweaked by a professional, and they are guaranteed by Jerry. It will cost more than a Clarke, but less than a Dixon, and you know that what you are getting is what you are paying for. You will also find that his whistles are better suited to playing Irish Traditional Music (ITM), if that is indeed what you intend to pursue, than some of the other whistles out there.
If you are on a tight budget and looking to spend your money wisely, then the Freeman tweaked Generation is probably your best bet.
Truth be told, all cheap whistles are hit or miss. We’ve all heard the stories about the 1 good Generation you’ll find in a box of 100. But as for tweaking the whistles, it’s really not that difficult to make the Walton playable. I had very little experience when I did it but, following the guide I linked earlier, it wasn’t a difficult job at all. Some sticky-tack, a flat-bottomed pen to tamp it down, a few strips of very fine sandpaper (I think I used something around 1000 grit), and a bit of patience is all it took to improve a few whistles. It’s not rocket science and no one should be worried about damaging a $4 whistle. Basically, all you’re doing is backfilling a cavity and deburring some plastic edges. I did it on three whistles and improved them all …didn’t ruin a one.
Okay everyone. I ordered a Feadog Pro in D from lollysmith.com
I just got it today, and so far it’s been great. With all the fingerings being almost exactly the same as oboe and Alto saxophone, I’m catching on fast.
It does slip into the high octave rather easily though. But I’m probably just not used to it yet.