Hi,
I want to start to learn to play the instrument that was played in Riverdance, Inagh, Titanic and Braveheart…I believe it is called a Low Whistle or Low Pipe…I am right ?
Does anyone know the key of each of the pipes used in the above pieces of music, if so can you tell me, also would the instrument be adjustable ?
What is the best book to start to learn to play from ?..I want to learn all about the instrument and really get into it…
I really, really would appreciate some guidance.
Thanks
You might start here:
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/low.html
Actually, three different celtic instruments were played that you heard.
The high and the low Irish whistle, and the Irish uilleann bagpipes. If you count a few sparse scenes in braveheart, you can also add the Great Highland bagpipes to that list as well.
Start with the whistle - probably high whistle is best, them you can move to low whistles, and from there, if your patience and bank account will allow, uilleann pipes. Plan on a lifetime of learning, interspersed with a healthy dose of humility and frustration! But WHAT FUN?!?! 
Best of luck!
If you’d like to learn more about the pipes, you can find out here:
http://www.saltlakepipers.com/The-Pipes.html
For whistle information, the whole of the Chiff and Fipple site is as complete as it gets!
http://www.chiffandfipple.com/
Best of luck!
Brian~
Thanks Claudine for the Link it does hold a great deal of info…may be too many whistle to choose from in terms of Low Whistles :roll:
Brian thanks also for the info you have posted…I only want to focus on the Whistles…not the Uillena Pipes.
Does anyone know what key of whistle is used in the Titanic song at the beginning and who the manufacturer is ?
Similar question for Inagh what key of whistle did Davey Spillane use in this piece ?
If you go to http://www.kerrywhistles.com/dl.php and click on ‘Phil Hardy Gap of Dunloe’
What key instrument is Phil Playing…does anyone know ??
What is that black piece between the mouth piece and his hands ?
Is that Whistle a two piece that you can extend ? and that is what the black thing is ?
What’s the advantage of an adustable/tunable Whistle ?
I really want to get to the bottom of this and I need the above questions answering.
Thanks 
You may want to ask Phil Hardy directly at http://kerrywhistles.com. He also posts here.
I have one of his Chieftain Low Ds. It is my favorite whistle right now…
I would recommend it, but it (and I would think all low Ds) requires patience and practice to bond with it so that you and it play as a team.
I echo the suggestion of getting a high D first (or also). It is far easier and more forgiving while you learn, but will give quicker results and the fingering is identical on both whistles, the difference in grip styles between the 2, I found, is easy to learn.
Good luck and welcome.
Stewy “It aint broke. That is my avatar” Smoot
Thanks Stewy for the advice really apprecaited…need to find out which key of Low Whistle is used in Inagh and Titanic.
Anyone ???
Odds are, a low D. But unless you’re playing with others, that’s not really terribly important.
Though I have both Low D and Low F whistles, I spend much more time with my Low F - low enough for that “Low Whistle” sound, but an easier reach. But I’ll join in the chorus suggesting you get a High D whistle first (and maybe a Generation Bb as well - you’ll be surprised at the size increase going from D to Bb) to get the basics under your belt. And if you get both, your total expenditure should still be under $15. The cheapest Low Whistles I know of - Dixons and Susatos - still cost $50 or more.
I really get the impression that a high D whistle is the best to start with but how far away is the sound from a low D whistle, I want the instrument to sound at least similar.
I live in the UK what makes do you suggest for the High D and Db ? And would want to order from here.
Thanks
Similar, but not identical sounds.
First whistle? I’d recommend a Clarke Sweetone D. There are a whole range of Generation whistles from Bb (2 tones below the standard high D) to high G. Though they sometimes have problems with consistancy, a good Generation can be a really good whistle, and I’d recommend the Gen Bb as a good second whistle,though you may have to tweek it a bit to make it sound its best (there are how-to instructions on the main C & F site, if you need them). Or if you want to go a bit upmarket, Dixon makes good high whistles too.
Places to buy? In the UK, Hobgoblin Music or Bigwhistle (www.bigwhistle.com) are both local (if you’re in London, you can go to Hobgoblin’s shop - don’t know if Bigwhistle has a storefront).
BTW - Clarke, Generation, Dixon (mid-range), Alba, and (I think) Howard are all British makers. Overton’s are too, sort of (Bernard Overtons - Colin Goldie is in Germany, these days). I’m not certain if Phil Hardy is in Ireland or the UK, now, but you can probably find his whistles pretty easily (Chieftains) too. All of these except Clarke and Generation make both high and low whistles (Overton is credited with much of the popularity of the modern low whistle).
I bought three whistle tonight on the way home:
Clarke Sweet tone D
Generation D
Generation Bb
It is the first time I have blown into a whistle and it is REALLY difficult to keep a low D note it is so easy to overblow !!!
Any help for what I got to do to get a fairly loud D ?
I understand that I got to start somewhere but the sound of the High Whistle sounds like a squealy recorder (Not like the instrument in Titanic or Inagh !!!)
I must say I am a little dissapointed with the sound…seems cheap and nasty…did anyone else find this ?
If anyone can convince me then I may stick at it…If any, I like the Bb as it is lower in sound…If you all have advised me to take up the high whistle first because of finger spacing then I find the Sweetone a bit close for comfort.
I am feeling a little down about the prospect of learning to play a cheapish instrument.
Please someone cheer me up… 
Yup, learning good breath control is something that takes time and practice. It’s also much more critical when you move to low whistles.
Just practice. Your notes will get stronger with time. But also keep in mind that compared to other instruments, most whistles are not very loud, and the low end of the first octave is always the weakest.
At first, yes. Again, it’s largely a matter of breath control. But, also keep in mind, it is a thin roll of tin. 
Don’t get too wrapped up in it. If you really think there’s a problem with the instrument, find someone who plays well to give it a run. Sometimes the cheapies can have some pretty nasty faults, mostly due to inconsistency in manufcturing. Most of them, however, are fixable by tweaking them. Keep in mind though that there are quite a few professional players who specifically use the cheapies just because of its unique sound.
Most of all, relax. If you’re getting frustrated, put it down for a little bit. You will get better with time and practice, and we’ll be here when you need advice.
As for the keys of the music, most likely they are in D or G, both of which can be played on the D whistle. Because those tunes are new and under copyright, you’ll not find the sheet music online, but you can probably purchase it at a music shop. I certainly know that the Riverdance music is published and available.
Thanks MSeldon…I think I will look for a tutor, I need to learn read music any books that you can recommend ?
And I mean from scratch ?
Thanks
The Clarke Tinwhistle Tutor with CD (by Bill Ochs) is a good one - it’s the one I started with after reading through all the threads on the subject. BigWhistle has it as “Clarkes Teaching Handbook including CD”, so there’s at least one UK source.
There are a number of others, but I’ve no experience with them - but whichever you pick, try to get one with an included CD; having an example of what a tune SHOULD sound like can sometimes do more for you than an hour of reading.
Walton’s publishes a number of tunebooks, most of which have CDs available with them, too, but most of these are aimed at players with at least a reading knowlege of music. I have several of them, but it was only after I’d worked my way well into the Clarke book that I started getting the most from them.
Susato, but you may not like the tone.
My first whistle was a Feadóg D. It sounded cheap and nasty. After careful research, I bought several more cheap to medium-priced whistles. I also bought a Dixon A and Dixon Low D because I like the sound. I practice mostly on one or two of my Soprano D whistles. Funny thing, I picked up my Feadóg the other day and it sounds a lot better than it did three months ago.
I dutifully blow through the Dixon Low D for a few minutes every day. I can still barely blow a clear bell note. If I had started with the Low D, I’d be pretty disappointed by now. As it is, I’m having lots of fun practicing with my Dixon or Hoover Soprano D whistles and making gradual progress on the Low D.
Hang in there. You’ll be able to get the sound you want after you’ve developed some technique. Also, you might check out several threads on this forum that suggest tweaks for cheap whistles. I found that a little poster tack (and three months of practice) turned my Feadóg into a pretty nice sounding instrument.
Lawrence
I find that the Clarke Sweetone is too “sweet” for me. I prefer the original design with it’s breathiness.
I had problems with the finger stretch on low Ds until Michael Burke came out with his AL-PRO design in 3 pieces, fipple, upper barrel and lower barrel. I can rotate the holes so that I can drop my elbows and actually play it standing up. Piper’s grip is needed for anything below about a low G, BTW, so get used to feeling with the second pads of the fingers.
The reach on my low whistle is slightly longer than the reach on my D UP chanter. The stretch between the middle and ring finger of the bottom hand is difficult to master, so the bell note is harder to hit accurately on the low D (as well as hitting it with the proper breath pressure). When you can hit it just on the edge of the octave break, it is just lovely.
Caution: whistle addiction can lead to much harder and expensive drugs such as flutes and uilleann bagpipes.
Hang in there, NeedHelp. The whistle seems like it would be easy to learn, but as with any instrument, the intricacies of it take breath control, practice and time. You can read numerous thread regarding different forms of frustration that we all go through in our quests to sound like Mary Bergin, Joanie Madden, or merely like a musically competent version of ourselves.
I echo the advice of those who said that learning on the high D is the better way to go. I still haven’t done much with low whistles yet partly due to the reach and partly due to the fact that the high D is very expressive and I’m having too much fun with it!
Don’t give up. Try some other kinds of whistles, there are plenty of inexpensive soprano Ds, such as a Dixon or Susato, that you might like better than the ones you have. Keep at it! You’ve come to the right board, this place is chock-full of information, advice, opinions, and guidance. Most of all, enjoy it.
I think someone has got the bug bigtime here… I looove it .
Needhelp,
different whistles has VERY different sound, get on with those you have and soon your chasing after expensive instruments.
Also you should know that what we here on records are tunes that are altered very much (usually) with equalizers and reverb/echoes and stuff.
To get really nice sound IMO, you need;
1-A whistle that gives the sound you prefer.
2-Good skill of playing the darn piece of tube.
3-A nice acoustic where you play. Playing in a livingroom
can be very boring IMO. Try to play in a big hall, a church.
Try to play in a warehouse, in the airport… you get the point.
/Peter
If there is a shop you can find that will let you try out low whistles, go there. Be sure you know what you can spend on one. Try them out. You might be a rare person who can make the finger stretch work easily. Any shop that carries low whistles ought to also stock tutor books. I second the suggestion for the Clarke’s book by Bill Ochs. I used this to learn to read music. From scratch. It works, if you follow every step and practice daily.
Many folks seem to advise gradual increases in whistle size until you get the one you want. I don’t. I play high D and low D just as easily, but the Bb bothers me with its in-between size. Find out which type you are.
If there is a shop that will let you try the whistles and carries the low Ds, go there and try a few. I suggest being able to blow a scale cleanly on your high whistles, first, so you can have an idea of what each of the lows sounds like as you blow them. You can also feel the finger stretch you will need to play them. This is easy for me, but a real bother for some folks. My hands are probably just flexible. You need to try it to know for sure if it is for you before you plunk down the oof.
Even if the low D becomes your regular tooter, you will want to keep the high whistles available for practice. They are more portable, so you can stick one in a pocket for those times when you have nothing else to do. Don’t worry about folks looking at you funny. It isn’t like they are trying to improve themselves, right?
-Patrick
A 4 story and up stairwell sounds great.
We occasionally play in a Moravian church in the Bethabara Park which has the best acoustics of anywhere I have played.
There are a few tutorial books out there, and most will do just fine. Most of the tutorial books start out by assuming you don’t know how to read music. They will have fingering charts along with the standard music staff. Learning to read music for a tinwhistle isn’t too difficult, since you can’t do things like chords.
One thing that really helps a lot is to listen to the kind of music you want to play. The more you hear it, the better feel you’ll have for it. And the good part is, there’s a ton of talented artists out there to choose from. The bad part is, there’s a ton of talented artists out there to choose from. 