Hello. I really want to get into the whistle but I don’t have a whistle yet. I really want an inexpensive whistle that sounds pretty clear but isn’t terribly loud, and stays in tune. I’m considering a Susato but I’ve heard they’re loud and sound a bit recorder like. I know I’m asking for the Holy Grail here, but can anyone recommend something to me?
I’d recommend getting the set of the Clarke Whistle, Bill Ochs book and the CD – a great place to start, and you can add other reasonable whistles as you go along. I started with the Ochs book and CD and it worked well for me.
[ This Message was edited by: fatveg on 2002-07-23 23:36 ]
It depends on the Clarke, IMHO. The Sweetones are good, but the original Clarke’s are not, unless you get the tweaked one from the Whistle Shop. My current favorite in the non-custom category is the O’Briain/Feadog from Shanna Quay. Happy whistling!
Fullario,
If you’ve had previous music experience. I’d recommend a Dixon tunable (Key-D). Its not as loud in the second octave as the susato. They are usually in tune, on the rare occasion where you get one that’s not in tune, Tony Dixon’s good about replacing them with one that is. Easy to play, moderate wind requirments, and don’t clog as easily as the other inexpensive whistles. It’s a little more expensive than some of the other whistles mentioned; but, it’s a great value for the money (under $40). You can get them over the net at http://www.thewhistleshop.com in the US or directly from Tony if you in Europe or the Isles.
I went through a number of cheaper whistles and have had several of the more expensive ones too. I still find the dixon to my liking, its my regular practice whistle.
Regardless what you whistle with you’ll come to …
I’d get a meg ($3) and the Ochs book. (I have both) You can get them from http://www.thewhistleshop.com
Actually I agree with the Dixon recommendation. It’s the best sound for the money, if you like pure tone. If you like chiff, it’s not. It all depends on what you like. But you can’t waste much money regardless, since all the low end stuff is really affordable.
Of course, if you get a Dixon (which I also think would be a good choice), you can add a Meg to the order for just a few dollars. Won’t even increase the shipping charge. That would give you a couple of whistles to play with and compare.
Tery
I haven’t played a Dixon (yet!), but if by “clear” sound you mean bright and flute-like, you will probably like a Feadog quite a lot (and they’re very inexpensive). If you don’t mind a softer sound (I want to say “slightly breathy,” but that’s not really right) the Meg (by Clarke) is a nice beginner’s whistle (and they don’t come any cheaper). The advantage to the Meg is that it really is a quiet whistle…it’s the one I use to practice on when everybody else is asleep!
If you want quiet, don’t get a Susato. I tend to disagree with the “sounds like a recorder” school (I play both, and I don’t think the Susato sounds at all like a recorder), it is definitely NOT quiet. The Susato is a whistle with an attitude 
To be honest, one that sounds almost tailor-made for your requirements (in tune, clear tone and relatively quiet) is the Cillian O Briain “improved” (a tweaked Feadog, available from Shanna](http://www.shannaquay.com/%22%3EShanna) Quay). Only thing that would make me hesitate to recommend it is it’s sensitive to overblowing (squeaks if you attack the note too aggressively, especially in the lower octave), and might be a bit more challenging for a beginner. On the other hand, as someone else here once noted, everyone has to learn breath control, and this whistle really does have a beautiful voice. It’s also quite a bit pricier than the regular Feadog, though I think a bit cheaper than the Dixons (or about in that range).
I rather agree with tkelly…get the Dixon (or the Feadog or the “improved”) and add a Meg to the order. It’s nice to have a couple to compare, and a Meg only costs a few bucks, so you’re not risking much.
Warning though…whistling is addictive!
Redwolf
Get your hands on a generation. That’s all I have to say. If your listening to these other people and you’re going to buy a dixon or a cillian o’brian from the whistleshop or shannayquay get a gen. too. There only about 6.00 bucks and who knows you might be like many other people and find that you like the generations better than everything else including the expensive ones. My 2 cents.
Jack Murphy
I’d suggest a Walton MellowD.
The bore is slightly wider than the normal bore of standard Generation, Feadog, Walton, Clare, & Doolin Ds, which seems to help avoid the squeeks for a beginner.
A Dixon would be a good choice too, but slightly pricier. As the guys have said above , you could get a Dixon, Generation, Clarke’s Meg & Walton MellowD all in one order to save shipping charges. That would give you several good basic cheap D whistles to play around on, and give you an idea whether you need anything else (and you might never need another D whistle after this order!)
The Waltons whistles that come with the their tutorial pack usually aren’t MellowDs, by the way.
It’s not been said yet, but we are all assuming you know to get a whistle in the key of D - especially if you are going to play Irish music. You sound like you’ve looked at the choices already, so you probably knew this, but a stitch in time…
By the way, the Gen, Mellow D would usually need adjusting the fipple to put into tune, but this is easily done as shown elsewhere on this site. The Dixon comes in tuneable or non-tuneable varieties, and there’s a plush brass slide vesrion too. I’d recommend getting a tuneable one, so when you come to play with others you can adjust your tuning to suit the group.
Dixon, Waltons brass, or Waltons little black.
you really can’t go wrong with the Megs----------cheap…yet…cool…
beautiful sound