Newbie here, with some questions!

Whistle
1

After browsing around on Youtube, and watching “TinWhistler” and some other videos, I’ve now got a growing desire to learn to play the tin whistle!

I’ve browsed around on the forums some, trying to find out which whistle to buy. And it seems the moment I’ve made up my mind, I’ll read another post that contradicts my decision. =\

Yes, I know each one has it’s pros and cons and people have personal preferences, but I want to try to get an overall opinion on a few of the whistles I have in mind. I’m also going against the law of “play before you buy”, but my local music stores are lame, and don’t carry tin whistles.

ANYWHO…

I’m debating on which one to get, and how much to spend. At first I was thinking about a Feadog or a Sweetone for $7-$15. Cheap enough, but then I read somewhere that the Feadog’s are really loud and the Sweetone’s are more like a toy than anything. I want something with a good tone that won’t turn away a beginner such as myself, and I don’t want to have to upgrade in a month. So I started thinking about either a Tony Dixon Trad D, a Freeman Mellow Dog D, or a Freeman Blackbird, couldn’t decide between those. Then I started reading about quieter whistles (because I don’t want to bug my family while attempting to practice) like the Every Whistle or a Hoover. But then I started thinking… “Shoot, if I’m going to spend over $50, might as well get a low whistle.” Since, I really do like the sound of the low whistles better, and if I stick with this, I’ll most likely be mostly a low whistle player.

But, then I went back to thinking that I had better try a cheap one out to see if I even like it before blowing $100. So I starting thinking about a Feadog or a Sweetone again, which lead me back to the Dixon/Freeman, and, well, this has been running around in my head for the past few hours, haha. :slight_smile:

What would you guys recommend that I do? And, if you have a better recommendation, let me know. =]

Also, as for low whistles, what’s the best overall value you can get for under $150?

Sorry about the super long thread. ='[

~ Thanks, Christina.

2

Yes, exactly. Dixon Trad and/or Freeman Blackbird. There, that was easy. :wink:

And welcome to the Chiffboard!

3

I’d also say to go with the Dixon Trad or Freeman-tweaked to start with. Not a huge expenditure, but you’ll know you’re getting something that’s been looked at, and isn’t defective. Most cheapies are fine, but they still leave you with the tendency to wonder “Is the problem me, or this stupid whistle???” Get a whistle that you know has been quality-inspected, and the blame is easier to fix. :smiley:

4

I am mostly a low whistle player, I prefer the lower register. I started with a susato high D - because I was told high whistle was easier. That was a mistake (for me and my skill level - nothing wrong with the whistle). I persevered with the low D and am now getting somewhere. Recently I got a Dixon Trad high D and wish I had done so right at the beginning. I still prefer the low whistle, but now I am learning to enjoy the upper register too.

So I guess what I am saying is that if you get a high whistle it won’t be wasted - you will play it even when you progress to the lower register. I can’t really recommend the Dixon Trad against other high whistles as I have only played two high whistles… but I like it a lot.

And welcome to whistling and to Chiff&Fipple.

5

Get a couple of cheap whistles. Keep one in your car or backpack or someone else handy that you have to kill time. You will come to enjoy a traffic jam or a slow drive thru or waiting for the kids after soccer practice. Someone you know will want a whistle too, so this will say you deliver charges in the near future.

Do not, I repeat, do not, whistle while driving. The temptation will be there but there is no reason to kill yourself and other people.

6

I have a Clarke Celtic (which is pretty much a Sweetone) and all I can say is that I am happy with it. I started playing a couple of weeks ago, and I still didn’t feel "its the whistles fault, but remember, I only tried this one, and I can’t speak for the other whistles you mentioned, but wanted to give my opinion about the one I have and that you mentioned :slight_smile:

Welcome to the Chiff & Fipple, and most important, to the Tin Whistle World.

(And I bought a Low D meanwhile too :stuck_out_tongue:)

7

I agree the Blackbird is a fine whstle and seems to be pretty consistent, but regarding the Dixon Trad, I hope Tony has addressed the loose mouthpiece issue that many, including myself have experienced. I ordered one not quite a year ago and when I started playing it, the mouthpiece was so loose it’d twist and move up & down the tube while playing. Felt like I was playing a miniature trombone and had to tape the mouthpiece in place to see what the whistle sounded like. I contaced Tony and was sent a new mouthpiece. This one stayed in place a little better (not much) but made the whistle play and sound worse. I again contacted Tony but never received a reply. I’d considered returning it to the vendor for a refund but ended up scoring the metal and applying a thin layer of super glue to the tube to slightly increase the diam and make the original mouthpiece fit better and hold the tuning position. It’s fine now but overall I prefer the Dixon tunable poly…or as mentioned, the Blackbird.

I’ve been through a ton of inexpensive whistles over the years and the one that’s stood the test of time is a Waltons Mellow D that’s quite good with a nice strong low register and sweet high end, an easy-player requiring no other tweak than filling the fipple cavity with sticky-tack. In terms of playability, tone, balance, etc, it’s amazingly close to my higher-end whsitles.

8

Wow, that sounds really, really annoying! I wasn’t aware that other people’s Trads were having that issue. Mine is quite snug on its tube.

9

Interesting, I hadn’t heard of that. The easy head movement is actually part of what recommends the Trad for beginners, since it encourages keeping it in tune. But “easy” definitely shouldn’t be “loose”. Mine is just about right, snug but easy, with a little cork grease underneath.

10

my dixon trad mouth piece is snug, as well. actually, i have two trads and both are fine…

as to the OP’s qusetion… i don’t any great depth as a whistle player. but, fwiw, i love my dixon trads. i also have a couple feadogs and a feadog pro (along with a lot of other whistles.)of all of them, i think the trad or the feadog are hard to beat for a first whistle. i suspect that either will provide years of pleasure for you.

$.02

be well,

jim

11

I have been playing for about 10 years and I like my Clarke Original even though I own some more expensive whistles. My Clarke was in tune and sounded great right out of the box, (to me at least).

Howie

12

I just started whistling about 4 months ago, and although I have gone through and gotten one “higher end” whistle (which is a classic nontunable Harper, and I love it!) and ordered another, I still go back to my first whistle I bought, which was a nickel Feadog D. I’ve never really found it too loud; in fact, it’s one of the softer ones I have. I have also heard good things about Waltons Mellow D’s. Both are cylindrical, which I prefer, since I feel I can get a good grip on them, as opposed to a conical bore, which feel like they’ll slip out of my hands.

As for low Ds, I received one as a gift through the great generosity of a fellow Chiff member (whom I had never met, but to whom I will be eternally grateful), and find it to be a great and fulfilling challenge. It’s a nontunable Chieftain Low D, and I find it to be a lot of fun.

Good Luck. You search will probably be agonizing and lead you to hours of research (I know from personal experience), but those hours ultimately end in fun that makes it entirely worth it.

13

Hi,

As a newbie myself I thought I might give you my perspective. I’m not very good at playing yet, but what I am very good at is doing tons of research before making relatively unimportant decisions. After looking through numerous threads the advice I have seen boils down to six distinct points of view. In no particular order they are:

  1. It doesn’t matter, just by any cheap whistle and learn to play it.

  2. No one can tell you what whistle to buy. Play a few and choose the one that speaks to you.

  3. Get a Jerry Freeman tweaked whistle.

  4. Get any whistle and learn to tweak it yourself.

  5. Get a Susato. They were, after all, voted the best whistle for beginners. Go with the groupthink.

  6. Get a Dixon Trad.

The decision I made was to buy a Freeman tweaked Sweetone. It was only $15 and I am at least guaranteed that someone who knows what they are doing has played it and verified that it is a halfway decent whistle. This is true weather or not you believe in the value of tweaking. Additionally, Jerry backs his work with a full satisfaction money back guarantee, so the risk/reward ratio is fairly good. I wouldn’t worry about the Sweetone being a toy, it was intended as a children’s starter whistle, but they are real instruments (Just make sure to get a black one and not some candy color). I am very happy with my Freeman Sweetone, though it takes a LOT of breath, especially on the high octave. If you have low lung capacity, you may want to go with the Mellow Dog, though I have not played a Mellow Dog and cannot state anything personally.

[Note: Post edited by Moderator - MTGuru]

14

I am somewhere between a first-time shopper (like you) and a beginner.

I ended up buying four cheapies that represented the spectrum of design/materials available. I figured I’d mess around with all of them until I found the style that suited me and then get rid of the others. I also bought a tune book at the same time. When the tune book turned out to be out of stock, I took a Tony Dixon Trad in brass as a substitute.

When the package arrived, I spent a couple of hours messing around. What surprised me the most was that I didn’t dislike any of them and found the individual quirks interesting.

The Dixon won the contest hands down though. For whatever reason (and I can’t explain this rationally), I had a much clearer understanding with the Dixon if I was over-blowing, under-blowing or if a finger was off. This is a big plus, as you can adjust and keep going without taking the whistle out of your mouth to check fingering.

So I stand with the Dixonians. But, if I had not bought the Dixon, I think I would have been content with the Mellow D or the Feadog Pro. I don’t think it is possible to make a big mistake at this stage.

Joe

15

Hey Ed, we like getting feedback on what you finally decided to do. Even if you didn’t decide to take any of our well thought out, highly experienced, brilliant advice.

I thought the newbie advice was good solid advice too.

16

I cut my whistling teeth* on clarkes. I think the breath issues with clarkes are geneally over-rated. I love the sound. If clarke made a tunable, I would probably be hooked forever. That said, for overall niceness it’s hard to beat the dixon trad.

Tom

*a figure of speech. Teeth and whistles should never touch. :smiley:

17

Sorry about that! I would of replied earlier, but I’ve been really busy, and just now got a chance to check back.

Thank you guys SO much for all this. It’s really helpful. =]

Looks like I’ll get a Dixon Trad, then save up for a Low D later.

Thanks again! <3

18

I’m Tom’s twin on this! :slight_smile: I love my Clarke Originals but the Dixon Trad is great in it’s own way.

19

Keep in touch, let us know how it’s going. Quarterly reports from newbies will be due soon.

20

That was a while back, so I’m guessing Tony did something to fix the issue or it could have been just a few in a batch that got by QC. Hard to know.