Hey guys! I’ve had a tin whistle for quite a while (Walton’s Mellow D), and I’m finally taking the time to learn how to play it. I had a couple of books, but I can’t find them. So I started searching the internet, and eventually found this site. I’ve got the basic idea how to play it, but when it comes to the higher octave, I’m having a little bit of a hard time getting it to sound good consistently. Where I live, finding a tutor is impossible to find so I’ll have to learn from the net and from books. do you guys have some advice for me to get my whistle sounding right?
welcome Sara lass. you might try a google search for"brother Steves whistle page" and “the session”, also there’s a “virtual session” on line.
have fun,
all the best,Tansy
Funny you should say that, because I’m already checking out those sites! lol I’ll go searching for the virtual sessions.
Hi Sara, I’m another newbie, and will be learning by the same method as you..via the internet! I’m finding this site to be most helpful and have already received good advice…I’m waiting to receive my Feadog D. If you find some more helpful sites please share!!
There’s only one way: Listen and practise, practise and listen.
It’s uphill all the way,-no shortcuts . . .
Since you have to overblow to get the second octave, keeping consistent air pressure is important. Don’t try to blow a little harder for each note; try to maintain a full stream of air, just at higher pressure than you use in the lower octave.
Hi celtic_lass, and welcome!
The upper octave will have challenges - slightly different from whistle to whistle, but usually involves how accurate your breath control is. Sometimes (rarely) a whistle will be damaged or have some design problem that interferes. Other times it is because the learner is starting in the second octave and trying to get notes from the third (possible but not recommended for a beginner)
Here’s a good exercise for finding the first and second octaves:
starting from the C#
(C# is all notes uncovered - OOO OOO).
Breathe as soft as possible into the mouthpiece - so soft that no sound comes out.
Very gradually increase the breath untill a note is heard.
Gradually increase the pressure until the note starts to change.
When the second-octave note becomes clear, move to the next-note-down
(B XOO OOO)
And so-on down to the D ( XXX XXX).
The reason the exercise starts from the top note is because it helps you notice if you’re not covering a hole properly - essential practice.
Hope this helps
Hi Sara,
You might also want to have someone more experience give your tooter a toot.
Some of the inexpensive whistles are just stinky (others are heavenly).
It would be a shame for you to spend tons of time trying to get an instrument to behave that just can’t. Shouldn’t be too tough to find a whistler in MA. 
Welcome by the way. 
Doc
Sorry, make that ME not MA.
Doc
Hi celtic_lass-----What helped me with the high notes a bit, although you may be past this stage, was noticing what I did with my mouth, throat, tongue, lips, and cheeks when I whistled a tune just using my lips. If you whistle (just with your lips) a tune that jumps from low to high and back, you’ll notice many things are happening inside your mouth and throat when the pitch changes. I found that I need to do similar things on the whistle. On one whistle it was the low notes I had trouble with. Anyway, as you keep practicing in a thoughtful and observant way, listening to when they sound better and trying to relate that to what you are doing differently, you’ll get the notes more and more often—your mouth will sort of learn what it needs to do to make a certain jump. I don’t think there is anything where once you do it, you can always do it. It is more like you can do it 1 out of 50 times, then 1 out of 40 times, etc. So you would expect it to take some time to be consistent—to get it every time. It sounds like you are making good progress to me.
Hi celtic_lass:
There are flute and whistle teachers in Maine, no doubt. Sometime, when the opportunity arises, attend one of the regular Sunday afternoon sessions at Brian Boru’s Irish Pub in Portland which usually start around 3:00 pm. Inquire about tutors. No need to be bashful; these are all very nice folks. The session master’s name is Tom, who plays high and low whistle, Uillenn Pipes, fiddle, etc., and can also teach, too. Ask for guidance in finding a suitable tutor.
Search the Chiff & Fipple community for whistle players in your area. Oh, and find those lost books. The Bill Ochs book is one most can recommend; I learned a lot from it.
Maybe I’ll see you at a session.
Best of luck. And happy whistling. Lloyd
Feel free to drop me a PM and I’ll see if I can’t whip up a sound file for you to tune yourself against.
Try also http://www.whistlethis.com/ and http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/r2music/folk/sessions/ (this contains a virtual session). These are very good sites to learn to play tunes right
I’m sure there are quite a few whistlers here in Maine, but I’m not sure how to find them! Portland is two hours away from me. But maybe I’ll get a chance to go sometime and check out that pub.
Fellow Mainers: PM me if you know someone who would be willing to give lessons.
EDIT: I think I over clculated on long it will take for me to get to Portland. I think it’s more like 1.5 hours.
I would say, that the best way to find them is to post a message on this board . . .