An update on my whistling progress 
Recording 1: Tarmon’s Polka from The Tunes Section of The Clarke Tin Whistle Book by Bill Ochs, (Page 55)
Tarmon’s Polka (YouTube)
Tarmon’s Polka (Sound Cloud)
Recording 2: The Muffin Man (Page 18)
The Muffin Man (YouTube)
The Muffin Man (Sound Cloud)
Whistle used
Tony Dixon Traditional (Brass)
Recording Gear
Microphone - Audio Technica 3035
Audio Interface - Tascam US-122L
DAW - Reaper 64x (Win 7)
My second take of Tarmon’s Polka after more practice and a few extra clicks added to the metronome.
19 December 2012
Seeing as my thread has received 130+ views without comment I have added the following information to possible entice some feedback from the silent masses 
Tarmon’s Polka by Bill Ochs is a loner as I have searched for other performances and can’t find any references to other recordings or notation. In Bill’s tutorial he advises to practice the tune without tonguing for the sake of slurring practice also the recorded version he provides for reference is slurred. He states when performing the tune it’s the player personal choice how much they tongue or slur hence my version is mixed though more tongued than slurred. I’d be interested to know how it sounds to you? and is it possible to inject sprightliness into a tune with slurring alone can using breathe control of the whistles audio dynamics provide the lift when needed in slurred passages? 
Whistle used
Tony Dixon Traditional (Brass)
Recording Gear
Microphone - Audio Technica 3035
Audio Interface - Tascam US-122L
DAW - Reaper 64x (Win 7)
95
Well seeing no one else has answered after you going to all that trouble of recording and posting, I’ll give my opinion. I think you’re tonguing a bit too much, it’s lacking in any nuances, ornamentation , variation etc. which would give the tune some interest or excitement. So as it stands it sounds a bit mechanical rather than musical. But I wouldn’t worry too much about that as you’re clearly following a learning path set out by a tutor so presumably down the line when you start playing in sessions you’ll learn how to give the tunes life. Of course breath control and breathing spots are just some of the things that can provide lift.
I listened on sound cloud, whatever tune came up after that Polka I noticed the taps of your rolls were way too slow. You were sounding an actual new note with them where the tap should only be a blip that interrupts the main note. But again that’s just practice, but you have to be aware of it.
Blaydo thank you for the insightful reply I’ll be experimenting more with tonguing/slurring and be hoping I get rid of the mechanical feel which could well be a frame in not being completely at one with the tune. More practice, more tunes, more listening and more stout that’ll fix it eventually
Cheers
190
When I was starting out I was told I sounded too mechanical too. It worried me as I thought I was perhaps on the wrong learning path, but now I think that’s just how it is for everyone who’s starting and thinks about how to approach each and every note. It’s hard to explain but I think eventually you start thinking of the whole tune and variations to add interest for the listener. What shoots you forward in this regard is playing at regular sessions and hearing how different people play the tunes, not just whistle players, you need to listen to everyone. I often have to play tunes differently depending on who starts them off at the session and that can include different keys too.
I guess what I’m getting at is that you should not get stuck in a rut of trying to learn from books and tutors, you need to get out there and play with different people if you want to lose that mechanical feel to your music.
