You’d think this has been done to death, but I really haven’t found too many recent threads on beginners’ whistles. And yes, I’ve read the beginner stuff both here a C&F and at The Whistle Shop.
I was planning on ordering today and was trying to decide. I was thinking about getting maybe two to make it worth the shipping.
I will probably get a Clarke Sweetone, unless I hear too many bad comments. It just seems to be well-liked in general.
What about the second?
Clarke Meg?
Clare?
Something else cheap and easy to get?
I will probably also get a couple of clear pouches and a thumbrest. I’d like to keep this first order under $20 total - even that might be a bit much. I’d also like to avoid anything that “needs” to be tweeked.
If posssible, please compare the Sweetone to the Clare. If they’re comparable, I’d rather not get both. Which is better? Impossible question I know.
Which two whistles in the $5.00 range would you recommend? What if you could only get one?
If you’re really limited on funds I’d say get yourself a couple of Megs (so if one is out, you know it’s you and not the whistle). If you can spend a little more I’d say get either a meg or sweetone, and a Dixon.
Sorry, I didn’t mean to sound cheap. I could spend a little more and just get one. I just thought that getting two in the $5-$7 range might be a good idea.
Here’s the thing. In the last few years, I’ve spent over $1200 on kites, a few hundred on an RC plane, a few hundred on kettlebells, and now want to spend $100 on a Native American flute. I’ve had to convince my wife that this is all good, all along the way.
So, I’d like to keep this whistling thing cheap for the moment. I already told her that it would only cost $10 or $15 to try out.
Also get a CD of Irish music if you don’t have one, or ‘borrow’ some tracks from us here.
If you don’t like whistling, this lot will be enough to convince you. If you do like whistling, spend some time selling your hobby gear that you don’t use, 'cos you’ll be needing the money soon…
Sweetone is a nice whistle to start with. Why not get a Feadog to go with it? The Sweetone is, well, breathy and sweet. The Feadog is a bit more brash–has more character or bite to it. They’d be two different/contrasting whistles. I think you’d find the Sweetone easier to play and that you’d find the Feadog takes just a little bit of getting used to. But this is actually a good thing, since the variety of whistles around all have a getting-used-to aspect and you’ll learn how it goes.
(I haven’t played the Clare to compare it to either Sweetone or Feadog.)
As you already know, and as you’ll see as people make recommendations, there’s lots out there. Have fun.
These would be my first two recommendations in the cheap/inexpensive category, too. Megs are essentially Sweetones, but made in China of cheaper materials. They’re a dollar or so less expensive, but unless you’re buying them a dozen at a time the difference in cost is negligible.
Generations can be wonderful whistles, but they have a reputation for poor quality control (and the one’s I’ve bought bear this out). Fairly easy to tweak most of the time, but this can be a bit daunting starting out.
I like the Walton’s C and “Mello D” (large bore D) whistles, too, but I don’t care for their standard D whistles.
I do like Oak D and C whistles, but they need better breath control than I had as a beginner, especially the D.
I own a reasonable number of handmade whistles by a variety of makers, and wouldn’t want to give them up, but I still play my favorite cheap whistles on a daily basis. It’s no accident that many of the high-end whistles are often described in terms such as “plays like a good Generation”.
If you’re considering a Sweetone , which is a good “starter” whistle , you might want to check for one of Jerry Freeman’s tweaked versions on Ebay. I think they’re still running around $15 . Good Luck !!
I think the Sweetone and the Meg are too similar (both nice). Get something different for the second one. The Feadog is a good, very traditional choice.
I started on a Sweetone and I never regreted it but I did tweak it and trade it. I also owned a Feadog whyich was alos tweaked and sold. I would also recomend not starting on a Dixon as any other whistle will have a larger air requirment.
One more question on the Feadog - brass or black? Does it matter? Does paint affect the tone? Will black just look clean longer? I’m leaning toward the black.
Sorry if I seem to be overanalyzing a couple of $6-$8 purchases. For me, that’s part of learning and part of the fun.
I think the Clare brass is the best inexpensive whistle. I’ve bought several, and the only thing I’ve had to do to tweak them is the sticky-tack tweak. They have a wonderful sound, and a good balance between backpressure and air requirements. I also like Oaks, but they’re not for most beginners.
If you’re not beholden to the key of D, I’d recommend a Walton’s nickel in C. Maybe even better than the Clare D.
I bought a hoover whitecap and put it on my two piece clare.
The whitecap was 20$(old price) and the clare was 12$
My new favorite whistle.
I guess for a starter whistle a meg/sweetone wouldn’t be bad, especially if you already have 1200$ in kites…could have bought a good used button accordian for that, but that’s another topic altogether!! (just kidding, I have alot of different interests too!)
Ah, so it’s pronounced just as I suspected. Feadog.
Well I just ordered about an hour ago. I got the Sweetone and the Feadog, both in D and both in black.
I didn’t get enough votes for the Clare early enough, so I ordered the Feadog. However, I’m considering changing my order to the Clare. It was a toss-up between the two. From the soundclips I was able to find, the Clare sounded fuller and richer, while the Feadog sounded tinny with more bite.
I’m not sure I know which I’d like better. Is this the part where I start buying every whistle I see?
Seriously, does anyone have both the Clare one piece and the Feadog that can comment? I could probably change my order since tomorrow is Sunday. I ordered from the Whistle Shop.
I’ve had a Clare 2-piece and a Feadog. I liked the Clare better … but everyone has different opinions, and different tastes. You might as well get the Feadog now … the Clare next week … then it will be an Oak, Dixon … gotta have a Burke … and so it goes!
My first whistle (also from The Whistle Shop) was a tweeked Clark Original … still one of the sweetest sounding whistles I own.
I already told her that it would only cost $10 or $15 to try out.