I am new to tin whistle. I would appreciate if anyone could tell me the differences between Soprano D whistle and D whistle. As a beginner, can I start with Soprano D whistle and what brand you suggest me to buy? Thanks.
[ This Message was edited by: tinwfun on 2001-12-01 12:12 ]
There arw two types of D whistle. Low & High. You probably want to start with the Soprano D (high) which is the most common.
Soprano D aka high D is probably the best key whistle to start with as that is the key in which most Irish traditional music is played. It is also easier to play, esp. for beginners, than the tenor aka low D whistle which is longer, heavier and has longer reach between finger holes as well as wider individual holes which must be covered by your fingers. (Harder at first to keep holes properly covered).
As for starter whistles, others on the Board will also guide you and opinions vary. Recent posts contain opinions re best cheaper soprano whistles to buy. I don’t think it matters much; my preference is Walton or Soodlum. Others are Clare, Generation, Oak, Feadog, Sweetone (not my suggestion but popular with many others), Clarke. Try some out if you can and enjoy.
There isn’t a difference between a soprano D and a D whistle. If it’s Low D someone’s talking about, they call it a Low D. As for which brand you should buy, it depends on how much you want to spend and how much you want to annoy people around you. A good cheap whistle is a Clarke Sweetone, not to be confused with a regular Clarke. The Sweetone is a bit airy in sound, so if you want something more pure in tone, a Susato Dublin model is a good bet. It is loud, though.
Jessie