The whistle intrigues me when you consider the whole simplicity of engineering to beauty of tone ratio. So I’m figuring maybe I’ll pick one up someday & I’m curious what the voice of experience would advise.
Geez… just go get one. They are less than $10.00.
Of course, what comes after that is a whole 'nother story… LOL
…john
A red one. Red ones go faster.
good call, watch the yellow ones…they’re too loud
The green ones sound more Irish, and the blue ones are great for sad, slow airs.
Unfortunately, this could be considered a classic wind-up question. I know you’re a guitarist, so think of the reaction to the equivalent question: “I’m thinking of picking up a guitar. What should I get?” Without any information about your goals, tastes and experience, you’re likely to get a thousand different opinions that may or may not apply to you.
Ditto what cadancer said. Get a Feadóg or Generation or Clarke, or all three. Pros play 'em. Study Brother Steve’s pages, listen to recordings, learn some tunes, enjoy.
Pick up a Copeland Low D. Your intrigue will wax brassy-bodacious, and your personal beauty to tone ratio will majestically blossom.
Otherwise, just get a cheapie and commence…
Happy Whistling
I’m acctually gonna break the trend and go on to recommend a certain whistle.
Clarke Sweetone.
They’re easy to play and not too shrill. They sound nice and mellow, but still have good volume.
I don’t play a Sweetone for gigs or anything else really, but I own a three (I think) and they’re nice. Easy to pick up and play.
Clarke original , or a tweeked GEN------------i just ordered a feadog pro we will see hoe that one sounds
I bought a cheapie and it plays pretty well. Most of the cheapies are excellent. That’s the funny thing about this instrument.
Actually, buy several cheapies. Partly because there is variation between whistles from the same maker and this will protect you from getting a clunker as your only whistle, and partly because different designs play differently, and it’s fun to match the whistle to the tune or you mood.
For example I like to play Irish Rover (did I say that out loud?) on my Waltons D, and Foggy Dew on my Water Weasel A (what? two songs in a row? I really do play reels and jigs. Really!)
Anyway, it’s fun to switch off, and cheap enough too.
One word:
Tunable.
Would anybody buy a guitar that couldn’t be tuned? (or a sax or a clarinet?)
Four questions,
- Do you care about looks?
II) Do you care about tradition?
C) Do you care about price?
δ) Do you want something flexible or with rock solid pitch? - Do you want to be loud?
I don’t play the whistle, but I have found that putting a priority on what you are looking for helps others advise. I hope this helps. If it does not, find a muse where you can and enjoy playing what you find.
Welcome to the way of the tin leprechaun Chatterton.
You have much to discover - much of it will be tubular and perforated. Still more will be retraining the fingers to do insanely complex dances for obscure reasons and getting it to all sound right.
Enjoy 
Hey, I just got one. Right after posting my stupid question I went to a local street festival and there was a music shop selling everything for 10% off. So I grabbed a Feadóg (I’ll go back to my “Gaelic for Morons (Like Me)” thread to figure out the pronunciation), and, as luck would have it, MTGuru, it’s green to bring out the Irish in me. It doesn’t sound too bad, and I’m sure I’ll figure out how to get over that piercing shrieking sound as I’m trying to transition between octaves.
That’s enough writing, I’ve got some learning to do.
Feadogs are easy to tweak. Try ther search function on the word “tweak”. Here’s a link to get you started: http://www.chiffandfipple.com/tweak.html .
Feadog is a good choice. Often, shrieking is caused by over blowing or not having a hole completely covered. Have fun! Cyril.
Hi CaveFish,
Would you tell me where you ordered your Feadog Pro?
Thanks, Cyril.