I’d like to learn to play the whistle. With that in mind, I’d like to buy two or three inexpensive D whistles to begin with.
I’ve read a lot of posts on this board about beginner whistles, and have also visited the whistleshop.com website and a few others. Now, I’m just more confused. So … I’m hoping that you can help me.
If you were to pick three whistles to recommend for a complete beginner, which ones would they be? Also, in your opinion, are there any to stay away from?
Names that have popped up repeatedly are the Sweetone, the Clare one- and two-piece, the Susato Dublin Soprano D, the Walton’s, the Dixon Soprano D, the Feadog, the Clarke Original, and the Walton’s Little Black D. So far, I’m leaning toward the Clare one-piece, the Sosato Dublin Soprano D, and the Dixon Soprano D … but I’m not sure.
What three whistles would you personally recommend for a beginner??
I think differences depend more on construction than on material. Susatos have a recordery sound.
My advice would be to buy one cheap whistle in D and to play that for the first year. There’s plenty of time for more whistles. That first whistle I would make one that is unlikely to need tweaking: A Sweetone, a Walton (put pitch is a problem), or perhaps best a Dixon.
What kind of sounds do you like? Loud, clear, breathy, flutey, etc.?
For myself, for a complete beginner, I’d recommend a
*Sweetone (smaller holes, flutey, breathy)
*Walton’s Little Black D or Guinness (same whistle; the Guinnes has a white fipple instead of black. This whistle is easy to play and has a nice sound–can’t quite describe it since I don’t own one–my husband and sister do, both beginners, and like them a whole lot and they sound nice when they play them)
*My favorite is my black Feadog. Maybe I just got a good one, though, because a lot of people here seem to have gotten really bad ones. So I guess that one is kind of risky. The sound is clear and loud.
I would vote against a Susato. I have one and any note G or above on the second octave breaks down to the first octave and if forced to stay high with tons of air, gets screamingly loud and squawks…not pretty. I virtually never play it. I also have a Walton’s brass D that is okay sounding when it’s working right, but sometimes wigs out on me and squeaks, etc. My brass C is very nice, though.
I’ve never tried a Clare or Dixon, though I’ve heard really good things about both.
The Sweetone is probably the best choice. It has a nice sound and is very forgiving. I have found the Susato D a little tricky, although I like the Susato C a lot. I think you shouldn’t rule out a Clark. It’s simple, has a good tone and is also reasonably priced. Steve
Just my $0.02, but I’ve really enjoyed the Dixon D. It’s very forgiving and very well pitched. If I had to do it all over again, I’d certainly buy the Dixon, but it’s like what’s your favourite color? Differs from person to person
If you really wanted to buy three, a Generation, a Dixon and maybe a Clark (Sweetone or orginal - Sweetone is probably a little more forgiving)? That will give you some pretty different instruments.
I like your instinct – I recently acquired a Clare and I love it. If you do get a Dixon and a Susato as well, you might want to get one in C instead of D. The Susato C whistle is really good, and you can play it a little higher than the D without it getting so shrill.
The Whistle Stop has a nice package where you get a Sweettone D, Clare D and a music book complete with CD to learn. I love that package! The Sweetone and Clare are nice but different. For me, the Clare has been the easier for me to learn playing the whistle.
-Hope this helps!
The sweetone is easier to play than pretty much anything else, but it is very breathy sounding. I personally don’t care much for the thing, but it’s good to start on. You might should get the Sweetone to practice with and then grab a Generation F or Eb and maybe an Oak D after you’ve gotten decent. One note on the Oak, though–It has a very nice sound to it, but it takes a significantly less amount of air than any other whistle I’ve played and tends to squeak if you aren’t good at control yet…
Glengary’s post is right on the money. The Whistle Shop package is fairly priced, and the two whistles are excellent to start with and are decidedly different in timbre. It makes practicing interesting… My 6 year old daughter plays a nickel Clare and I have grown to respect the instrument very much. If you truly desire a third whistle, a C would be a good choice. It will help you begin the mental transition necessary to learn fingering patterns for different keys.
Cheers and the best to you.
Byll
After my two children had whistles I tucked them away when they got fed up . Years later I found them and had a go. High notes were terrible. I bought a Susato but the dog gave it an extra hole and turned the tube oval. So I went out to buy another and ended up with Tony Dixons Soprano D. I adore this whistle.I can play up to top C on mine and cleanly. Being disabled and with problematic hand problems the clarkes and any whistles that had a join line down the back played havoc with my thumb and its RSI.
heh heh heh…
My very very first whistle was a Susato Kildare model… Let me tell you, that little devil is LOUD! If you like volume, and a clear tone, you might want to consider a Susato Dublin or Kildare model down the road. Sweetone is definitely one of the better models for an absolute beginner: I own a sweetone C and D, and really wish I’d started on them, but I get along quite well with my susato now (it’s one of my absolute favorites, next to my tweaked Generation D)
If the sweetone is too “flutey” sounding for your personal taste, you might consider a walton’s or Clare. Reading up though, I’m inclined to agree with the others on that tutorial. I sent one of my best friends in the world a similar package, though I sent a sweetone along with it, and she’s still thanking me (and that was something close to a year ago or so )
I recommend not getting a Susato first. They are just too hard in the upper octave. When I first started, I had a hard time on the high B and it produced a Fear of Heights in me that stayed with me for a while. Get something effortless first, get the table-saw sound later.
The Clare whistle is also a good choice,
sold at the Whistle Shop I believe.
The Clarke classic is inconsistent–
some take lots of air; the Sweetone
is a good choice.
No-one’s mentioned it, so here goes: the Oak. A very very nice metal whistle in the traditional style, but sounding much better and more stable. And cheap.
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