Ok, this is something I’ve been pondering for a couple of months now.
Do any of you that exclusively play whistle ever get the feeling that people may not take you as seriously as they would if you played flute? The vast majority of whistles are cheaper than flutes, and the technique required is easier, because of the lack of needed a developed embouchure.
I’ve gotten the vibe in the past from some people (not so much here as in other places), that the whistle should be more of a “get your foot in the door” instrument for ITM.
I obviously don’t think so, so please don’t flame me, or think I’m trying to imply anything about whistlers OR flute players. It just aggravates me a bit, and I wonder if others have experienced it, too.
The back story on this is that a couple of months ago I played in a local Irish music competition. I placed first in the adult whistle category, which isn’t saying much since I was the only competitor. There were a couple of teenagers who competed in whistle, but they both competed in flute, also. The only people there that exclusively played whistle were elementary aged kids. And I got the impression from some of the people that prepared the competition that I, as an adult whistle player, was just an afterthought that shouldn’t be taken seriously. The whole experience kinda bummed me out. It was apparent from a few people that they that I, as a man almost in his 30’s, should quit dabbling with a whistle and get serious on a “proper” instrument
Anyway… like I said, I hesitated even asking this, because it feels like I’m opening a can of worms. Just wondering if I’m the only one that’s ever felt whistle discrimination.
Also, I wonder if this is something that might be more common in Ireland, since so many students are taught the whistle at a young age.
folk at my work think its a toy .the whistle in the right hands is a fantastic instrument you only have to listen to it and it captures you well me anyways. 
It only happens at Auburn. You can minimize the effect by not wearing a Bama T-shirt. 
From some people, I get the impression that because these aren’t standard marching band instruments that people don’t know what to make of them. It’s the same whether I play the harmonica, whistle, or celtic flute. I just got a hold of a yamaha fife (off-white plastic) and an ancient concertina and that doesn’t help matters much. I think this says a whole lot more about those people than it will ever say about you.
I must say, being the only adult whistler is brilliant. I used to swim laps next to this guy who always entered the senior citizens’ olympics in the butterfly event. He always got the local gold medal and the silver medal at the state competition. He knew his only chance at the state level gold was for this certain little old lady to pass over.
Son, those folks just don’t know no better. You play your whistle and tell them they can just kiss your A while you are doing it.
Learn to play that sucker well and no one will doubt you.
I’m not a big fan of music competitions btw.
What do I know though… I’m a flute player too.
Well let’s be honest, flute is more difficult. And it’s only a fiddle, not a violin. And the music we play is folk music. Nobody wears a penguin suit or brings opera glasses to a session.
The fact is this world will always have its prejudices, discriminations, castes, stratifications, segregations, injustices, ignorances, and so on. Get used to it.
Guinness, that is really rude.
And by the way, no one needs to “get used to it”, because instrument discrimination is not acceptable. The whistle is a respectable instrument, just like the flute and fiddle.
And by the way, no one needs to “get used to it”, because instrument discrimination is not acceptable. The whistle is a respectable instrument, just like the flute and fiddle.
If the truth is rude, then what I said is rude. Some might also consider self-importance and conceit to be also rude. You’re entirely welcome to educate and change the mindset of the general population.
FWIW, I play whistle, flute, fiddle and folk music exclusively and I’m perfectly comfortable with that whether people think that’s delightful or disgusting. How about you? The basic issue here is insecurity.
I totally agree with you. I was a bassoon major in college several years ago. I chanced to meet with a former classmate. I mentioned to her that I am still actively involved in music and play mountain dulcimer and Irish whistle. Her eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline and she told me she didn’t consider either of those “real instruments”. She also mentioned that I had gone from playing bassoon to “a silly children’s toy”. I replied that the guy who plays the beautiful opening solo to Riverdance looks pretty real to me. I think it is sad when people are so narrow in their musical taste that they totally ignore a whole genre of beautiful, ancient, and meaningful music and dismiss it as though it was beneath them.
I think it is best to play for your own enjoyment and not to care too much about what others think.
Fortunately in this part of the world the whistle is just one of many kinds of flute and they are all taken as serious instruments.
I’m not sure if you’re referring to me or d#key when you say self-importance, conceit, and insecurity. I’d like to think I’m none of those things. Like you, I’ve played many different instruments over the years with varying degrees of competence. I’ve never held any illusions I was good enough on any of those to feel self-importance or conceited.
As for insecurity, maybe a little. But it’s something that’s more of a general personality issue, rather than just with music.
All I meant was that ALL instruments are hard to play well, and there is no reason to compare difficulty between flute and whistle. Yes, it is true that there will always be prejudices, but there is no reason to fuel those prejudices if you are knowledgeable.
Guiness, how is what I said any more conceited than what you posted to begin with?
Are these whistle denigrators the herd following sleepwalkers who have no views of their own and feel threatened by those who do? Tell them to go listen to classical orchestral and international best selling solo flutist Sir James Galway on his Abell “penny whistle” and shut up. (Or hear MTGuru jazzing up Si Bheg Si Morr on HIS whistle…).
Keith.
An interesting topic… I suspect that it’s impossible to come up with good answers to some of these questions unless you’ve stopped to articulate why you play music.
For me, playing music in general, and that includes my relatively recent foray into ITM, serves three main purposes: a creative outlet; a form of meditation; and a social, uh, thing. For me, ITM, via mandolin or whistle, works just fine as a vehicle to achieve all 3 of those goals.
But, the idea of a musical competition is interesting. I suspect that, in general, folks that enter into musical competitions have different goals than I do. Maybe competitors have different needs, needing to accomplish a very demanding task, because that provides a sense of satisfaction that they crave. If that’s their goal, then I guess it doesn’t surprise me that they would look down their nose a little at whistle. Different priorities, different agendas, different… “tribes” I guess.
Bottom line. Good music is good music. Whether it’s created by a full orchestra or by the Blue Men banging away on plastic pipe.
But that doesn’t address the original question. Yes, I am sure there is a tendency for some less than knowledgeable people to see a whistle as a toy or an introductory instrument. If only because of price. Ever price a harp? People know you are serious when you need a long term payment plan to buy your instrument.
But this is a brave new world for whistlers. Any way you cut it, famous whistlers are performing, selling CDs and producing highly visible scores for TV and movies. We have more successful, high end whistle makers than at any other time in history. We have Chiff and Fipple, of course, but we also have dozens of other Internet sites, instructional books and DVDs and – most important of all – a fast growing population of new players.
I don’t expect the corner music store – making the majority of its profit from selling band instruments and guitars – to know this. Anyone who plays ITM should. Especially since so many flute players have also played whistle. Maybe those flute players like to comfort themselves with the knowledge that their instruments are more complex (as they certainly are), but deep down they must know that the final sound is everything.
On the other hand, you may be taking it too seriously.My best friend in high school was in band and joked about tuba players. I have seen a few cracks about bodhran players on this board as well.
And the music we play is folk music. Nobody wears a penguin suit or brings opera glasses to a session
What a sight that would have been . . . what a sight! 
While I would be the first to state nobody should underestimate the whistle and that playing it well is not to be thought of too lightly, the reality is that it IS an instrument most people start off on but move on from. 95% of young players I see become very proficient on it in their mid teens and then move on to fiddles, pipes, flute, concertina etc. Multi instrumentalists abound and few stick to the whistle as their main instrument. That’s not a problem is it? Everything has it’s place.
A friend of mine, a very fine guitarplayer who when you twist his arm turns out a very fine whistleplayer too, used to live in Birmingham. They used to have a session in the town centre right near where the local symphony orchestra was based. The orchestra people used to come into the session for a few tunes in full gear after their rehearsals. It does happen.