Since I have GOT to get my WHOAD under control I am going to have to make a final choice as to what whistle (translate that LAST whistle) key to buy. I am pretty sure my last whistle will be another Burke (really like the five I have already). I want to buy something higher pitched than a D. I don’t presently have any whistle higher pitched than D. If you could own only one whistle above a D, what key would it be? I have played someone else’s Eb and like the sound. I have no idea how to compare say an E or F. I have never had the opportunity to play either. By the way, I will probably never play with anyone else. So whatever sounds good solo works for me.
You say you’ll probably never play with anyone else… if that’s true, you’re depriving yourself of some of the great joy of making music.
Please don’t rule it out. Find a nice newbie friendly session and give it a try.
I like whistles of different keys. I don’t understand why you’d want to go higher than a D. Do you want blood to come out of ears? Do you want your pets to hate you? Have you considered getting whistles in keys lower than D?
Well if you fancy playing along with old De Danann recordings, a Eb whistle is mandatory 
Apart from that i agree that anything more shrill than a high D isn’t very desireable..
I love my Ebs. They have a little brighter sound than a D. Micho Russell and Mary Bergen play whistles above D also. I occasionally play an F. But if you are not going below D you are missing out on some wonderful Bbs.
Ron
I have old high-F and high-G Generations and almost never play them… In fact, the high-G has such tiny finger spacing that it can’t be played at all unless you kinda offset your fingers. I’d say the highest usable key is F. I will say that they both sound nice until you get about halfway up the upper octave.
Pat
We shall see, we shall see!
I do not think it is possible to answer that question, personally speaking. Only one whistle? Really?
But let’s be practical about this. You like Burke whistles. That’s a good thing, IMO. Mike makes whistles up to the key of high G, more keys than most makers offer. Speaking strictly in defense of dogs and small rodents of the world, the high F and G whistles are really too small and high pitched to be very practical, except as weapons of torture, in the hands of adult men. I can finger an F but the G is really too cramped for my fingers. So if you really have an interest or even a curiosity about those pitches buy the Generations whistles in those keys. They work well, IMO. Buying both would set you back $15-$16 or so and you’d find out if that’s what you want to play. So make a plan to buy those sometime. And no one has to know you bought two more whistles. They’re so small that no on will notice and you can hide the high G inside the high F whistle.
Burke offers a high F#. I had to make a low F# whistle for a project last week. I’ve had never seen a need for that key anywhere previous to that particular project. And I never planned to design or make one in that key. It may be the ultimate obscure key for a whistle. Do you like obscure? But again, it will be small, cramped and really high pitched. What can your ears stand?
So then there are high Eb and the high E whistles. I do have Burkes in both of those keys. I have Eb’s in both brass and aluminum. They are very nice whistles - much like a Burke narrow bore D. Yes Eb is a key that occurs in recorded music with some regularity. So it’s a useful key to have on hand. But it’s only a half step difference from a high D. So Eb is not all that different a sonic experience.
So that leaves high E. It’s a useful key. It’s a full step higher than your high D’s. And Mike Burke makes a terrific high E whistle. There are a few whistles that just make me giggle when I play them. For pure giggle factor the Burke high E cannot be beat. It’s sized so it can be played by adult hands. It is as sweet sounding as an oriole in the Spring. The word shrill is not to be associated with the Burke high E. It’s clean and sweet all the way. And the keys of E and A are common keys in recorded (and live) music. That’s what I’d humbly suggest you go for as your last whistle purchase.
“Never say never”, you’re missing out on something there if you never play with others.
Feadoggie
If you’re limiting yourself to “just one more whistle”, and it’s got to be high pitch, I’d suggest getting the smallest/highest you can comfortable handle. As others have noted, a Generation “G” can be a bit of a squeeze in large hands, so you may have to limit yourself to an Eb or F, but if your fingers will fit, go for it. If you have an opportunity, you may also want/like to try a sopranino recorder, effectively a “G” whistle (almost), these often have offset holes to make for a more comfortable fit. Even more alternative, an in-line ocarina, like the MountainOcarina in “G”, has effectively wider finger spacing, but it does have a more limited range than a whistle.
Oh, Joanie Madden plays a Burke high E on a couple Cherish the Ladies CD’s. One track is The Sunny Banks from the Woman of the House CD. Another is the Holly and the Berry from the On Christmas Night CD.
So give a listen. You’ll sound just like that. Then decide.
Feadoggie
I have 4 or 5 C’s and 2 Bb’s. Also, I have ordered, but not received, bodies in C and Eb to go with my Abell whistle. (probably won’t be finished unti May). And I am going to have Paul make me a D+ when he gets the wood (olivewood) he is looking for. My last whistle choice is in addition to these that are in the pipeline. 
Sounds like my last Burke whistle will be either E or Eb. I really appreciate input from everyone. I will find the Joanie Madden tunes and give a listen.
As far as playing with others, there is nothing I would enjoy more. But I know no one else that plays this type of music and I fear I will never be good enough to play with someone else. (I wouldn’t want to mess someone else’s playing up) However, I do plan on looking for a whistle teacher in the not-too-distant future and this would give me a chance to play with someone else.
Pops, sometimes an Irish session can be right around the corner without even knowing about it, especially here in the USA. Perhaps if you shared your location on here and/or search the database at www.thesession.org you might hopefully find more local players than you realized existed.
Since you will have an Abell in Eb why not go for the Burke in E?
I used to think I would never be good enough to play in sessions but I learnt one or two easy tunes and joined in when I could. I’ve found that playing with other people makes me raise my game considerably. Don’t be put off; you’re probably capable of more than you imagine.
I have G and F Generations but never play them. But I do have a bunch of other flute-family instruments higher than a high D whistle that sound a LOT better and which I do play:
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a couple of Bosnian and Serbian wooden whistles in F and E flat with the labium on the bottom - nicer tone by a long way than any high metal whistle I’ve heard
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plastic Aulos sopranino recorder (these are cheap and good value but I don’t use mine much)
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Susato G sopranino recorder (not much use in the high register but great for doing concert-pitch Highland pipe tunes in a noisy setting)
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Hopf G sopranino recorder made for Michael Copley of the Cambridge Buskers (nice sound, plays more than 2 octaves)
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garklein recorder in C by Gyorgy Ban (bugger to play, but my fingers do just fit - doesn’t go any higher than the Hopf though)
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metal ocarinas in A flat and B flat by Mathieu, about 100 years old, a bit rough but get people’s attention
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soprano G ocarina (“sol-2”) by Menaglio, tremendously powerful, has replaced the Susato as my nuclear-option instrument for playing pipe tunes
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soprano ocarina in C by Menaglio, will easily stand out over a roomful of accordions
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sopran0 ocarinas in G and C by Pacchioni, more refined sound than the Menaglios
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soprano ocarina in E by Pacchioni, useful for extreme sharp keys and for some Scottish fiddle tunes in A that fit its range
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soprano ocarina in C by Rotter, a bit like the Pacchioni in sound but with a different fingering system that works well for klezmer
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“doppia-semplice” double soprano ocarina in G by Pacchioni, range from F# to E, which I use for a few Scottish fiddle tunes and some klezmer, more limited range than the Hopf recorder but the tone is similar and it’s much louder. The most complex and sophisticated high-register instrument I have.
So, think about other kinds of whistle-like instrument if you want to head up into that end of the spectrum.
One my cats loves all of these except the C ocarinas. She rolls over in ecstasy rubbing her head against my toes when I play them.
There are a few instruments higher than that. Pacchioni makes an ocarina in F an octave above the range of a sopranino recorder, and Frans Twaalfhoven used to make a “piccolino” recorder at the same pitch, with the fingerholes drilled at very strange angles to allow normal recorder fingering though your fingertips were in interlaced positions on opposite sides of the body. I have never seen or heard one and he retired a few years ago.
Thanks for the link. I live about a half hour north of Nashville. I found several listed in my area that I will check out.
Whistling Pops, here is a video of Cherish Ladies where Joanie Madden plays a Burke high E (AFAICT). I thought you might be interested in watching from 1:08 to 1:39 where Joanie solos on the whistle but the rest of the video is typical Cherish the Ladies. Good stuff! Enjoy.
Feadoggie
Feadoggie, thanks so much for the link. I had searched for it and couldn’t find it. I am close to ordering my next Burke whistle but I’m still trying to decide between E and Eb. I’ll probably go with E since I will soon have an Abell in Eb.. I attended a Cherish the Ladies concert about 5 or 6 years ago and enjoyed it very much. It was a small venue so I had the opportunity to chat with Joanie after the concert.
I’ve often thought that the folks from the Guinness book of World Records should talk with Joanie about the number of people that she has hugged after concerts for all these years. I’m pretty sure no one else would come close to her numbers. She is the real deal.
Feadoggie