I’ve played stringed intsruments for many years, and prices for good instruments are breathtaking. I’ve recently discovered whistles, being sort of slow to some things, and not only are they fun to play, there are some great people making great instruments that you can afford. Digressing, I’ll say that there are experienced players that can make any whistle sound good, but if you play something else, and have a day job, I’d say buy a few good whistles to begin with and save yourself the trouble of accumulating a bushel of whistles.
Now, on to the wonderful experiences: Colin Goldie is a master craftsman and wonderful musician that will go to great pains to get you what you want. Colin and his wife will give you advice over the phone or via Email, and though not cheap by whistle standards, my whistle was a bargain. You will have to wait, but the wait is worth it. Next, Phil Hardy: great whistles, especially if you have big hands for the Low D, great service, and a great musician to boot. Finally Michael Burke: my soprano D is extremely balanced in tone, has great intonation and was bought for a song (OK, less than $150).
JMO, but whistle players have it good! Ah, almost forgot the C&F website. Superb.
Whistles are some of the cheapest instruments there are. A $5 whistle can play as well as a $500 whistle in the right hands. The same can’t be said for most other instruments.
True, but then one guitar will play in all keys, if you find yourself playing in a band that uses many keys (as I do in church) you either have to opt out of some tunes, or buy whistles that cover all keys.
Yes, you can do this using cheap whistles, but once you’ve enjoyed the experience of owning a quality instrument, you will probably want to have, at least the keys you play in regularly, covered by professional quality instruments and this can be as expensive as a decent guitar. So whilst the potential is there for whistling to be cheaper than playing other instruments WhOAd, will usually negate this.
ps welcome to C&F
No it isn’t. Sure it’s cheaper than a cello, but do the two compare?
I am still totally unconvinced about the gain of a 150 whistle over one that costs a fiver. The best whistle music I ever hear played is not, ever, played on the one that cost 150.
