I play flute and picc in a community band. I’m 60 and have been playing seven years. I’ve always enjoyed the sound of the whistle but am totally in the dark about playing one. From reading on the net I now understand that flutes are chromatic and whitsles are diatonic; no sharps or flats naturally with whistles, if I 'm understanding right. My big question is whether there might be a place in a band setting for use of a whistle. If a band piece is written in the key of C, will the C whistle work?
How many whistle will I need for band use. With my C flute, most of the keys I play in are C,Eb, Bb, Ab, Db, F and F#. Any information to help me will be appreciated.
There are a few threads that you might find useful, if you search.
Briefly, though, a D whistle will play easily in D, G and Em. You can also often play tunes in A or Am on it. This may require some cross-fingering and/or half-holing.
That said, you can certainly buy whistles in multiple keys. Most players have at least a D, C, Bb and maybe others. C will also play in F, Dm, etc…
And of course, sometimes you’ll have issues with hard-to-reach notes, and you’ll just have to fake it.
In a community band context, I’d consider the whistle a novelty, and not try to use it in every tune you play.