Chiff and Fipple Forums

I'm setting up a listing of makers of non-GHB bagpipes, and I'm 98% sure I once ran across the website of a guy, probably French (maybe German), who made plastic bagpipes in the format of some Continental European pipes, and had pretty good prices like US$500 for some basic plastic pipes. Like I thi...

Your customer email list went to my spam box, so I just noticed it today and rescued it. Exciting project, so I'm glad to chip in $5 to do my little bit to bring it to life, and posted about it on my Facebook since I'm friends with a lot of musicians. I'm really pleased with the several Freeman whis...

Another member is trading me for the batch I bought up, but when I was back there recently they'd rummaged in the back and found more... now marked up from 15,000 to 25,0000 pesos ($7 to $12). I doubt anyone's bought any in a long while other than me, so they must be marking them up hoping other for...

That whistle player is not bad at all. And the conflation of Scottish and Irish trappings in deracinated "Irish" groups is something I've seen many, many times before. The second clip doesn't sound bad at all, though the fiddler and guitarist sound notably more bluegrassy than ITM. But th...

I ended up buying all six of them, 15,000 pesos for the first one and 70,000 pesos for the remaining five (about $7 and $30 US). I asked the owner if she had any more, or had the original box for them. She replied that they can't get any more like these, she hasn't seen any new ones of this type com...

I am indeed still in Bogota and actually going to that store today to order a ronroco (baritone charango). It's not far, I can swing by whenever. The whistles, 6 or 7 of them, are a mix of silver and gold finishes over some light metal (aluminum?), and again none of them easily sound in their stock ...

I dropped into a local Bogota music shop that is above-average in terms of having a decent array of traditional instruments rather than just electric guitars, saxophones, keyboards and all. They have all the odd regional string instruments like tiples, charagos, bandolas, bandurrias, all kinds of cr...

Just ordered a Killarney in D for my cousin, came out to US$85 with shipping so not a bad deal.

I'll contact her when she gets it, maybe do some of the utter basics on Skype, then send her over to OAIM and/or YouTube tutorials.

Pondering getting myself a Killarney Eb now...

Oh, hers does have to be a D, since Irish is what she's interested in trying. For a while the Bb Generation was one of my favorites, both stock and mine with a Whitehead, but then I got one of Jerry Freeman's A whistles (he takes a Bb head and puts on a longer copper tube) and now that's my favorite...

I looked into the Syn, but at least a few comments about it indicate that they're maybe a bit quirky to play, and are loud. I'm thinking to go with the most-offered suggestion here and just get her a Killarney and let her learn from there, maybe give her some initial help over Skype. I'll ponder it ...

I know those tool type of rectangular tubes you're talking about, and those do work well as would a PVC of CPVC tube. Any idea what the actual term for those is, such that I could type it into eBay and buy a sleeve for a buck or two for my cousin? I did once crack a head on a Generation, and back i...

Someone mentioned the Mark Hoover 2pc phenolic resin whistles. Has there been any pictures of them posted? There's none on his site. They seem a potential (and affordable) alternative to the Sweetheart derlin whistle.

Though Killarney still topping the list...

Thanks for the great suggestions so far! Thus far the Killarney does appear to be one of the best options. Albas look great and have a good rep, but my impression is they're a bit more of a player's whistle than a beginners. The Gal Hitch one does look lovely, so sleek and silver. I'll have to go re...

A teenage cousin of mine is interested in learning tinwhistle, and I owe her family a gift for being helpful to me in my last overseas move, so rather than just get her a $10 Generation I'd like to get her something interesting, with character, and a smooth player for a novice. She's already a good ...

I think that singers have pretty heavily influenced my 'whistle playing, particularly English and Irish styles that have minimal accompaniment. I've been a big fan of the Yorkshire folksinging family The Watersons since I first heard their album in the 1990s as a teen, and I play instrumental versio...