I suppose a common dilemma among whistlers in general is whether to keep searching for a whistle that feels as right as possible on the first touch and blow, or to keep the old one(s) which are very good but "not exactly what I'm looking for" and don't just "feel right for me". You'd think that in the first case the actual learning would be more efficient as the whistle feels right from the start, whereas the search for a whistle like this might as well take a lifetime.
I suppose it's all about making compromises, but to find a whistle regarding which I would need to make as few compromises as possible...

As an old (desperate) romantic I can't help but find analogy between this and human love; I want to believe that The One is still out there, and I wanna keep searching (however, the "try-out-and-recycle-if-you're-not-satisfied" -scenario might work a bit different with whistles than with human beings )

How do you fellas feel about this? Would you rather own a ton of whistles for different purposes, or keep your decent and compact collection of whistles and improve with those, or keep searching for a definite favourite? To me, owning more whistles than I regularly use feels like a waste somehow.

PS. If you wanna help, which makers would you point me towards if I like the sound of a McManus and the feel of a Killarney?
I know Goldie and Burke will probably come up, and for a reason, but if you have any lesser-known or underrated makers, or just first-hand experience of a range of whistles from the better-known makers, I'm all ears!
I'm really really reserved regarding the thought of giving up my McMaughnus, but if there's a chance to find a better suited whistle for me (not necessarily better, per sé, as I suppose it ultimately it comes down to personal opinion), I might consider it.

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If I were called out to go on a long trek lasting a month, and I could only take one whistle in my kit, I would grab the Dixon C aluminum.

I'm still playing the same cheap Generations I bought 40+ years ago (and a couple of Clarkes older than those), so I guess that puts me in the "keep your decent and compact collection" camp. I am on Sindt's waiting list, just to see what the fuss is all about, but whether or not I ever get it, I would still enjoy the ones I already have.

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Deartháir don phaidir an port.

As a newbie I started on a cheapie whistle and played as well as I could with what I had for the first few months. I got a better whistle (Dixon Trad) and my playing improved dramatically. I now have a small quiver and feel like I want to get better on playing my first whistle. I like the idea of a good player being able to play a mediocre whistle well. Favorite whistle so far? Too early to tell for me but right now I love playing my tweaked Low Dog Freeman C. Great haunting sound for slower tunes.

I'm relatively new to the whistle and have only owned and played two inexpensive examples, both soprano D's. That being said, I prefer to keep my "collection" small and improve with those I have (for now, anyway!). If I am undecided as to which whistle I'd like to purchase next, a better sound will trump a better feel. I have a sneaking suspicion that if I went on the quest for the "perfect" whistle, I'd wind up making my own.

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Whistle No.1: Walton's Irish, soprano D
Whistle No. 2: green Feadóg Original, soprano D

I guess I'm lucky, because my "perfect whistle" is pretty much a Killarney. Tried a few before it came out, but haven't felt the need for another D since buying mine a couple years ago.

That being said, I'm still on the lookout for a good high E whistle, and have my sights set on a Dixon. And I do like his aluminum ones, so I may end up with one of those Cs as well to round out the collection. No more, though. I think...

Played my Dixon aluminum D and C first thing this morning...
I really like them.

This, to me, raises two points.

One is the question of how much playing time is required to know what an instrument does. Opinions differ. I feel that, after decades of playing flutes and whistles, I pretty much know what an instrument does after a minute or two of playing.

Which is not to say that (especially with flutes) the more time you spend with an instrument the more you can get out of it. Of course. But hours of "face time" on a mediocre instrument won't transform it into a great instrument. You're able to mask more and more of the mediocre instrument's built-in flaws. How much better that time would have been spent playing on a superb instrument!

The other point is whether to accept an instrument that doesn't measure up, or keep searching for the Holy Grail. I'm always open to trying new whistles, because I never know what I'll come across. With Low D's that has meant me switching every couple years to a new favourite. But I've been playing the same (high) D and the same (high) C since around 1980 because I've not come across better.

I've been playing the same uilleann chanter since 1978, because the chanter has always played better than my ability to play it! The issue is me getting good enough to reach the limits of the chanter, and I will never do.



Yes with Low Whistles particularly, the Perfect Whistle cannot be made. The one I'm currently playing isn't perfect, but has the fewest flaws.



In as much as the ability to play in a different key is a different purpose, yes. But I don't want to keep multiple whistles of each key. I find the best whistle I can for each key, and sell off the rest.

Like keeping several D whistles around because they have different timbres- that doesn't interest me.

The one exception is that I have two (high) D's, my c1980 Feadog and a new Killarney. That's because the Killarney can withstand the heat of staying in my car, and the Feadog can't (it has the head packed with wax). The two play very much alike, and exactly the way I want a high whistle to play.



Yes exactly. To me un-used instruments represent value that can be used for something useful. So I sell them off and use the money for other things.

When I was going through a load of Low D's I had as many as a half-dozen at a given time. Now I have one.

It's the great thing about instruments: you can rent them, try them, for as long as you wish, for free. Because there's no difference in value between a 5 year old whistle, and a 5 and a half year old whistle.

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Richard Cook
1978 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle

Same here, although I do have a D brass Killarney as well as D and Eb nickel Killarneys. They haven't brought out a low D yet have they? If they do, I'll probably get one of those as well.

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"Only connect!"

It's my favourite of the newly-made whistles I've tried.

It hasn't made me get rid of my c1980 Feadog though, which has a certain something about its tone, which is darker, and lacks the metallic undertone that my Killarney has in the 2nd octave.

Though I think the voicing of the Killarney is better, with a 2nd octave which is just about as sweet, yet a more full low octave.

About a Killarney Low D, that would be very interesting to see.

Low Whistles are such a different animal, a totally different instrument, really.

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Richard Cook
1978 Quinn uilleann pipes
1945 Starck Highland pipes
Goldie Low D whistle

That's the direction I'd go.

Here are my culled sets of whistles. I play all of them; nobody rolls around in the bin.

D: Freeman Mellow Dog
Dixon Alloy
Clarke Original

C: Freeman Blackbird
Dixon Alloy
Clarke Original

Bb: Generation Nickel
Freeman

A: Goldfinch
Freeman

G: Freeman

Similar to Richard, I have sold some higher end whistles to concentrate on sounds that I really liked.
Of course, I don’t have the time nor means to buy/sell a large number of whistles in succession, but at a certain point, I realized the search for the ideal was a detriment to enjoyment. However, there is a good chance I would get one in wood one day, but I’m not sure in which key.

Thanks for making this an interesting discussion, fellas!

I'm pretty much on the same page with pancelticpiper on this. To have one good whistle on each key (that I'm ever gonna play in) would be enough. To me, any musical instrument deserves to be played, sort of in order to fill its purpose. Any more whistles than one per key and I'd be certainly neglecting multiple of those in this sense. Would make me feel bad when the un-used ones could be made better use of in someone's hands who would actually play them on a regular basis.

What makes me think when searching for the 'perfect whistle' is that what if I've already held it in my hands but gave it too little time to reveal it to me? What if the first touch isn't what calls the shot, after all?
Then again, what if I've given too much time and effort to a whistle that was potential, but is none the less revealed not to be anywhere near the personal perfect.
On this note it would make sense to own a few whistles of the same key side by side, not for regular playing but for comparison, and then keep the one that is best of those.

I have no problem with having multiple whistles (some I made myself from PVC-tubing) of which I only play a small portion -- in Germany we say: "It's not like they eat grass", meaning -- you don't have any extra costs just because they're not used (and selling a whistle that cost 12€? That's not even worth walking to the post office to ship it out). And since many whistles are really cheap (Generation, Clarke's, Feadogs, etc.) compared to other instruments (classical instruments in particular -- you could have a huge whistle collection for the price of one proper flute) -- why not have a bunch? Sometimes one is my favourite -- sometimes another. However I have only one Low D -- a Chieftain V4. And I like it so much I don't even think about getting another Low D.
Of my sopranos (C and D) I like the the cheapo "MEG" by Clarke's best. Great sound and intonation IMO. But Generation, Feadog or Tony Dixon are also quite nice -- honestly, I think they all play great.