To quote Grandma again: “If you’re going to eat a frog (sell a whistle), don’t think about it too long. If you’re gonna eat several frogs, eat the big one first.”

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The Walrus

What would a wild walrus whistle if a walrus could whistle wild?

The second mouse may get the cheese but the presentation leaves a lot to be desired.

But the difference in whistles goes beyond just good or bad, it encompasses "different". Of my three low whistles I consider high end, Goldie, MK pro, and Onyx, each will play beautifully. But not the same.

So with whistles, it is not just about whether it pays well but whether it is appropriate for the music being played. Personally, I enjoy the differences.

I play bass and guitar and after searching for the perfect guitar I eventually learned to make them myself (mostly electrics) and now I have to one i play, after four prototypes, is exactly what i want. It took forty years to figure this out though, and also actually knowing how to play the instrument well. What the guitar can't do is the stuff I'm not interested in doing, and what it CAN do is all the stuff I like to do.

I'm just discovering the exciting world of whistle seeking. I have a walton (meh) a Faedog (stinks) a Generation (good) and an Oak (the best), all in D. Cheap and fun to play. It's amazing how different brass tubes with plastic fipples can be, even for rank beginner like me.


I have a Dixon low D that I kind of love the sound of but which is frustrating for reasons that could be my lack of playing skill but could be the whistle. Only way to find out is to try other whistles..

I never for a minute miss having the various instruments I've sold off.

Because I currently have the best Mezzo A whistle I've ever owned, I have no reason to pine for the not-as-good Mezzo A whistles I used to own.

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

You perhaps are suggesting that one maintain an arsenal of Low D whistles, using each one for a certain genre (or even a specific tune).

I just can't imagine myself having such a mindset. Thinking "for Carolan I prefer an MK Low D, for Sean Nos airs I prefer a Reyburn Low D, for jigs I prefer a Reviol Low D, for reels I prefer a Goldie Low D" is foreign to the way I approach instruments and music.

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

I wouldn't take it there, either, but can't blame anyone if they do. I can very well imagine a scenario where, for instance, one picks up a whistle for playing solo at home at a lower volume and a different whistle for playing in sessions, and yet another for performances. Or preferring a certain whistle over another for slow airs and laments etc. versus some other whistle for faster tunes.
Personally I'm aiming at one as-close-to-personal-perfect-as-possible whistle (per each key that I have use of).

I switch a bit between my Impempe D and my Bluebird D depending on the music - I tend to prefer the Bluebird if there are more than just a few 2nd octave notes in passing. It does the first octave just fine too of course, but the Impempe is a 'robust' player in the sense that I can just blow and it plays - that mattered a bit at least the first times I played in public and tended to blow a bit hard. The Bluebird needs softer handling. The Impempe isn't as sweet in the 2nd octave though, thus the distinction.
The rest of my (cheap) high D whistles, bought when I was trying out, aren't really necessary for anything.
(If I ever wanted to play something in the 3rd octave I would have to reach for the Clarke Meg though - it can actually do it. Not that I think I will happen.)

So can I. Recorder players typically have different instruments for medieval/renaissance and baroque music, and possible yet another for modern. I'm not that ambitious - or willing to have thousands tied up in musical instruments.

pancelticpiper, do you really only have ONE whistle per key? Not even a backup in case anything happens to your favourite instrument?

No, that is not really what I was trying to say, Richard. More just pointing out that there is a reason why everyone is not using the same whistle and that it goes beyond performance capabilities to also include performance qualities.