Chiff and Fipple Forums

What in your opinion is one, or two or three, of the top "loudest", quality made high D whistles out there for < $80/€70/£65.
One that is *easy to play and, sorry purists, one that is low on chiffiness.
And yes, I understand that all those requirements require a little back and forth balancing and compromise between them. Otherwise one might just be able to go out and get a $240 Burke and call it a day.

*To me "easy to play" is defined as the whistle is made of sufficient quality that there's little to no problem with back-and-forth transitions between the octaves that is, generally speaking, the fault of the whistle and you don't have to be a master player to overcome.

Susato Kildare

It's been years since I've purchased one, but 15 years ago, the Chieftain was one of the gotos for a quality loud whistle. New they are above your price range though.

Like mentioned above, the Susato is another common loud whistle and a bit cheaper.

After reading your post, Susato Kildare SB is the first thing that came to mind, but I'm guessing you probably have already considered that option. Just a quick question, is there a particular reason you want a loud whistle, like say, for instance, outdoor unmicced play? My Gene Milligan whistle in dymondwood is usually my whistle for that bill, but it costs around €160, or $180 USD. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't get too caught up with the whole "the louder the better" idea. If you're micced during a performance, it doesn't matter nearly as much how loud the whistle is. Or, if you're just playing for yourself, then a loud whistle might be less appreciated. In any case, Greg Mahan reviews plenty of whistle on his website. http://tinwhistler.com/Reviews
Cheers!

The Mellow Dog is quite loud, yet forgiving while hopping octaves, and retains a traditional sound.

Oriole would have been my recommendation, too. About as loud (and slightly similar sound IMO) as a Dixon DX204 but half the price. Only problem I see is the combination of the requirements "little chiff and loud", because most of the loud whistles have some chiff, if that means a certain breathiness to the sound. The newer Chieftain High D is quite easy to play IMO if you're not afraind to blast into it. I once played it while wearing musician's earplugs and it was easier to play then because I wasn't afraid to blow out my eardrums in the process . Tilting it slightly to the side can reduce the air requirements and volume a little but it is still blastingly loud in the 2nd octave. Very high quality though.
Another idea might be the Shearwater "session" model. I got the regular one and it is already plenty loud and has moderate chiff.

BigBpiper wrote:After reading your post, Susato Kildare SB is the first thing that came to mind, but I'm guessing you probably have already considered that option. Just a quick question, is there a particular reason you want a loud whistle, like say, for instance, outdoor unmicced play? My Gene Milligan whistle in dymondwood is usually my whistle for that bill, but it costs around €160, or $180 USD. Also, if I were you, I wouldn't get too caught up with the whole "the louder the better" idea. If you're micced during a performance, it doesn't matter nearly as much how loud the whistle is. Or, if you're just playing for yourself, then a loud whistle might be less appreciated. In any case, Greg Mahan reviews plenty of whistle on his website. http://tinwhistler.com/Reviews
Cheers!

First off, thank everybody for their replies so far,
I honestly don't plan to play it in any sessions. Unless my skills improve dramatically, I'm not much of a player outside of the slow tunes (Skye Boat, Loch Lomond, of course Scarborough Fair, When Irish Eyes Are Smiling and so on and so forth) which I do fairly well on. I play mostly for my own entertainment are for a few friends. So sessions it's not really what I'm looking at. But maybe if I'm playing outside in a park or something, since I live in a metropolitan area, the sounds not lost to the background noise.

The reason I asked is because, on a recent wrestle reviews, I've read that this or that whistle is not very loud or is, or is not suited for session because of the volume and... Well you know the type of thing.
So I thought, since I'm starting back out, perhaps I should have one whistle, just for laughs, in my stable that is of some quality and "loud".

I have an original Clarke and a Sweetone, and for the life of me cannot figure out why people get excited about them other than nostalgia, which is why I kept them when I divested myself of my whistle collection some years ago.

What I do have that I like is my now discontinued Susato Dublin High D
I plan to add a Mellow Dog, a Chris Wall and maybe a Dixon Trad (though as far as the Trad goes I'm still unclear if I would like a brass or nickel).
I then intend to cap everything off with a Killarney and call it a day. I would just like a few quality whistles and not the 18, 13 at any given time, that I had before.

I'm not an overly skilled player, music theory wise, so having a whistle that is tunable it's not necessarily a benefit to me, as I would have NO idea what I was doing trying to tune it. Still having it as an available option on a whistle might not be bad.

If the two current offerings from Susato are really pretty good, I might consider one those. But as I said I already have the Dublin and I have a Dixon DX 001 and I'm going to be getting a Wall. Right there will be three poly whistles. So I wanted something a little different. But if I get the Mellow Dog and the Dixon Trad and a Killarney I'm going to have three metal whistles, so I guess what really is the difference of one more of either one way or the otner? Well, I guess I just answered my own question in that regard I guess.

So no, no great purpose behind the asking, other than I was just kind of curious what some people considered a "loud" high D whistle and if I would like to add it to my collection. And to the latter part of that consideration I just wanted it to be something of some quality.

Just a thought...

Given your most recent post, have you considered not buying anything? Take some time learning to play what you already have. Then, as your skill and preferences develop, you can make a more informed search and purchase.

If your skill set is currently as you describe, you may find it to your advantage to wait.

2¢

jiminos wrote:Just a thought...

Given your most recent post, have you considered not buying anything? Take some time learning to play what you already have. Then, as your skill and preferences develop, you can make a more informed search and purchase.

If your skill set is currently as you describe, you may find it to your advantage to wait.

2¢

I understand your point, but I'm not too worried about it. I reason I don't play fast stuff is because I'm a bad player incapable of playing fast tunes. I just never devoted any time to it or felt that just because I play the tin whistle I HAVE to play Irish jigs on it. I'm not competing with anybody.

Just like when I go to the gym. I don't care what the guy next to me is lifting. I left what I want to lift and can lift. If I wanted to lift more I would simply work harder at it. So if wanted to be skilled at playing a jig or two or ten then I would go for that and eventually learn them. I play for my own fun and entertainment. I just want to play something of some quality and that is pleasing to my ear. So right now I'm happy playing as a technician, so to speak.
And half the fun for me is, since they are relatively inexpensive, a variety of the instruments.
I just don't want to be as willy nilly as I was years ago in acquiring them. But then, if I want to work to progress my skills, I have something of quality to progress them on. Or, given the nature of tin whistles, if for some reason a tune is not "working" for mr on one it may be able to work better on the other.

Trying to keep a lid on having too many whistles is a good thing in a manner. I’m actually whitled down to two whistles per key. Richard Cook from this forum has posted very good arguments for having only one personal best whistle per key. It reminds me of Zen simplicity. It may be good for you to take your time in enlarging your collection. Interestingly, many people who own tons of whistles tend to play only a few favorites per key. As Mr. Gumby often says on this forum, the best way to buy a whistle is to play before dishing out the dough. (I paraphrase.) But, that is not always possible, and thus we have a thriving used whistle forum.

jiminos wrote:Susato Kildare

Yup.... That is a very good whistle. I only have three of them Eb, D, and C.

Tyler DelGregg wrote:Trying to keep a lid on having too many whistles is a good thing in a manner. I’m actually whitled down to two whistles per key. Richard Cook from this forum has posted very good arguments for having only one personal best whistle per key. It reminds me of Zen simplicity. It may be good for you to take your time in enlarging your collection. Interestingly, many people who own tons of whistles tend to play only a few favorites per key. As Mr. Gumby often says on this forum, the best way to buy a whistle is to play before dishing out the dough. (I paraphrase.) But, that is not always possible, and thus we have a thriving used whistle forum.

Yes sir!

Like I said, that is a lesson I learned from last time around. And while I'm pretty much going for high Ds
(The way I play I'm not sure if I really need a C. Is there an argument for that...having or needing a C?), I don't want to expand my collection beyond five or six High D's, unless we are talking about moving into low key whistles.

But then I really do not plan on getting more than one or two of those in any particular key. For example maybe, based on research, I'll have the best poly AND the best metal B flat I can find for the price. And the same for the low D. But I might come across just one that tickles my fancy just fine and just stick with that. But that's all in the future when I feel more of a need to get lower key whistles. Right now I'm fine with the high D's.

If you're playing outdoors, the primary concern will be a whistle that doesn't choke off in the slightest wind.

Given your self-description, I think you would best be served by a whistle that will be sweet to your ears. One that will make you want to pick it up and play. To that end... don't look at loudness, look at what tone-quality inspires you.

The biggest differentiator is: Do you prefer a resonant, wooden sound or a traditional, metal-generation sound?

People buy whistles in different keys for the different sound quality, which is a preference, or because they need to play with others in a different key, i.e. guitarists who capo and fiddler's who play tunes in D-minor or A-major.

tstermitz wrote:If you're playing outdoors, the primary concern will be a whistle that doesn't choke off in the slightest wind.

Given your self-description, I think you would best be served by a whistle that will be sweet to your ears. One that will make you want to pick it up and play. To that end... don't look at loudness, look at what tone-quality inspires you.

The biggest differentiator is: Do you prefer a resonant, wooden sound or a traditional, metal-generation sound?

People buy whistles in different keys for the different sound quality, which is a preference, or because they need to play with others in a different key, i.e. guitarists who capo and fiddler's who play tunes in D-minor or A-major.

Oh yes, thank you very much. I was just looking for a decent "loud" whistle to be part of my set, just for the fun of it. I do want all of the other qualities in it that you described. And since I play mostly to entertain myself or a few friends those are the qualities that are most important to me.

And I did understand what you said about having different whistles to play in different keys with different other instruments. What I did not know, because I never looked into it before, but my research its now telling me, was just how much of a flexible thing that that is. Meaning it obviously explains why they make a lot of whistles in a lot of different keys.

To that end what I'm looking into are those whistles that can kind of straddle the line. One such thread on the sessions was helpful in that regard...

Https://thesession.org/discussions/31958.

But I won't be jamming with anybody anytime soon so I don't have to burden myself with fully understanding it.

My goal would be to get say a low whistle of some sort to play those tunes where a deeper more haunting melody just sounds better. Like My Heart Will Go On from the movie Titanic. IMO t sounds way better on a low D than it does on a high D or Bb
Unless you are a "cutiepie" on YouTube. In which case if you play it with the sound having been mastered it sounds pretty cool in Bb.

But yeah, that's pretty much why I was looking for a loud whistle of some quality.... just because

An reason for having a C.... (I know. Call me evil.)

The length to bore ratio of a C is higher than that of a D, for the same make/model. Like a Dixon Trad D compared to a Trad C or a Susato C small bore compared to the Susato D small bore. Therefore, pedaling between octaves is easier.

The upper octave is not as piercing.

It takes less breath / air to get to the second octave.

It makes several more keys available to you... Am Dm F

I'm sure I can think of more.... I have several matching sets of C/D whistles. O'Brien, Susato, Parks...