I'll try to be succinct here. i want a whistle like braveheart or something similar. seems to be a low d or such? i love the lower, haunting, peaceful sound.

first things first, I'm not a whistle or flute player by any means. however, i consider myself a very experienced musician. i have played piano for 30+ years and have picked up other instruments as an adult. i have a very cheap feadog brass tin whistle thing with a green mouthpiece in D. i actually like it. it seems decent for being so cheap, but it also seems a bit shouty and not smooth at the high notes. but i can easily play popular themes on it. so while I'm not experienced, i believe i will learn well and would prefer a whistle that doesn't limit me.

my main criteria would be tone. i like an even, warm, but airy sound like braveheart.

second wouod be air. I'm not super concerned, but I've also never been able to produce a sound from a tranverse flute. so if a whistle requires some fancy air control mouth magic, while I'm willing to practice, the easier the better. not sure if it is the same principle as the whiste i have but that simply more air is required? if so i should be good.

lastly, the ability to play quietly while others are sleeping in another room would be nice...

price isn't too much of a concern. I'd like something i can grow into that won't limit me in sound or technique. I've been listening to reviews and so far i like the sound of a few such as the mk pro, chris wall has some nice ones of different scales. but none of them jump out as being particularly amazing. but then i haven't played one. i see many recommendations for a dixon with tapered mouthpiece. very affordable, and sounds decent, but not the best I've heard comparatively. although that could simply be that i haven't heard it from a good player. however, they appear to be closed at the moment...

anything out there I'm not seeing? also, I'm not dead set on a low d in particular if there is something else with a low sound like that...

A low D by Colin Goldie and you'd be set for life.

If the choice of key for the whistle is not locked on low D, consider low F and low G too. I find low D whistles often have a weak bottom few notes, then sound much more musical and certain going up the range. To my battered ears, the low F seems to be where more whistles start producing stronger, confident tones starting with the bell note. Low F and low G being sometimes of different character even within the same brand+model line, you have to know what you're after for tone and playability, and listen to them before buying.
Good luck!

Just on a side note - the whistle in Braveheart was not a whistle but according to the guy who played it, a quena.

you rock. i was trying to find that...

listening to videos, the goldie sounds very good, but on the brighter side. is that a fair assesment? i was imagining more warmth in my mind...

Maybe have a look (and a listen) at the Chieftain V5 or the MK "Pro" or Kelpie. All excellent whistles that have a more "breathy" mellow sound. You should find clips a plenty on youtube of both whistles. I have the V5 and the MK Kelpie and would have a hard time choosing which I like better. They are both excellent. This year I was planning on getting a Goldie for my b'day. But I don't know if I will realize that dream.

MK:
https://youtu.be/di46t8jDLpU

And here is the guy, who played on the Braveheart soundtrack -- reviewing the V5 -- the great Tony Hinnigan.
https://youtu.be/-nwg5hR324Y

For a "soft, warm" sound you might also consider a Reyburn. It has a sound that one writer here has compared to a Native American flute in a fog (right Richard?).

Best wishes.

Steve

_________________
"Do not resent growing old. Many are denied the privilege."

I've been perusing the youtubez and i think i love the chris wall whistles. the low d and the sweetbrass is amazing. I can't believe a high flute can sound so non-offensive. makes mine sound like a brass turd in the wind.

One more whistle identification request

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7JwrnhG6YU

i love the sound (i realize it's caked in reverb, but still...) of his whistle.
Can anyone tell me what whistle Boromir is playing at 6:35 and 15:02 and 42:42 and 1:02:17? (ok, it's actually hans frederik jacobson)

ok. i'm getting worn out on youtube videos i actually am warming up to the goldie. i think what i'm hearing is that it has a more "nasaly" tone, but at the same time it seems very consistent and good.

However, i think i am really liking the v5 most. And it's a great price. I'm not sure if it being tuneable has any effect on the sound at all? other than the obvious change in pitch... ha. But it has the best blend of smooth tone while still having a natural breath quality. almost native american/irish traditional breathiness, but very consistent. It is really growing on me. doesn't hurt that it looks nice too.

I did just that. If MK had a soprano D available, I'd want one bad. The green finish really does it for me!

Several options have been presented. While I'm not able to comment on their merits, I can say that a low D could be a challenge. Indeed, on Chris Wall's website, it is described as "a key that is difficult for beginners to play and may require piper's grip." By no means am I trying to discourage the OP from acquiring a low D whistle...though if it was me, I'd keep the Feadóg around for a while.

YouTube is great up to a point. Many of those videos have been edited and processed in some way, shape, or form. The same is true of film soundtracks; in those cases, the degree of editing and processing is almost certainly much greater. Again, I'm not trying to cause discouragement; that's just something to keep in mind.

i don't have any way to compare, but I'd say my skill level on the feadog is pretty good. i don't feel like I'm growing much by continuing to play it. i have considered intermediate sizes, but frankly i just love the sound of a low d or similar instrument. I'm not too worried about the grip as much as the required air difference.

i could post a video of my playing if that might give you an idea of whether I'm getting in way over my head...?

You won't be playing fast melodies on a low D, but their tone is more what I like to hear too.

Having said that, I tend to play low F or low G more regularly, but an A is my go to key of whistle, very easy to play - low F often requires a slightly different grip, & the low G is at the extreme of normal grip for me.

_________________
Keith.
Trying to do justice to my various musical instruments.

Although I recommended the Goldie I myself play Marc Löfgren low D and F. They are hard to come by but very, very nice.
A bit of shameless selfpromo here's my low F.

https://youtu.be/6bkvxrdIHPo

does having the tunable head affect the sound in any way? any reason not to get that other than price?

Another vote for Reyburn. I love mine, I wound up with both a brass and an aluminum, couldn't decide which sound I liked best.

They are very different in timbre, but both play in tune and are lovely in their own way. I'd describe the air requirements as easy to medium, although the aluminum one does require a bit more than the brass

In addition to the low Ds, I just took delivery of an A/Bb set...also fantastic sounding.

His website has sound samples of both so you can see if one suits you better.

Piperjoe