Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hello group. I purchased a Chieftain v4 some time ago. Shortly after it was available, I also picked up an Optima. I have found the Optima easier to play on and rarely use the Chieftain. I’ve been away from the whistle for some time and just got back into it. As much as I love the sound of the Chieftain, my beginner skills are just not quite there. I thought I would be better served by selling it and getting a whistle in a different key that has easier breath control and fingering. I have no interest in anything too high or shrill, but I have heard some Bb, A, G, and Low F whistles that I like. Can anyone offer a recommendation for a whistle that would suit my needs? I would like a tunable whistle for playing with background tracks that I make. Thanks!

I have an MK low 'F' that I really like, prior to that my Shearwater low 'F' was what I used.

I also have a Thunderbird in 'A' that I spend time on, & a Tony Dixon ABS low 'G'.

If I didn't already have these whistles, I would go for a quality low 'G'.

(I do have low 'D' whistles, & the best, for me, is my Howard.)

Appreciate the feedback. I’ve been eyeing the Mk F, but I will look at the G as well.

I dont have an A G or F but. My ideas.

A can play as a higher wanabe low D sometimes. As long as the range doesnt go too low. Also works as a wanabe high d if you dont want a high d because you dont like the super high notes (I dont either, I avoid the second half of second octave lol). So usable for a lot of assorted D key songs. Tony dixon A is pretty affordable.

G can play in C which is good if you dont have a C. And C is prob the second most common key, at least in my experience of not irish music haha. So this could give you more song options if you play native key, or if you wanted to transpose a D song to C for your own tracks. Tony dixon g is also affordable.

If you get to pick the key you play in, A and G are a nice distance from low D so gives you some diversity.

You cant go wrong with low F. Prob the 3rd most common key, maybe. Theres a reason theres an optima F and not other random keys. If you like your optima you cant go wrong with an optima F. An F is on my list of things to get.

Bb is nice because you can get a cheap generation for like 10-15$. Not the perfect whistle, but for the money I cant complain. And works for some songs. I actually play a song that uses a low F on my Bb. One part can play low enough, one part I have to play the high version. Not tunable. You would prob want to do some basic tuning modifications to it, for playing with tracks the tunign doesnt impress me. I'd never do tuning mods to an expensive whistle but an expensive whistle wouldnt need tuning work anyway haha. But other good makers make Bb's if you need tunable. I like my tilbury C and he has a Bb but he doesnt make the Bb anymore so idk if its as good as his others. But theres a few left in stock on his site.

A bonus option I considered a while back. If you like how Susatos sound you can get multiple tubes for one mouthpiece and save a lot of money. Theres like 3 /4 mouth pieces for all the keys. So you may be able to get like an A and a G tube for discount that can use the A's mouthpiece.

Hopefully some of this is useful in some way haha. Happy playing.