Hello~ I’m new here~
I played tin whistles for around 3 weeks. I have a Feadog Brass in D and a Clarke Sweetone in C.
I know it’s beginner level whistle but I love them both and learning how to play it
(And learning how to read sheet music at the same time.)
Here’s a sound sample recorded by these 2 whistles on the first few days I got it. Hard to control to keep a low breath pressure or it will squeak…
Youtube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ebaj0BLOQoY
Hello and welcome to the forum!
Sounding great! Keep up the good work! We all started somewhere, so I hope you don’t feel that you have to be apologetic about where you’re at or your whistles 
I also started on a feadog when I was really young, and I recall having trouble with breath control as well. By the sound of the video, you seem to be getting the hang of it 
Cheers!
Thank you. I keep practice those simple songs from the tutorial book everyday recently. I had so much fun~ 
Just bought the Clarke Sweetone in D today. Really easy to play, sounds breathy and gentle. I like it!
Those are solid instruments. IMO there really are no “beginner tin whistles”. Many well known artists have used simple Generations or other “cheap” whistles for recordings or live on stage. I like the Sweetone – plays easily in the 2nd octave – even the 3rd with cross fingerings. Just a bit quiet but perfect for practising at home.
I agree. I absolutely hate it when people try to push gens, feadogs, clarkes, etc as “beginner level.” I mean, sure, for many people there might be better “more professional” whistles, but the instruments I named still play differently from each other and have their own unique playing requirements. I still love that Mary Bergin for decades has pulled that sound that nobody could touch from a simple generation. Granted, she now plays a sindt/generation hybrid, but you get the point 
Cheers!
she now plays a sindt/generation hybrid
That’s been discussed before, it appears it’'s a Sindt, not a hybrid. It’s seems like a Sindt tube, with the typical line turned in it and a square of red electrical tape.
Okay, Thanks for catching that Mr. Gumby!
It’s the forum’s continuing, and somewhat baffling, obsession with who plays what and what MB plays in particular that makes it one of the recurring subjects here. 
Having seen discussions go there time and again, it’s just a matter of keeping an eye out (or pointing a big lens) when you see someone, MB in this case, play.
When we all know that it’s not the whistle but which hand is on the top that counts. 
How many have changed hand position after watching Ms. Bergin play, rather than trying to get the same whistle?
Best wishes.
Steve
I often wonder which whistles the professionals reach for when they are not on stage or practicing for a performance, those times when nobody is listening and it’s just them and the whistle.
Maybe for some, the performance whistle is what they hack around with. Do they learn new tunes on a particularly favorite whistle, etc.?
I think people label Feadógs and Clarkes as beginner whistles because they are cheap, and that there are now some very expensive high end whistles. But that was the original idea. A cheap instrument that anyone could own and play.
Enjoy! The whistle can be a lot of fun and a lifelong journey. Welcome.
That’s a great question. I know that when I’m by myself and not performing, I usually play lower and quieter. Right now, for me, that’s my “good” generation Bb. I particularly enjoy slow airs on that one, but it’s also amazing for other tunes, of course. What about the rest of you?
Cheers!
You’re right. It is the whistler that matters most, though I could share some rather awkward stories about a time when I had to perform with a whistle with a cracked labium since I’d forgotten my backup 
. The thing still played, hilariously enough, but it had that strange airy, sputtering sound.
Btw, I actually did attempt to change my fingering position after watching Ms. Bergin play I promptly switched back to my regular technique. In all honesty, it was the ornamentation that I outright stole from Ms. Bergin rather than her finger position
Cheers!
I’ve always interpreted “beginner whistle” as easy to play, and yes, inexpensive so one is not out of too much money if one stops playing after a few weeks.
Interesting discussion! As a non-professional, almost non-performing player, and someone who has often pondered the question of “do I have an instrument way above my skill level?”, I approach the subject with a few thoughts:
My take on this has been that it’s best to have a whistle (or multiple) that suits all purposes: practicing, performing, recording and sessions. Some would say that the differences between different whistles and their playability are menial, but I say that even if so, they still are there, and if you learn a tune with one whistle, it feels different on another. From this point of view it’s best to learn a tune on a whistle you are gonna use to perform. Of course, if you know your whistles, it’s not a huge task to take the song onto another whistle, either, but I hope you get my point.
The price isn’t automatically a factor. Some may find their favourite from the cheapest of whistles, whereas others won’t accept anything below a certain price range. In the end, however, it’s a matter of personal taste for the most part, and your ability to control the whistle that you’re playing once you get one whose sound and playability you like. I’m not saying that the price isn’t any kind of indication of quality, or “betterness”, but perhaps less so than with your “average instruments”.
I find myself playing the Generation Bb the most for those down times when I just want to hack around. For learning new tunes, I use the high D, usually a Dixon.
