help needed for new whistler!

Whistle
1

I have a couple of questions that I hope can be answered here.

1 – I notice that whistles come in just about every key, with D seeming to be the most common. Does that mean one uses a different whistle for each piece played, depending on the key of the music?

2 – If $$ were no object, what would you recommend that I purchase for my “bestest” whistle? I’m just starting, but have a background of playing flute and recorder, although now I’m mostly into harp and mountain dulcimer. (I realize that, for each response, I’ll probably get a different opinion! :slight_smile: ) I don’t necessarily NEED a $$$ model if something less expensive will do.

Thanks for helping! This site was recommended to me by an instructor at the Evart Folk Fest in MI this past weekend – I now see why!

Whistlermom

2

Not really. You just transpose to the whistle that you have. Having whistles in multiple keys is for variety of sound, or to play in tune with other fixed-key instruments, or to play in-tune when other people play a tune in a particular key, or to play within a singers vocal range.

Playing solo, you only ‘need’ one whistle in one key, any key. Irish Trad tends towards D whistles because they play all of D and G majors (and their related modal keys) which is where the Irish tunes are usually played. You may prefer a whistle that gets the keys your music is most often played in.

I think there’s a page on the subject of keys somewhere on the main website.

2 – If $$ were no object, what would you recommend that I purchase for my “bestest” whistle? I’m just starting, but have a background of playing flute and recorder, although now I’m mostly into harp and mountain dulcimer. (I realize that, for each response, I’ll probably get a different opinion! > :slight_smile: > ) I don’t necessarily NEED a $$$ model if something less expensive will do.

I’d recommend -not- spending real money until you can play moderately well in the first place. There’s nothing really wrong with any of Clarke, Generation, Feadog, or Oak whistles. (Well, Generations are a touch risky, sometimes they aren’t too good, but they’re cheap.)

There are many pages, posts, and sound clips on the various whistles, and you can research them at your leisure while playing on an inexpensive whistle. Remember that many great whistle CDs were recorded on generation whistles - an expensive whistle is not -necessary-. (OTOH, more and more ‘serious’ whistle players and professional whistle players are tending to get high-end whistles, and there is a difference. Not enough of one for me to spend the money, but… )

3

Theoretically, you could play in any key on any whistle, using half coverings and other such things.

on a practical level, this is dumb, as anyone who has ever tried to play in C minor on a D whistle will tell you. It’s not impossible, but it would take… a LOT of technique to play anything at speed. However, any whistle can be played in two keys (the named key, and the one that is a fourth above G, for a D whistle). The one that is a fifth above is not too difficult either (A, for D). If your whistle has good intonatino on the b7 (C for D), you can usually get a major scale out of that one two.

So, that’s about four major keys plus relative minors for each whistle without too much fuss.

It’s possible to get E major out of a D whistle as well, but I wouldn’t recomend it. It’s usually a bit out of tune when I play it. Not that this stops me when I’m jamming to CD’s. With a little work D minor can sound quite lovely and haunting on a D whistle as well. I wouldn’t recomend trying to play in F though (the relative major).

Most people will use each whistle for two or three keys when playing traditional music. luckly, Irish tradtional music only comes in about four or five keys anyway, all of which can easily be played by using a combination of a D and C whistle.

Other whistles are most usefull if you are trecking a little outside traditional stomping grounds. Then again, if your say in a band that mostly uses the whistle as textures, and speed isn’t an issue, you can hit any note you need on any whistle.

By the way, This is coming from a music theory background, not a Irish Trad background, so take it for what it’s worth.

4

Welcome to the wonderful world of whistling! You’re in for a lot of fun…

D is by far the most common whistle pitch and can be used for just about any tune you’re likely to run into at a session. I think most people here get whistles in other keys simply for the variety and different sounds when playing solo. They ALL finger the same, but the scale that they play will be different-- a D whistle plays a D scale from bottom to top, an A whistle plays an A scale, etc. If you’re a beginner, all you need is a good D to get well started.

For choice of whistles, obviously only a hand made custom exotic hardwood whistle will do! :roll:

Just kidding (I make those types of whistles)-- actually there are MANY terrific and inexpensive whistles. Look here if you haven’t already:

http://www.chiffandfipple.com/inexp.html

People here will undoubtedly give you many of their personal favorites. I wouldn’t even think about buying a higher end whistle until you’re fairly comfortable playing a variety of tunes. Until then, you won’t really KNOW what you want in a better quality whistle. OTOH-- you may be happy with the “cheapie” forever! It IS a simple instrument, and many people really love the simplicity of the inexpensive whistles.

5

If you’re playing IrTrad, all you really need is a D whistle. Most of the music you hear is played in D or G (the second major scale on a D whistle).

That being said, if you’re playing solo you transpose to any key you like by chosing the appropriate whistle key and using the standard D fingerings.

You might want to experiment with a handful of other cheapies (I like the Walton’s C whistle and the Generation Eb and Bb models) but there’s no real need to go beyond the standard D models when you’re starting out.

On your second question, I don’t think there is a “best” whistle our there that suits everyone - until you’ve played a while and know what sound you prefer, “best” is a rather elusive concept. And most folks seem to agree that a good Generation-type whistle can be as good as anything out there, if you know how to play it.

That being said, in the mid-priced range Dixon, Susato, Serpent and (a bit higher) Syn and Hoover give you a wide range of sounds to experiment with. Or get some Freeman-tweeked cheapies - they’re about the same price point (and if you like the sound of a “good” cheapie, are a guaranteed way of getting one).

If you’re willing to go a bit higher, there’s even more choice, but until you’re more familiar with the range of sounds out there, it’s hard to choose - you may end up with a well made, well-in-tune, highly playable instrument that you never touch because you want something purer/chiffier/breather/more complex/fill-in-the-blanks.

I’ve got a long way to go before I’ll call myself a “good” player, but the more I practice (and the more whistles I try) the more I’ve come to realize that if I do my part I sound as good on a $5 whistle as on a $200 model. Mind you, I may prefer the $200 whistle because a like the sound, or the workmanship, or the feel in my hand, or the consistency (no need to tweek!), or fill-in-the-blanks, but if I sound bad on a $5 whistle I’ll sound bad on a $200 model too.

That being said, the D whistles I play most are a red-top Generation, a battered Serpent Sweet Polly (with paint chipping off ), a Syn, and a Humphrey narrow-Bore. And the most expensive (the Humphrey) and the cheapest (the Generation) sound the most similar.

6

Answering the second question first, IF money were no object, buy every one of them that is on the market.

That being said, I have some tweaked versions of cheapie whistles that I enjoy better than some of the most expensive models out there.

As mentioned by my distinguished colleagues in this most august of forums the D whistle will be playable for most Irish Trad music.
If you want to play along with Mary Bergin, you will need an E-flat. Some bands play a song that can be played on a C.

That being said, I have found the Dixon C/D tunable (which can get close to an E-flat) easily adaptable and cost-effective.

If you want to play whistle to anything but Irish music, you may need a set.

As far as the expensive stuff goes, the best thing is to find out what you like best before you buy. They all have their individual qualities that is personal.

7

saying “Hi!” to another mountain dulcimer player!!! :smiley:

As for keys - are you going to be playing along with the dulcimer? Do you usually play in DAd tuning on it? I’d go with a D whistle to start with then - you’ll be able to figure out the same songs on it pretty easy.

(Oh - and watch about mentioning that word that begins with a “R” on here, some people get very upset about that word… :smiley: )

8

For about 3 bucks plus postage you can pick up a clarke meg whistle I bought 2 for my wee ones they love them my daughter is 6and can play severaltunes already good luck whistlin is alot of fun

9

Thanks whistlermom for asking questions I also wanted answers to. I have recently joined C&F also and found this to be both very entertaining at times, and very educational/informative. There is a lot of knowledge on this forum and I appreciate what everyone shares. Funny thing is, I stumbled here by accident, and reading everyones posts left me with, well, an itch for my first! Whistle, that is! All have a great day and keep educating me with your passion for the whistle!

10

WOW!!! Thanks so much for all the help!

I have the opportunity to obtain a couple of Weasels – should I pass, or snatch? (sorry, brewerpaul! :roll: )

11

Hi “Mom”. What would you want a whistle for. Would you play Irish songs, or everyday tunes. Most Irish songs are in the key of D, but for everyday playing, a C is good. I prefer to use a C for anything. I can whip out anything from the Irish Washerwoman, to the bassoon solo from The Sorcerer’s Apprentice on a C. That being said, here are my recommendations of economically feasible whistles that sound absolutely awesome. For a D whistle, I would recommend the Clare Nickel One-Piece, and for a good C whistle, I’d go for the Walton’s Nickel. Last time I checked, both whistles were available at The Whistle Shop. http://www.thewhistleshop.com/ Hope this helps! :stuck_out_tongue:

P.S. GO FOR THE WEASELS!!! (If you can…) :slight_smile: :sunglasses: :laughing:

12

I haven’t been playing long myself, maybe 6 months or so total, but have experimented with quite a few inexpensive and a few higher end whistles. As a beginner I found my Susato to be quite easy to pick up and play, its breath requirement wasn’t too bad. My favorites right now are my SYN C/D combo and Freeman “tweaked” Mellow Dog(love this whistle).

All 3 of the those whistles I would consider low cost and all 3 play beautifully. That is just my opinion of course.

I have also found that after playing a lot on my SYN that I can go back to the generations and Oak that I never felt quite comfortable with and play them near perfectly(well as perfect as my limited skills allow).

Whichever whistle you choose I’m sure you will enjoy. I have found when it comes to whistles and playing you really cannot go wrong as long as you enjoy the music itself.