Hi All
I am new to the whistle and am having trouble getting the high A and B notes on my whistles. Can anyone offer any advice on how to play these notes? I have four whistles and have the same trouble on all of them so I am pretty sure the problem is me and not the whistles. Is it a matter of using the right embouchure? I know these notes require more air but more air just produces a horrible screeching scream. Any help would be appreciated.
Chris
Hi Chris, welcome to C&F. What kind/brand whistle are you playing?
Hi Tommy I have a Feadog, a Clarkes Meg, A Clarke (the one with a wooden fipple, and a Susato V series whistle. All in the key of D
Sounds like too much more air. You don’t need to increase the pressure hugely for the second octave, but it can take a bit of a kick to get them over the breaking point. So maybe try tonguing them just now to get them started if you’re not finding the spot through pressure change alone, but careful not to overdo it!
Is the fipple too far into your mouth? The lips should just cover enough of the fipple to prevent leakage and no more. Then you hit the high notes by pursing your lips so the air hole is smaller. You’re really increasing the air speed, rather than blowing “harder”.
I agree with the tongueing recommendation. That tiny burst of air is enough to get those note so speak (as well as the high C# and D). Once that happens, the note can be sustained if needed with less air.
Try slightly rounding the shape of your mouth ( almost as if about to whistle ) for the high notes. To understand the difference in sound / air flow that this makes, play some low notes as usual, then round your mouth and play them again. I am originally a recorder player, and this was a tip I read years ago in some recorder book or other. It worked for me 
Thanks to all who replied to my post, it’s good to get constructive help.
Chris
Just like having trouble with the way your car is running, or having medical issues, a beginner’s problems with musical instruments are difficult to diagnose and cure over the internet. A get-together with an experienced player would make perfectly clear what is happening.
Could you record yourself playing and post it here? Then we would know more. But there’s no substitute for having an experienced player actually play your instruments, to determine how much is due to the instruments, and how much is due to the player.
I’ve found this particularly true with beginning uilleann pipers. It’s amazing how some beginners can get a chanter that’s working perfectly to make the strangest sounds, and how a maladjusted reed can produce odd sounds though in the hands of a good player, and how sometimes the two things sound similar. I can only tell which is which by playing the beginner’s chanter myself.
About whistles, I’ve encountered plenty of whistles over the years (Generations, Feadogs, and their ilk) which only made squeaking noises in the 2nd octave. The heads were poorly moulded with flash and/or misalignment of the various parts of the mould. An experienced whistle player with a sharp Exacto knife might or might not be able to get such a whistle to play.
But yes high B in particular is a special note on many whistles, requiring a specific blowing to sound right.
Unfortunately i don’t have a microphone, neither do I know anybody else who plays the whistle, but thanks for your advice. I am making some progress in playing high A and B
Sorry to chime in late, but are you scared of these notes? When I used to teach classes for beginners, I found that often people were afraid to play these notes assertively.
Afraid of making a lot of noise, or a horrible noise - a self-fulfilling fear because the hesitation resulted in the effects you describe. So very early on I would introduce a slow tune in which these notes were important (usually Bonnie at Morn in B minor).
If this is the case for you, get over your fear of making lots of noise, blow, and revel in the insane volume levels of your high B. And maybe find somewhere to practise where you are not worried about disturbing others, if that is a factor.
High B can be fingered XOOXXX on many whistles and high C# OOOXXX. Use of such fingering makes for an easier to reach note and I find these fingerings very helpful when playing up at the top end. I don’t know what other players feel about such fingerings but try out the B and see what you think.
That is a good suggestion, Mike. 
That fingering works on a lot of whistles. It is one of what I tend to call “lazy” fingerings. But there is really nothing particularly lazy about it.
The high A can also be hit using a XXO OXX fingering on many whistles - and for the same acoustic reason.
These fingering are known widely enough by whistlers that I am sure they are considered legitimate fingering options. You’ll have to judge the tuning for yourself on your own whistles. At the very least leaving lower hand fingers down should be enough to increase your chances of hitting these high notes cleanly.
Once you sound the note you should be able to lift the lower fingers and retain the tone. Again, you have to judge the tuning yourself if you are doing that. Context within the tune sometimes make these a less than convenient fingerings. But it is useful to know they are there.
There are also a couple of harder ways to hit the high A and B using harmonic tones. Not what you want to know about in this thread though. But in the interrest of sharing … This is easier to do on a flute than it is on many whistles. The A is a harmonic of the D fingering. Hold 'em all down XXX XXX and vary your blowing velocity until you hear the A. The high B can be generated the same way with a XXX XXO fingering. Try it.
But at the end of the day I would be thinking along with StevieJ on hitting the high notes. Go for it - with confidence.
Feadoggie
Hi StevieJ You have hit the nail on the head, I was quite scared of the racket I made trying to get high a and b. I’m still a bit wary but have gained a bit of confidence as I have continued to practice. Many thanks for your advice!
Thanks mikethebook for the alternate fingerings of high B and C# I will certainly try them out.
I struggled with second octave A and B for a long time on my Low D (to the extent of wondering about finding an easier whistle to play) but constant practice has made me relax, and relaxation has led to a much less strident and easily obtained sound. I have made a point of seeking out tunes that have challenged me to get used to the high notes. The Cliffs of Moher and Bill Hart’s Jig both include A & B (indeed with rolls on the A and cuts on the B) and I can now play them without problem . . . eventually with ornamentation. Let me encourage you that it will come with practice, but it doesn’t do any harm to pick out pieces that force you to play A and B.
Thanks for your comments Feadoggie. Interesting stuff. I can’t play XXOOXX for high A on my Goldie Low D (it comes out well out of tune) but I can play the harmonics you suggest without problem though when I would choose to use those fingerings I don’t know. I wonder whether any of the pro low whistle players use such harmonic fingerings on occasion. Do the harmonics continue in the same way i.e. C# with XXX XOO, D with XXX OOO and third octave E with XXO OOO?
As I said, you do have to judge the tuning if you are going to try these techniques. And as you’ve discovered the results will vary from whistle to whistle.
When I have heard it done it is usually for effect, an eery effect at that. Doesn’t have to be used as a parlor trick. It can be musical.
I think I have heard James McNally using harmonics. Might have been in his “Black is the Color” recording. More likely in some Afro Celts piece. It is usually recognizable because of the jump from D to A (on a D whistle) and the sound of overblowing that precedes the A note. But I guess if you are skilled enough you could be able to hit the A without preceding it with the D.
Feadoggie
Thanks Feadoggie. I’ll have to check out that recording. Colin certainly has him listed as a Goldie owner on his website. I’ll need to check out other harmonics to see how they work on my Goldie.
I have trouble with the high A and B notes too. I think it is because they are loud enough to be heard and I don’t have the confidence to be heard making any mistakes at such a high squeaky pitch that everybody can hear. I have the same problem with my flute, too, and I mostly have the problem when I’m around other people, not alone.
Yes, the confidence thing can be a problem. I didn’t lack it and blasted away for months (still some squeals) and my mentor sat there through every bit of my wailing away on the whistle. He never flinched, encouraged me at every moment (still does), corrected me when necessary, yet, sits there with every beginner’s struggles to the point I question if his hearing is gone. I am very fortunate to have the generosity of his time and patience.
Hitting the high As and Bs just go for it. Practice is the solution.