The whole idea of expensive pennywhistles doesn’t appeal to me.
A fair sentiment. How come?
I’d gladly trade most my low end whistles for a high end whistle…
Itching for a fight? 
How about “lovingly hand-crafted whistles”? 
What constitutes “expensive”? I just bought a whistle from Hans Bracker for about $150 that I consider a bargain. I’d guess that players that own Burkes or Abells consider them bargains too.
I guess my more basic question is: How does the cost of a whistle (or lack thereof) correlate with what you like or don’t like in a predictable way? Or is it simply the cost itself that’s the negative?
to a degree we don’t have a choice about these things
the whistle I now play exclusively (a Burke NB) I got second hand just wanting
to try one again, the rest now stay in the case.
I didn’t set out on the road to whistle monogamy it just happened
it could just as easily been a Feadog or copeland.
Right … That’s more or less what I’m hinting at.
Hopefully, you choose a whistle to play because … you like it and it suits. Given whistle pricing, whether it’s expensive or not may have little to do with it.
All depends on what you want from your whistle… as I’ve written here before, I stuck with my old Gen for many a year because I liked its sound and I didn’t like the way other brands/higher end whistles I got to try played/sounded/felt… but I’d quite early on had a go on a Jon Swayne wooden one and hankered for one for over 20 years before I found a way/got a chance to acquire one. My old Gen would simply not do this job (I switch to whistle about 17 seconds in - the clip misses the first time through the first tune) - working with 30-odd fiddles, 12 or more harps and about 8 flutes on an opera house stage - yes, we were generally but not individually amplified. In this clip another member is playing a Susato in C ('cos her keyless boxwood Bleazey D flute can’t handle a C major set!) which also does the job well, but would count as a low-end-of-medium-cost-range toot, I suppose. Again, a Gen, Feadog, Clarkes or whatever would be no use whatever without individual miking.
The whole idea of expensive mikes to amplify inexpensive pennywhistles doesn’t appeal to me. 
I own one Burke, and it is indeed my favorite, so that old get-what-you-pay-for thing sometimes holds true. I have other less expensive whistles (Susatos, Ethnic Winds, and some Freeman-tweaked whistles) that I love too. Like many, I started with a Clarke and some Gens, but they were horribly out of tune. Yes, I know, I was a beginner (though I’d played regular Boehm flute and the much-vilified recorder before), but now that I have more experience, they still don’t sound that great. I’m not the most talented whistler either, so Burke & company make me sound like I can at least play in tune even if they can’t help with my speed, technique, and expression! But at least now I can work on those things on an in-tune whistle. I’m never gonna be a pro anyhow and don’t exclusively do ITM.
If a good, cheap in-tune whistle is out there, cool! I haven’t been so lucky except for one Oak that was good out of the box. Some of the lower-end whistles can discourage beginners and frustrate even non-beginners. It’s a question of how much is the instrument and how much is the player, which I don’t know the answer to that one. Also, how much frustration do you need to bear for something you’re supposed to enjoy? To me it’s just easier to pony up and get at least a Freeman-tweaked whistle or Susato, which are not nearly as expensive as a Burke but play quite nicely. However, if I win the lottery one day, I will have a Burke in every key imaginable!!
Whistles that I don’t like the sound of, or which are out of tune, or hard to handle…
…are worthless, to me.
The whole idea of worthless pennywhistles doesn’t appeal to me.
Way to go Aaron. You got them going again.
I assume that Walden is struggling with a legitimate issue and not simply trolling = “getting them going”. But I’ll wait for an answer to my questions.
zee Chiffmaster General is havin’ a trainin’ oversize
something worth reflecting on…
I agree that the “idea” of high-end whistles could possibly imply an elitism (base on cost alone) which is not part of the basic charm of ITM as I see it. I wish the basic Generation or Clark pennywhistle did it for me but the ones I had were crap. The fact that such complex music (ITM) can be voiced from such a simple instrument as the whistle is not only the challenge but the charm for me. So, I found whistles like the Freemans, Brackers and Sindts that I really really like. But high end is a relative term. Some of my classically trained friends still see my instruments as “low-end” relative to the price they pay for their instruments. I don’t regard any of my instruments as “high-end.” They are just whistles that can do what it takes to please me and eventually enable me to play with other people who love this music. Maybe if I was an awesome player I could compensate for the weaknesses of my other “low-end” whistles but that isn’t going to happen in my lifetime and I want to play now and work more with my weaknesses and not those of my whistles. I am so grateful for the makers who put their personal time and attention creating whistles that are in tune, are responsive and have great tone. Mass production takes the human element out of it which just doesn’t appeal to me. I suggest that any man/woman-made (or tweaked) instrument that helps one make beautiful music should be considered “high-end.”
Very well said, janmarie.
Ok, I love ALL whistles (well, except for one and not necessary to name as maker long gone). I play and collect; I have a veritable museum of whistles of all kinds from one end of the cost spectrum to the other.
That said, as for playing, I’ve had extraordinary good luck with my cheapies, but acknowledge generally that some of the high enders provide more fullness of tone and are a joy to behold.
However, for almost 2 years now, I have played one whistle almost exclusively - my sterling Sindt D, my favorite for a number of reasons.
To wrap up, though, I just got from Jerry Freeman, who I’ve been resisting for awhile, a batch of his tweaked whistles - the Mellow Dog D/C set and the Blackbird D. At first blush, these are terrific whistles.
So now when I see all the threads about “I want a new whistle, but under $----” or “which is better narrow bore or wide bore” - I can say “get the Freeman Mellow Dog and the Freeman Blackbird” and for not a lot of money you can play with several whistles that are great, playable but allow for some breath control development, and are different one to the other.
Philo