No, I’m not asking for advice on what to buy. I’m just curious… What was your first whistle? How old were you when you got it? Do you still have it? Do you still play it? Etc.
My first whistle was a rolled-tin, cylindrical whistle with a wooden fipple plug, made in a craft shop in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, USA. I was in my early twenties. That whistle sucked, and put me off whistles for nearly a decade. Earlier this year, I gave it to Jerry Freeman for experimentation. (He claimed he actually got a musical sound out of it; I was amazed.)
That sounds something like a Cooperman. Funny, I messed with mine today. Actually plays fairly well, after much bending and stuff…
My first one was a Clarke.
My second was a Walton LBW, ordered on a lark with a couple of recorders. the LBW was supposed to come first, but Gail ran across the street to a music shop and found a Clarke original a few days befor the LBW came.
Clarke original model - rolled tin and wood, but mine was a lot more playable then your Williamsburg beast.
I did have trouble with it at first, because I wasn’t used to the lack of backpressure. A good whistle, but I kept running out of wind until I adjusted to it.
Then I got a truly horrible Walton’s standard bore, and a couple of quite decent Feadogs.
After that, I got serious and started my descent in WhOA.
My first whistle was a Clarke original in D, 1995, 26 years old.
I played it for 6 months, hours at a time, until the wood in the fipple would suck all the moisture from my lip and would rip my lip bloody when I pulled it away.
I really didn’t like the whistle, though, because it was just too much for me. I was a 2-pack-a-day smoker, and just couldn’t take the breath requirements (I’ve since quit).
So, I got a Shaw…BIG MISTAKE
So I tried to tweak the Clarke, and ruined it. Ruined a couple more in my back pocket. Got a couple Generations and a Soodlums and was unhappy with their out of tuneness.
Finally got a sweetone..was able to handle it much better, and played it for the better part of two years before whoa hit me again.
My first whistle was an Overton Low D, purchaced from one of C&F’s own. I have found it difficult, having such a quality instrument for my first one. People have given, loaned and sold me many other instruments and many of them did not pass muster. I now have a decent (and fairly expensive) collection and my WHOA is abating, with only a couple more holes to fill.
The first whistle I played for more than a few days was a Clark with the wooden fipple. Lovely sound but the insides of the wind way rusted out rendering it unplayable. I replaced the Clark with a Dixon which I still play from time to time when my burke isn’t handy.
While the Meg may not be the best whistle out there, I would venture to say it is the best VALUE in whistles… a not-too-bad whistle for 3 bucks. I still play it from time to time.
I scouted a local music store, played as many whistles as I could, and selected a Shaw A because it was really easy to play through both octaves, and sounded great, no tweaking needed, right off of the shelf. It didn’t sound shrill like the high Ds, and it was much easier to finger than the low Ds.
I read in the low whistle guide in Chiff what Dale Wisely said after I had bought it, and I wasn’t surprised what he had said about his, after playing mine:
I’ve got a Low A and I enjoy it very, very much. I count it among my top 5 whistles
That was last November, and I was just a tyke, at 50! Unfortunately, I did trade it off for a Howard low D, but the lows were where I wanted to be. Now I’ve got a bunch of low D’s, and wouldn’t mind having a Shaw A again. But that’s fixable! Or maybe I’d go for the Bb Shaw now, it seems I like the sound of the Bb whistles for a higher whistle key.
My 1st whistle was a Tweaked Clarke Original through The Whistle Shop – it didn’t mentioned “who” did the tweaking. I think this was about 4 years ago. It still plays quite nicely, when I don’t have my Dixon A or Alba to hand.
DCrom’s experience is parallel to my journey. I started with a Clarke original in C with the Bill Ochs’ book and tape. Then I bought a Walton that I no longer play, and lately, I have been eyeing more whistles.
My first was an Oak D, when I was ten. It worked well, but I found it hard to keep the low notes stable for quite a while. I think I also spent a year or so trying to find songs that didn’t go more than a note or two into the second octave. After I got used to it, I loved it. (I wouldn’t recommend it to beginners, though – although I liked the sound and feel, I think the touchiness of it slowed down my progress at first) I played it as my primary whistle until it was damaged in a mysterious clothes-dryer incident a few years ago. It was replaced (after extensive auditions were held involving a Clarke, a Clare, other Oaks, some Generations, and a surprisingly nice el-cheapo cane whistle in B) by a Dixon. I was amazed by how much easier to play the Dixon was than most of the others I’d tried.
A bit latter I got my first “expensive” whistle, a Silkstone. It’s perfect for me. The only bad aspect of it is that I feel a little guilty for letting my other whistles sit unplayed, since most of them now sound muddy in comparison.
I must be buying whistles from the wrong places…I didn’t know you could buy them one at a time!!
My first purchase was a Clark Sweetone (tin), an Oak (nickel), a Susato (plastic), and a Feadog (brass). I knew I wanted to play, and I wanted to start with a D. I just didn’t know what sound I wanted.
My first was a Soodlum/Walton’s brass D. Ordered it among several books, direct from Mel Bay. No description was given, just that it was a book/instrument kit, so I ordered it because it was inexpensive. I was pleasantly surprised to get the whistle, as, in the meantime, between sending the order and the package arriving (bear in mind, the catalogue did not say what instrument it was) I had decided I wanted to play whistle.
I practiced it quite a lot back then, and got fairly proficient. I wish I were up to the level now that I once was. I do recommend the Mel Bay Tinwhistle Pocketbook. I almost entirely have always played by ear, but the information on basic ornaments and such was worth the 95 cents.
My first was an old Fedog (IIRC) brass with a green fipple. I ruined it tuning it so I could play with a GHB.
My next was a James Galway whistle, aluminum with a black fipple, which I thought was the sweetest playing cheap whistle I had ever played at the time. (hah!).
Then the Generations and Clarkes started on my way with the WhOA disorder, along with the Burkes, but my current and long time fave is the Clarke Original in D, and for other keys, tossup between Clarke Original/Generation in C, Burkes in low A, G and D.
My mother used to have a pen pal who played the whistle (not ITM BTW). When he died my mother received a number of his personal effects which he had arranged to be sent to her. Among them was an old Generation D marked “for the lad”. I’ve been trying to remember how old I was without much success but it must be somewhere between 14 and 16.
My second was an O’Briain modified Feadog, which I play quite regularly (the Generation has not seen the light of day since a month after I started playing).
My first one was a brass Acorn D, then i bought a nickel Generation D, and tomorrow i will be putting in a order for a black Meg C, and a silver Meg D.
Actually i just decided at the last minute to order Sweetone’s C and D (natural) instead of the Meg. I havent read too many good things about the Meg other than its price, so i figured the Sweetone would be a much better choice. Though i may get a Meg one day eventually just to have variaty
I’m just curious… What was your first whistle? How old were you when you got it? Do you still have it? Do you still play it? Etc.