Hello,
Is there a problem with someone learning whistle and recorder at the same time? The fingerings are so similar. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or bad.
My office phone number is similar to my home number and I keep putting the prefix of one number with the suffix of the other. (Please don’t hate me if your number is 654-0082, but now you know why the Subaru dealer keeps calling to say the parts are in.) 
Dwight
It depends.
If you are later going to want to play both, then I think learning both, though likely to prove initially a little frustrating, may be a good thing.
Playing more than one instrument tends to make you think in terms of notes and not so much just using muscle memory, which I think makes you a better player in the long run.
There are some pretty substantial differences between recorder and whistle, though, so do expect some initial frustration and confusion.
–James
Probably not a great idea. Soprano recorder and D whistle fingerings are close, but NOT the same. For one major thing, the recorder has that thumb hole. I would suggest starting with the instrument whose music you tend to favor, learn that fairly well, and then add the second. As one who plays both recorder and whistle avidly, I would say that whistle is probably a bit easier to start learning.
Wow. Those were fast replies. Thanks for the help.
Dwight
I already KNEW recorder, and had to drop it entirely in order to learn whistle. Going back and forth was making it impossible to learn the new fingerings, pressure control, etc. I haven’t picked it up since.
Someone with more musical skill than I have could do it, I’m sure, but I wasn’t able to.
Zoob! Zoob! They’re saying the “R” word!
not to toot my own horn, so to speak, but I switch back and forth between recorder and whistle all the time. Between C and F recorders too. After a while, muscle memory takes over and it becomes instantaneous
I used to switch back and fourth a bit myself. The only reason I don’t now is that I’ve lost interest in recorder at present. Have you played other instruments befor?
I’m certainly not in Paul’s league (I played recorder in an amateur group over 20 years back) but I’d second what he said. It does take me a couple of minutes to make the switch, but after that it’s easy - no harder than switching from a C to an F recorder.
I don’t play recorder much any more, but a lot of the breath control skills carry over; I could probably be as good as I’ve ever been on recorder (OK, but far from great) with a day’s practice.
But the fingerings are just different enough to mix you up if you’re learning both at the same time (though I discovered that it sometimes sounds better to overblow the second octave on recorder rather than rely on half-holing the thumb hole).
Here are the difforences I see from from my beginner’s perspective. Please correct me if I’m wrong.
Recorder has one big advantage. It plays wider variety of music, including anything a whistle can play.
Whistle has several advantages. It is easier to learn. It’s even more portable than a recorder. It has more voices because each manufature uses difforent materials and constrution methods. It’s almost impossible to spend a lot of money.
So- I deffinitely plan to play the whistle. It’s a great instrument and I am way too far into “whoa” to turn back now.
Still- I wonder what I am missing out on by not learning recorder. I’ll soon find out. I have ordered a couple of music books that are not intended to be for the whistle. I’ll be happy if half the songs are in keys that I can play on the whistle.
Dwight
I used to think that too… But it’s not true! It’s not true I tell you! Even if you’re strong enough never to buy a whistle costing more than 10 clams, it all adds up…a whistle in every room, a whistle in every key… a whistle in every key in every room…and don’t forget the car…For this is WhOA, and this be your doom. Doom, I tells ya.
I would switch between the two but it makes me feel cheap and dirty.
So I guess I fit into both. I find it easier to play some of the Chanties I like on the recorder - chromatic - than on the whistle - changing whistles and fingerings.
Both make make music and THAT’S what I play.
BillG
I actually LOVE switching between instruments of similar, but different fingering (whistle, keyless simple system flute, keyed simple system flute, Boehm flute, occasional recorder and ocarina). It keeps my mind going. It’s better than doing a crossword puzzle.
My latest ‘want’ is a Bass Recorder in low ‘F’-imagine the finger stretch on that baby if it were a Whistle!
I must be crazy-I already have a housefull of Whistles,several Flutes,and an Uilleann Pipe Practice set (which I should be practicing on,rather than surfing the net for Bass Recorders,and posting messages like this!).
Wish I had a tenor recorder. I’m curious whether you could piper grip it. Boy, that would freak out the old consort I used to play in.
Hmm. Seems like I was in the market for one befor I bought all these whistles…
Tenor Recorders are great to play (very satisfying sound,I think,for Low Whistle orientated people).Alto is o.k-it has the ‘best’ repetoire,Bass I’m keen to try.
Descant/Soprano is Cack, IMHO.
I’m also interested in Sopranino,and,should I ever acquire a Canary,a Garklein would come in handy!
almost all pipers play whistle and switch between the 2 instruments. the fingering is not identical. most people manage.
if i was to learn both recorder and whistle, though, i would not give them equal time. choose one to really work hard on and a second to play around. eventually you will get around to excelling on both.
meir
[quote=“vomitbunny”]Wish I had a tenor recorder. I’m curious whether you could piper grip it. . . .quote]
The tenor is a bash to play and I do use Piper grip - mostly. Still have to play around the pinky for two hole coverage - and don’t forget the thumb hole. Lots of satisfaction with it, though. Low C is not the easiest note on it - like Low D on some whistles.
BillG
Get a ‘cheapo’ like the Yamaha 302B,it’s as good as wooden instruments costing loads more.Tuning is spot on(trust me,Ive got one).Of course it does’nt have the ‘warmth’ of a wooden instrument-but I would bet that it would see you for several years.