What is your whistle called most often?

[okstatepiper]

I ussually get, "are you going to play THAT again?"

[Br. Maurus]

Hey everybody, I'm a new here. I've only been playing my whistle (a tweaked Clarke Sweetone) for a month or so and I've already been accused of playing a glorified recorder by my friends. Can anyone please explain the differences between the two to me? Thanks!

Actually, in my opinion, THIS is how a recorder is played:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTViQRlC8mA
Drumsticks are a good use for recorders.

I thoroughly enjoyed that performance. I also laughed until someone came to check on me. Are you one of those gentlemen?

[CranberryDog]

Actually, it's an end blown fipple flute. Cheers.

[Tia]

Its been called a picallo for me as well, I was playing with my sister, who plays the flute, so maybe thats why that came about, a few time the flutey thing by people who kinda get it, but I dont play in front of randoms alot, so I mostly get it by the right name

[JordanII]

Actually, it's an end blown fipple flute. Cheers.

True......., but "Flutey Thing" tends to get annoying.

Whenever I've played for a large audience it gets some name that it's not supposed to have. It's usually either recorder or flutey thing.

[JordanII]

Double Post

[Walden]

Does it really matter? When I've played the clarinet in public they called it a flute.

[pipersgrip]

a lot of people call it a pipe

[Bothrops]

"Recorder", "Recorder", aaaaaaarghhhhh, I hate when people call my whistles RECORDERS!!!!

[mutepointe]

i should really watch myself on this because although 100's of people have called it something else to me, it's me who is grumbling "it's a pennywhistle" to them on the first time they ask me.

i've never had it called a pipe, that would be nice.

[KatieBell]

It seems to me that people attribute a hierarchy of worth to different instruments:

pipes
whistle
recorder

Such that calling your whistle pipes is a compliment and calling it a recorder an insult. If someone saw me playing a violin and told me his 6th grader was learning to play viola as well, I wouldn't be offended. I wonder what it is about these instruments in particular that have led to this supposed hierarchy of worth. Personally, I think each has its own place and am happy to hear of anyone learning to play any instrument at any age.

If someone told me his young child was also learning to play the whistle, I would probably say something like, "It is never too young to appreciate good music!"

In response to the original question, the few times my whistle hasn't been called a whistle it has been called a flute.

[Wanderer]

i've had people call mine a recorder, flute, piccolo, fife, and "pipe"

[celticgarrison]

I absolutely hate when people call my irish whistle a flute or recorder!

[Innocent Bystander]

I think this is a manifestation of North American confidence. The general public are confident in their impression of what they think they see. So they call it a flute. Or something. (Since an "English Flute" is actually a recorder, it's not so very distant from calling it something that's much the same shape and size as what we play.)

In the UK people just ask "what is that instrument?"

[ElPollo]

Had the whistle with me today, got two comments of "Is that a metal recorder?"....