I need help

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:43 pm

Hello everyone. I'm new to this board. You'll realize how new with my first question. What's the difference between an Irish Whistle and an Irish Flute? (sorry... I even read through the website's material)

emmline · Post by **emmline** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:47 pm

Wow. How to start.
The most basic answers:
1. A whistle is end-blown and held vertically. A flute's hole is near, but not at, the end, and is held horizontally.

wait...this can't be what you meant...do you mean their place in Irish music?

Darwin · Post by **Darwin** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:48 pm

The short answer is that you blow into the open end (windway) of a whistle, but you blow across a hole in the side of a flute, the whistle being held (more or less) vertically, and the flute horizontally.

claudine · Post by **claudine** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 12:55 pm

the flute is more difficult to play and the whistle is a pain in the ... ear

Whistle:

Flute:

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:01 pm

Thanks... you answered my question. I think my confusion (at least the beginning of my confusion) is that I've heard the Irish Whistle refered to as a "flute".

It is the "whistle" that I'm interested in learning to play. I know the website has several suggestions on "where to begin -- whistle options"... but any personal comments would be appreciated.

...like a good "first" whistle... and where to buy one.

Thanks,

...again, I apologize for being such a pathetic neophyte.

claudine · Post by **claudine** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:14 pm

I would recommend a Dixon. But you are likely to read 100 different advices in the following posts

If we shall tell you where you can buy a whistle, you will have to tell us where you live.

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:25 pm

Thanks for the reply... and the opinion. Why would you suggest a Dixon over others (just part of my initial "data gathering"). I'm wondering what makes "beginner" whistle brands different from one another.

Oh.... yeah... "where I live". I was thinking about "on-line" ordering, and the "where" didn't seem important. I live in northeast Ohio, outside Cleveland.

Thanks

Azalin · Post by **Azalin** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:25 pm

claudine wrote:the flute is more difficult to play and the whistle is a pain in the ... ear

That first picture is painful, but not for my ear...

StevieJ · Post by **StevieJ** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:26 pm

wild-olive wrote:... I apologize for being such a pathetic neophyte.

Hi Olive,

We're all more or less all neophytes here, and (certainly speaking for myself and Azalin here) lots of us are pathetic too, so you don't need to apologize.

To start with, since you seem to be interested in Irish music, I'd recommend you buy a cheap whistle in D such as a Generation, Feadog, Clare or Walton's. Less than $10. You should be able to get one from almost any music shop (I dunno about the States, but in Canada, Australia, the UK and Ireland you'd certainly find one almost anywhere). Learn to play on that and Bob's yer uncle.

Don't think you need anything more expensive in the beginning. (You may never need anything more, and I mean even if you get really good.)

Dive in, have fun, good luck!
Steve

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:33 pm

Thanks Steve,

...and did you pose for that picture? lol

Random notes · Post by **Random notes** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:35 pm

Sometimes a whistle is referred to as a "fipple flute." The fipple is the partial plug in the windway at the mouthpiece of a whistle that directs the airflow across the window and against the blade. Also of this type are flageolets and rec*ders.

For the instruments more commonly known as flutes, the lips (embochure) directs the airstream against the edge of the embochure hole. This includes transverse flutes like the Irish, or simple system, flute as well as the Boehm flute (the modern orchestral type) and flutes that are held like a whistle such as the quena and shakuhachi and many other folk flutes.

I believe that every flute or whistle ever made is played by at least one person on this forum.

As far as starter whistle, advice will be plentiful. I would go look on E-bay for a Jerry Freeman tweaked whistle. Right now, he has both Shaws and Sweetones available. If you are looking for something quiet to play out of deference to neighbors, I have a couple of Mack Hoover whistles that I think are great http://home.bresnan.net/~mackhoover/; also, Laughing Whistles http://members.tripod.com/nherbison/ are a quality quiet whistle but I don't have any personal experience with one.

And keep hanging around this forum. This is a great group of people and they will help you learn a lot.

Good luck.

Roger

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:39 pm

Thanks Roger,

The link to "Mack Hoover Whistles" didn't work.

What is a "tweaked" whistle?

wild-olive · Post by **wild-olive** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:44 pm

Roger...

...I just read about "tweaking" on ebay. Thanks

burnsbyrne · Post by **burnsbyrne** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:50 pm

wild-olive wrote:Thanks for the reply... and the opinion. Why would you suggest a Dixon over others (just part of my initial "data gathering"). I'm wondering what makes "beginner" whistle brands different from one another.

Oh.... yeah... "where I live". I was thinking about "on-line" ordering, and the "where" didn't seem important. I live in northeast Ohio, outside Cleveland.

Thanks

Hi, Olive, it's nice to have a new whistler in NE Ohio. Around the Cleveland area the only whistles I have seen in music shops have been the cheapies like Generation and Feadog. Both are good for beginners and both cost around $10. A good, reliable on line source is the Whistle Shop whose web address you can find on the main C&F website. They have lots of the cheap whistles including the Clare whistle. I have one of these (Clare) and I like it alot.
Welcome to C&F!
Mike

claudine · Post by **claudine** » Mon Dec 06, 2004 1:57 pm

The Dixon is just my personal favourite. It cost about 30 Euro when I bought it (2 or 3 years ago). It is reliable in quality, good in tune, nice sound (not too shrill, even in 2nd octave), it doesn't clog, and it is tunable. And it's very easy to play as well.