Survey question: your first whistle

[BillChin]

The flute forum thread is getting so many excellent responses that one about whistles seems a great idea. (Flute thread:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php ... highlight=

* What was your first whistle?
* How did you acquire it? (Recommendation, whim purchase, researched purchase, gift)
* Do you still play it?
* Would you recommend other beginners start with it or do you know better now?
* How long before you bought your second whistle?
* Approximately how many whistles do you own now?
* How many are played regularly?

[Cayden]

My first whistle was a generation E flat which I bought around 1971. it's still probably the nicest whistle I have and if I didn't need a few different keys (B,C and D) as well I would be perfectly happy with that one.

I'd recommend it to anyone, it's still my only e flat and i play it regularly.

I edit in a bit more having eaten my dinner in between and walked 'up the mountain':

During the three years after buying that first whistle I bought a D and a C, F and G Generation, a Camac Bflat. During the early 80's a Darra D, a pocket whislte and another Generation C and D followed. Those kept me until the mid 90s when twice I bought a Mark I Feadog after arriving somewhere unarmed while a whistle was needed. OUt of curiosity i bought an Oak which is a lovely one, Jerry Freeman kindly sent me a batch of whistle to try, all went back except a nickle Generation D which stands in the vase with the rest of them. Kitty Hayes gave me another generation C, I can't find fault with it. More recently I bought a Sindt D, a Humphrey and last month the final one: a Sindt B.

In between a low Hohner G from 1979 was never played and given away, a lovely 19th century French C sharp whistle had Micho Russell on my case so badly I eventually caved and he got away with that one. Two Sweetones were tossed aside disgusted, and a birthday Susato was left by the roadside and a SYN D/B combo was sold.

All I need really, more than that even. Next to the computer is a Feaderation whistle that gets most playing. Humphrey or Sindt come along when ever I go out playing. Occasionally a C or B are needed but rarely so.
The Sindt is presently out on loan, recording a CD

[tin tin]

A Feadog, brought as gift from Galway about eight years ago, was my first. (Unfortunately, it was a casualty of an early C&F inspired tweaking extravaganza, back when the newsletter had maybe 500 subscribers.) But that whistle gave me the traditional music bug.

[DRC]

First whistle was a green Sweetone D, purchased at Books-A-Million after seeing "The Corrs Live in Dublin" on TV. Still have it, but don't play it. It's a good whistle for beginners. Actually, I bought three Sweetones that day since they were $3 each...two Ds and a C. So my second...and third... whistles were also Sweetones. Don't play any of them. The Sweetone C is not a particularly good whistle, so used the fipple on a Bb Gen I later purchased. I own around thirty whistles now, most of which lie in a whistle drawer. I currently consistenlty play Burke Narrow Bore Blacktip brass and aluminum Ds, Sindt D, Burke composite C, Susato C, Gen Eb, and Dixon A. Also have a Sweetheart Pro D for unamplified outdoor gigs, but don't really use it that much.

DC
SlipJig Celtic Band

[Bloomfield]

My first whistle was a Feadog Mk II, which I bought in the late 80s on a whim. Found it difficult and put away for about 12 years or so.

I still play it from time to time, nice whistle. I think I might recommend a Walton C as a first whistle, or a Generation D. Doesn't matter that much.

14 or 15 years before I bought the second whistle.

I own 40 whistles, or so. I play about 15 regularly.

[michael_coleman]

I think it was a Walton's Guiness whistle.....the really thin aluminum one. I think my mother got it for me. It was, sadly, crushed at some point and I tried fixing it, but to no avail. I wouldn't recommend this whistle to start on etc. I went to a local music shop and get a Sweetone and it worked well for quite some time. It must have been about 3 years before I bought my second one....I own about 9 whistles, but if you count all the bodies that go with them about 14. I have downsized considerably and am about to get rid of more. Most of these are decent cheapies. About 5-6 are played regularly, hence why I am downsizing.

[feadogin]

My first whistle was an Oak, given to me by my Dad's ex-wife, who also taught me my first tune when I was about 13 or 14. She had several Oaks that I would play, and one of them is the one I still play.

How many whistles do I have? About 10, maybe. I really only play 3 regularly, though, my Oak D's and my Dixon C.

Justine

[peeplj]

My first whistle was an old-style Clarke C, purchased on a school trip to Old Washington Park in I think 9th grade.

I now have many whistles.

--James

[dfernandez77]

WHAT WAS MY FIRST WHISTLE?
Jerry Freeman Tweaked Sweetone D

HOW DID I ACQUIRE IT?
Well, it was a happy accident, whim purchase, researched purchase. I (then a hard core trad blues fan) was noodling about on eBay. I don't even recall what I was searching for - up popped a listing for the Whistle. I was thinking at the time of learning a new language and an instrument to keep my tiny mind exercised and occupied. When I saw the listing I thought "Now isn't this serendipitous." - of course now I realize it was a wicked twist of fate.

So I googled "Irish Whistle" found Chiff & Fipple and did some research. Then hustled my virtual gluteus maximus back to eBay and clicked the "buy it now" button.

Since then (maybe 2 years) I've learned to play a number of tunes in a happily amateurish fashion, bought a few more whistles, been divorced, lost my fish, and the number of Irish and Celtic tunes in my music collection is up to about 25% from probably less than 1%. I can't attribute all the changes to playing the whistle, but my happily amateurish attitude and the expansion of my tiny mind into the area of Irish music can be blamed on the whistle.

DO I STILL PLAY MY FIRST WHISTLE?
Short answer, yes. My first two whistles lay in a basket on my coffee table. I still play both of them when I'm sitting around in the living room and a tune echoes through my head.

SHOULD OTHER PLAYERS START WITH IT?
Yes! Absolutely. It's not too expensive, easy to play, and sounds decent - so it's not a big dent in the pocketbook to determine if they'll be hooked or not.

HOW LONG BEFORE I BOUGHT THE NEXT WHISTLE?
I think it was about 3 months. I bought number 2 when I knew I wanted to learn for real. I still was a little gun-shy about putting down a bunch of money, so number 2 was a Jerry Freeman Tweaked Shaw D. I've bought a new whistle about every 3 or 4 months since then. It's almost time for the next purchase, this time off the key of D.

HOW MANY WHISTLES DO I OWN NOW?
1. Jerry Freeman Tweaked Sweetone D
2. Jerry Freeman Tweaked Shaw D
3. Burke D Aluminum Narrow Bore
4. Burke D Composite Session
5. Burke Low D Aluminum Pro Viper
6. Thin Weasel Soprano D Water Weasel
7. <a href="http://www.thewhistleshop.com/catalog/w ... Humanatone Nose Flute (does it count?)</a>

HOW MANY DO I PLAY REGULARLY?
I still play all of them. I play the Burke Aluminum Narrow Bore most of the time when I am purposefully practicing new songs. It's like a good woman - pay attention, don't breath too hard, finger with a bit of care, and treat it respectfully it is responsive, sounds good, and a heck of a lot of fun to play with. Now if I could just find a woman like that...

Other than practice I play the Burke Composite Session when I am happily amateurishly cranking out a tune or two, the Water Weasel in the car at red lights, the Burke Low D when I want to play a low whistle, and the Nose Flute when I want to make someone laugh.

[Caru]

My first whistle was an Oak, bought on a whim. I played it for about six years, until the head was damaged and it didn't play well anymore. I liked mine very much, but wouldn't recommend that other beginners start with it unless they're patient -- it was a bit touchy.

I bought a second whistle about three years after the first one, and a third about two years after that. After that they started coming in faster. I now have about thirty, and play ten of them fairly regularly

[jsluder]

Lots of replies in this "first whistle" thread from last Fall:
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=22455


Cheers,
John

[IrishLass]

My first whistle was a Freeman tweaked Sweetone D, purchased off of E-bay about a year and a half ago. From there I purchased a bamboo whistle from Erik the Flutemaker, a Feadog, a Burke Brass (DBSBT) and most recently a Burke Aluminum (DASBT) that I purchased as part of Jessie's big sale.

I play the Burkes most often, but once in awhile pick up the bamboo whistle because it has such a sweet, haunting tone, and is a little quieter than the metal whistles.

[Entropy]

* What was your first whistle? Waltons MellowD

* How did you acquire it? (Recommendation, whim purchase, researched purchase, gift) Heard the singer of Carbon Lief (an Appilachian inspired rock band out of Richmond, VA) play one at a concert and thought liked the sound. Found out what it was, and ordered one from Amazon.

* Do you still play it? No

* Would you recommend other beginners start with it? No.

* How long before you bought your second whistle? A few months. I was at a Scottish festival in Williamsburg and found a couple of vendors selling whistles. I bought a Susato VSB and a Generation C.

* Approximately how many whistles do you own now? 10 or 11

* How many are played regularly? Three. A Burke DAN, a Clarke original, and a Dixon Low D. I have the Susato in my car, a Feadog by my bed, and a Sweetone by both computers. All four of those get play time, but not regularly.

[BillChin]

* What was your first whistle?
Clarke C with tape and book.

* How did you acquire it? (Recommendation, whim purchase, researched purchase, gift)
Whim purchase at bookstore.

* Do you still play it?
Yes.

* Would you recommend other beginners start with it or do you know better now?
It is okay for beginners, but there are better choices. The air requirements, the key of C, and the difficult upper register are all minuses. The tradition, the history, the nice tone are pluses.

* How long before you bought your second whistle?
Ten years.

* Approximately how many whistles do you own now?
Ten.

* How many are played regularly?
About half of them.
+ Bill

[Wanderer]

My first whistle was a Clarke original in D, 1995

How did I get it? That's the most interesting part of the story. I had a know-it-all girlfriend in the early-90's who started draging me around to see the Flying Fish Sailors and Clandestine and other small folk bands. I didn't really have an interest in going, though I had been exposed to this kind of music since I was a small child via the Texas Renaissance Festival. After actually stopping to listen (at the festival, I was always girl-chasing or shopping or something that prevented me from listening to the music) I became positively enchanted by Joe Limbeck's (Flying Fish Sailors) playing. I had an irresistable compulsion to play that same instrument.

When I approached Joe at a show (timidly, as I didn't know him) and asked him what he was playing, his reply: "It's expensive". (It was an Abell D, I've later learned). I don't know if he was just being unhelpful on purpose, or assumed that of course I knew it was a whistle, and was asking the brand.

Now, I call my girlfriend at the time a "know-it-all" for a good reason. when I lamented ever learning what that instrument was and/or learning to play it, she said she knew what it was and got me a cream colored Yamaha recorder for my birthday. I struggled with it for a while, and learned to play "Strawberry Fields" on it, but never really got good at it. I put it away after less than a year.

In 1994, I met another girl, and we became friends. During one of our conversations, I lamented that I'd always had a desire to make music, and recounted all of my failed attempts, such as playing bass guitar in junior high, keyboards in high school, etc. I pulled out the recorder out of the closet and played a crappy rendition of that beatles tune. She laughed and told me the difference between a recorder and a tinwhistle. She got me a Clarke original tinwhistle shortly thereafter.

I took to the whistle like a duck to water, playing several hours a days (I was living on the money I made from selling some software patents, and didn't actually have a job). I'd play until my lip stuck to the fipple and would tear my skin and bleed when I pulled it away. I was obsessed in an unhealthy way, and still am Needless to say, I broke up with the know-it-all girlfriend and married the girl that gave me the tinwhistle.

I bought my second whistle after 6 months. I had just started finding out about other whistle brands, and the Clarke's breath requirements were killing me (I was a smoker then). So I got a Shaw. :roll:

That original whistle has been lost to time (I've sat on, stepped on, lost, and tweaked to death maybe a dozen Clarke originals)

After the Shaw, I got a sweetone. Now that was beginner heaven. That is the whistle I still reocmmend to beginners today. It may not be the best instrument in terms of tone, but it was so easy to control in both octaves, it was wonderful to play.

I own maybe 30 or 40 whistles now. Hard to say. My whistle bag holds 7, and play all of the "bag whistles" regularly. In addition to the bag whistles, I play my Hoover CPVC all the time while my family is asleep...so 8 regularly.

I'd actually own less whistles now if I had my druthers, but the cheapies I never play are so hard to get rid of for enough money to make it worthwhile, so they accumulate. I can't bring myself to throw them away, even if I don't play them. I occasionally give one away.