Is This a Good Buy? If Not, What Is?

[JeremyC]

I'm new to the whistling world. I would like to learn to play some traditional Celtic music, and I have been told that the best whistle for me would be one in the key of D.

I stumbled upon this guy on youtube, let me know what you think of his whistles.

http://eriktheflutemaker.com/Pennywhistles.htm

Also, I really liked the sound of Pat Tierney's in this video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-pLklK- ... ature=fvwp

But it doesn't have a description listing what he is playing. Can anyone tell me?

What would be your suggestion for a beginner? I want a good quality whistle, but something not really expensive.

[benhall.1]

It's a Susato

[Tommy]

I'm new to the whistling world. I would like to learn to play some traditional Celtic music, and I have been told that the best whistle for me would be one in the key of D.
Also, I really liked the sound of Pat Tierney's in this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-pLklK- ... ature=fvwp
But it doesn't have a description listing what he is playing. Can anyone tell me?
What would be your suggestion for a beginner? I want a good quality whistle, but something not really expensive.

Hi Jeremy, welcome to Chiff & Fipple.
Looks to be a Susato whistle. Susato is a good whistle.

[Steve Bliven]

Greetings -

You'll get mixed reviews of Susatos — some love 'em, others not so much. Another moderately priced (about $35) is the Mellow Dog in D from Jerry Freeman. It's a metal tube with a plastic head. Jerry posts here and sells directly or through his e-Bay store.

Most people starting out eventually try a range of whistles (or just buy a whole bunch, but that's a different story) before settling one one (or more). Enjoy the search....

Best wishes.

Steve

[scottie]

Hi Jeremy,
The whistle Pat is playing is a SUSATO Kildare 'S' Series in the key of 'D'. If you want an inexpensive good polymer whistle like that I would recommend the Tony Dixon whistle. Heritage Music sells them on Ebay and Chiff and Fipple has info about them being good whistles. I saw a non tunable whistle on their site for $22 and a tunable one for $48.

As far as Erik's penny whistles I think they are very nice. Just a little too pricey for me. I like the wood and appearance, but what is so nice is the sound. Also, remember he is a very good musician. If I had the extra money I would not hesitate to buy one if I wanted a wooden whistle. Remember with those you might have to consider a drying out issue if you live in a dry climate. I am not sure. That is something that you would need to talk to him about. I have my name on a list for a D whistle from John Sindt which is about a 9 month wait at this time and will cost $130 + shipping.

[Jim_B1]

For beginners, I always say go for a Generation or Clarke, maybe a Feadog. Cheap and good.

If you like to play and have fun with it, then take a look at some of the more expensive things if you like but really there are a huge amount of fantastic players that play Generations, Clarks, Oaks, etc...

As an aside, I like Erik the Flutemaker's stuff. I have a Bb whistle by him in concert tuning. Plays nice in tune with itself but slightly sharp. Very comfortable player though...

[Hotblack]

As well as the Freeman Mellow Dog suggested elsewhere I'd suggest the Dixon Trad in D. Excellent little whistle for the price.

[JTC111]

I want a good quality whistle, but something not really expensive.

"Expensive" is a relative term. What actual price range do you have in mind?

[dspmusik]

mellow dog gets my vote

[JeremyC]

I want a good quality whistle, but something not really expensive.

"Expensive" is a relative term. What actual price range do you have in mind?

I was hoping to not spend more than $30.

Also, thanks to everyone who replied, you guys are quite fast and helpful.

Of course I am a fan of the Susato. It sounds nice in my opinion.
But there have been two different recommendations for a Dixon. I think I'll look at both of those to start out. But I'll make sure to look at several different brands of whistles to find the one that suits me best.

On a separate note, I play oboe, violin, and percussion. I'll probably end up liking something that has a similiar feel to my oboe.

Thanks for responding everyone. I'll keep you updated on what I end up getting!

[benhall.1]

The Dixon doesn't have a lot of back-pressure, so, if you're looking for something that "feels like your oboe" that might not be the one for you, after all. Mind you, nothing is going to have anywhere near the pressure you'd be used to.

[JTC111]

My experience with $5-$15 whistles (and I bought a bunch of 'em) was that as a beginner all were very difficult for me to control in their untweaked versions. The difficulty was enough to put me off the instrument for a bit until I found something from which I could actually coax music.

The first whistle that gave me some hope was the tweaked Clarke Sweetone. It's a bit chiffy and the tuning isn't spot on, but the notes are much easier to hold. At some point, I discovered the DIY tweaking guide that Jerry Freeman wrote and tweaked all my cheap whistles. The end result of that was that my Walton Little Black Whistle became very useable but none of the others thrilled me any more after the tweak than before.

I don't know much about the Dixons, Susatos, and others in that price-point since once I decided this was an instrument I'd work on getting better at, I ordered an Oz and a Burke.

I'd offer up these two suggestions though, if the OP can stretch his budget a bit...
Guido Gonzato Whistles
Guido's pvc whistles are very well spoken of on this board and at $33 for a high D, including shipping, it may be a real bargain. I'm expecting a GG low A in the mail any day.
Tilbury Woodwinds Company
I just got a aluminum Bb from him about a month ago. I really do love the whistle. It's easy to control and has a wonderful sound to it. Chuck posts in this forum and he's been offering his whistles for $50+$8 shipping. You can also order other bodies from him so the one head can be an Eb, D, or C whistle. I think he recently posted that he'll sell the bodies for $20 each.

[JeremyC]

My experience with $5-$15 whistles (and I bought a bunch of 'em) was that as a beginner all were very difficult for me to control in their untweaked versions. The difficulty was enough to put me off the instrument for a bit until I found something from which I could actually coax music.

The first whistle that gave me some hope was the tweaked Clarke Sweetone. It's a bit chiffy and the tuning isn't spot on, but the notes are much easier to hold. At some point, I discovered the DIY tweaking guide that Jerry Freeman wrote and tweaked all my cheap whistles. The end result of that was that my Walton Little Black Whistle became very useable but none of the others thrilled me any more after the tweak than before.

I don't know much about the Dixons, Susatos, and others in that price-point since once I decided this was an instrument I'd work on getting better at, I ordered an Oz and a Burke.

I'd offer up these two suggestions though, if the OP can stretch his budget a bit...
Guido Gonzato Whistles
Guido's pvc whistles are very well spoken of on this board and at $33 for a high D, including shipping, it may be a real bargain. I'm expecting a GG low A in the mail any day.
Tilbury Woodwinds Company
I just got a aluminum Bb from him about a month ago. I really do love the whistle. It's easy to control and has a wonderful sound to it. Chuck posts in this forum and he's been offering his whistles for $50+$8 shipping. You can also order other bodies from him so the one head can be an Eb, D, or C whistle. I think he recently posted that he'll sell the bodies for $20 each.

I honestly don't have enough money for the two you posted.

But I have heard a lot about the Walton "Little Black Whistle".

And you seemed to like it. I could get one of those for only $10. I think I'll try that.

[JTC111]

I honestly don't have enough money for the two you posted.
But I have heard a lot about the Walton "Little Black Whistle".
And you seemed to like it. I could get one of those for only $10. I think I'll try that.

Tweaking a whistle isn't hard at all if you follow the instructions here:
How I Tweak Plastic-Mouthpiece...
It made the Walton much better for me.

Good luck!

[Jim_B1]

But I have heard a lot about the Walton "Little Black Whistle". And you seemed to like it. I could get one of those for only $10. I think I'll try that.

For my money, the Clarke, Oak and Feadog are better then the LBW which always sounds fuzzy to me. Maybe with some tweaking it is a bit better but it's not high on my list of inexpensive whistles.

If you want a LBW though, you might as well get it for cheap as you can $3.99 :
http://www.amazon.com/Waltons-Little-Bl ... 64&sr=8-11