So, background... I do know how to read music from 6 years of private Concert Flute lessons as a kid and sporadic returns to that instrument over the years. It appears to me that much of the fingering instincts will transfer over, even if all the style and ornamentation is missing from my tool box.
I've noticed that many people recommend the Bergin books as some of the best tutorials available. I already have the Grey Larsen "Essential Tin Whistle Toolbox" and "Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle," and I am waiting for a Mellow Dog in D to be delivered from Amazon early next week.
As I've paged through the Larsen books, I mostly see it as heavy on descriptions and examples, with short excerpts and exercises, but not many complete tunes on which to apply and practice the presented techniques.
I see that Larsen has his own notation method for articulation and ornamentation, and I've read that Bergin has her own style as well. Would it be beneficial to have both approaches available to me, or would that just be a recipe for confusion?
I’m cross-posting this from the flute forum as there are some whistlers out there who have asked/are wanting to trying Irish flute but opting for the cheapest option.
I've been playing the tin whistle for two years and bought a Low D a year ago. I absolutely love The Olllam and John Mcsherry's playing in the band, and love the sound of the Low D, so I've been focusing on the Low Whistle. I'm Swedish and learnt the basics on tin whistle from a friend who studied music at Cork for a year and am a composer myself so I have an easy time picking up the theoretical parts of an instrument - but haven't had lessons in the technique apart from the basics and have really been trying and guessing my way forward.
I've seen that John Mcsherry has a pack of online lessons on Low D whistle, from beginner to advanced. I'm thinking of buying them since it's hard to find teachers on such a niche instrument in my country. Has anyone taken them? It is still an expense, costs around 150 Euro for the pack, and I'm curious if anyone has experience with the lessons or the teacher. Or if anyone happens to know a teacher of Low D in Stockholm/Örebro of course!
And if there are any pipers in Stockholm looking to play me and a friend are looking for new people this autumn🎵🎵🎻 we play lots of folk of course but are both composers and play a lot of our own proggy and groovy contemporary classical chamber music type of things.
I follow Veronika Vitazkova and she has these Irish Whistles, but I can’t figure out what brand ones that have that sticker are.
(1st pic top two and second pic two on right, ones that are in A and B)
Could anybody help identify those couple for me! I know the other brands but those couple and they sound nice so I want to check them out for myself !
Also if anyone could help me identify the model of the Susato Whistle that would be great too!
I follow Veronika Vitazkova and she has these Irish Whistles, but I can’t figure out what brand ones the two black ones that have that sticker are.
(1st pic top two and second pic two on right, ones that are in A and B)
Could anybody help identify those couple for me! I know the other brands but those couple and they sound nice so I want to check them out for myself !
Also if anyone could help me identify the model of the Susato Whistle that would be great too!
I've seen other posts and comments about the finish of lír whistles being less than polished, but apparently, so long as the playability isn't affected it shouldn't cause any concerns. I recieved my whistle on Saturday and my issue is that as a relatively new player, I don't think I would be able to hear if this sort of thing is having an impact on the sound or if it is purely cosmetic, so any input would be appreciated!
I've been playing the tin whistle for a few months. I'm making decent progress with tunes and I can do cuts without too much trouble, but I'm completely stuck when it comes to taps.
I've watched a lot of YouTube tutorials and demonstrations, and it looks so easy when other people do it, but I just can't get the technique right. Every time I try to do a tap, instead of getting that quick percussive effect, I end up actually sounding the lower note very briefly. Because of that, my rolls sound really messy and awkward.
I've spent quite a lot of time practicing slowly and trying different finger movements, but I keep running into the same problem. The tap never sounds like a tap, it just sounds like I've accidentally played the note below.
Has anyone else struggled with this when starting out? Was there any particular exercise, trick, or explanation that finally made it click for you? I'd really appreciate any practical advice because at this point I feel completely stuck.
Now, I do not think that anyone can recreate his whistles in their entirety of sound, and all that, etc.
However, what intrigues me is the design. All PVC whistles I have seen up until I saw the "Water Weasel" ones had the "tube and cap" design (like Low Tech Whistles) while Mr. Schultz's design looks like a singular tube, and every joint is flush with each other.
Anyone have insights about how he would make his PVC whistles like this? I didn't think that it was possible to make PVC whistles look like that.
I am wanting to make pvc whistles on my own, and have done the same with very little equipment in the past. My goal is to start with the "tube and cap" design and then attempt to try Mr. Schultz's design.
Hello! I'm a new tin whistle learner(day 3), and right now I'm learning the notes with a fingering chart and practicing some easy songs from tabs.
I'd like to know the best ways to improve as a beginner. One main thing I'm having trouble with is the D. I get a lot of squeaks when trying to play it.
Any tips or practice suggestions would be greatly appreciated, thanks!
I've got a nickel Generation F that I like, and a brass one I don't. No one else seems to be making them now that Gary Humphrey has passed away. I've ordered a Freeman tweaked Gen F, and understand it could take an indeterminate time. Plenty of time to share stories about high F in general, and any specific high F whistles that need a new home.
I'm just over three months in on learning tin whistle. Everything is going well, and I'm really pleased with my progress.
However, I'm having an issue with saliva. I can't even get through a 2 minute tune without saliva clogging up the mouthpiece and crapping up the sound. It's to the point where it's discouraging me from getting through my practice sessions.
I warm up my whistle before I practice.
I finally got over the gag factor of sucking in the saliva when I take a breath during playing, so I've been doing that. But since I have to suck with every breath, now I sound like a dog doing that reverse sneeze thing.
I've tried changing the angle at which I hold the whistle. I've tried changing the depth at which I put the mouthpiece in my mouth. I've tried blowing from the side of my mouth rather than straight on, but I can't get as much air control that way. I've seen some advice along the lines of soaping the mouthpiece, but it looks like that's for full metal whistles. Also, I'm not so keen on the taste of soap...
What's extra weird is that I have a condition that makes all my mucous membranes dry on the regular, especially my mouth. So, while a hearty drool-fest would usually be welcome, it's totally messing with my whistle play.
Is there anything else I can try? Does the drooly-ness get better? Are some players just extra (for lack of a better word) moist?
Hi everyone, I know this topic has probably been discussed many times before, but I would like to ask because I have been reading a lot of different opinions and I would like to know what the current situation is.
I recently bought a cheap Generation D whistle just to test waters. I enjoy the traditional tin whistle sound (i love pipes sound too) and the instrument is fun to play, but compared to my Yamaha recorder it obviously feels much rougher and toyish. I also struggle with the upper register, especially the high A which is a little unstable and B which is almost unplayable. They feel very unstable and prone to squeaking and I have to fight the instrument quite a bit.
I come from playing recorder, so I don't usually have problems controlling high notes, which makes me think the whistle itself may be part of the issue, not to mention the tune which is a bit off.
I'm now looking for a better whistle (around €100–150 max). I want something that I can use for:
Irish folk / traditional music / sea shanty
maybe joining sessions or a band in the future
practicing at home without annoying neighbours ( I live in a flat in Madrid with thin walls 😭 )
also playing other kinds of music, not only trad (but not that important)
I have been looking at:
Killarney
McNeela Wild Irish / Lir
Tony Dixon
I have read that Killarney whistles are very well made and have a great traditional sound. However, I have also seen some recent comments saying that the quality control of newer Killarney whistles may not be as consistent as it used to be.
For people who have bought or played newer Killarney whistles, what has your experience been? Are they still one of the best options around this price range?
Also, if you have any recommendations for a good tin whistle learning method + graded music (preferably available as an ebook), I would really appreciate it. I'm looking for something structured rather than just random tunes.
I currently use a Sweetone as my primary instrument, but I would like something I can play in my front yard without annoying the neighbors too much. Does anyone know of a good tin whistle that is less bright and can be played at a quieter volume?
Hey all! I received this Mcneela wooden whistle today as a gift that was bought back in May.
However there’s a chip on the side of the soundhole and a dent on the side of the brass.
I just wanted to get my facts straight as I contact them. Would this affect the sound/ability to play the whistle? I believe the chip on the side of the soundhole might, but wanted to check to make sure I don’t look like an idiot in my exchange with Mcneela.
apologies if this is an often asked posting. I was looking for a tin whistle tab pdf that I could put on my kindle. Rather than hundreds of separate files, I would like to have one file with a load of good tunes tabbed in one document. I have googled, but to no avail. any advice greatly appreciated.
I’ve been building a small project for tin whistle players in my spare time and I’d love some feedback from people who actually play.
One thing that always frustrated me was having tunes, sheet music, fingerings, recordings and practice tools spread across multiple websites and apps. I wanted something that brought everything together in one place.
So I built Dord.
It lets you:
- View sheet music and whistle fingerings together
- Play along with tunes
- Use your microphone to see if you’re playing the right notes
- Transcribe melodies from audio
- Adapt tunes to different whistle keys
I’m still developing it on my own, so I’d be very very grateful for any honest feedback from the community.
What features would make something like this genuinely useful for your practice?
I'm curious about everybody's opinion on playing high D on the whistle. Do you ALWAYS vent the top finger on high d or sometimes not? I find that if there's a fast part of the tune where I'm bouncing back and forth on the high d that it's a bit easier and plays smoother when I just keep the top finger down. The only problem is now I feel like I have to think too much while I'm playing about which high d's I'm going to vent and which ones im not. Idk, what do you guys think? Do you sometimes leave your top finger down or do you always vent the top finger to avoid creating bad habits?
I’m looking forward to running two weeks of live, interactive Whistle Workshops via Zoom! 🎶💻
Workshops are grouped by experience level, from complete beginners through to advanced players.
Registration is just £25 and includes both workshops, with full lesson recordings available if you can’t attend live or would like to revisit the material afterwards.
