Tin Whistle Question

nowuckenfurries

I learned to play the Tin Whistle as a kid with my local CCE branch back in the early 80's (even won a few medals at Feis's etc in my young days ) But I have not touched one for the last 20 years

I seriously thinking about taking it up again... but I have a dilemma... i can't for love nor money remember whether I played a C or a D whistle...

I remember playing a silver one with a blue mouthpiece (English Made) before the introduction of Irish made ones into the local marketplace... (Green)

I've been looking on various sites waltons etc.. to buy one but I'm stumped as to what key I should get...

Does anyone know / remember what key CCE use/used when teaching in the ABCDEF format??

Any insight would be very grateful indeed!!

Cheers

Suaimhneach

I *think* it's a D whistle you want. If you're going back to it you should see if there are lessons and someone can advise you there. Tin whistles arent too expensive so you should buy them all and practice til you're sure!!

nuttz

Sounds like a Generation whistle you had, you would have most likely had a D whistle, it would be unusual to be thought in a different key.
As Suaimhneach said whistles are not expensive, so it might be nice to have a an Eb or C whistle in your collection also, so you have something just above and below D.

Futurecrook

As nuttz and Suaimhneach have said, you need a D tin whistle. The silver ones with blue mouthpieces are indeed generation whistles but as a tin whistle teacher myself I tend to recommend tony dixon whistles as they are still relatively cheap - only 15-25 euro - have a far sweeter tone and many of them can be tuned which is so handy if you're playing in a session or with other musicians.

banjopaul

Futurecrook wrote: »

As nuttz and Suaimhneach have said, you need a D tin whistle. The silver ones with blue mouthpieces are indeed generation whistles but as a tin whistle teacher myself I tend to recommend tony dixon whistles as they are still relatively cheap - only 15-25 euro - have a far sweeter tone and many of them can be tuned which is so handy if you're playing in a session or with other musicians.

Good advice!


Also I've found a lot of generation whistles I've played have been a bit out of tune, beginner wouldn't notice maybe, but it'd drive me mental!

nowuckenfurries

Cheers Folks,
I'll get myself a D whistle, I'll probably start with the "cheaper" end of the scale (excuse the pun ) for now & maybe work up to a tuneable one.... if the years of smoking has taken too much toll on my lungs!! :eek: (currently going through nicotine replacement patches )

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on some tunes in DEF format as I'm unable to read music or find my dusty dog eared old folens notebook with hand written notes from the dark ages ??

banjopaul

nowuckenfurries wrote: »

Cheers Folks,
I'll get myself a D whistle, I'll probably start with the "cheaper" end of the scale (excuse the pun ) for now & maybe work up to a tuneable one.... if the years of smoking has taken too much toll on my lungs!! :eek: (currently going through nicotine replacement patches )

Does anyone know where I can get my hands on some tunes in DEF format as I'm unable to read music or find my dusty dog eared old folens notebook with hand written notes from the dark ages ??

http://www.thesession.org has tunes in ABC format, easy to learn, see here for help:
http://www.lesession.co.uk/index.htm

Blade

Futurecrook wrote: »

as a tin whistle teacher myself I tend to recommend tony dixon whistles as they are still relatively cheap - only 15-25 euro - have a far sweeter tone and many of them can be tuned which is so handy if you're playing in a session or with other musicians.

Maybe you can advise me about something please. I have a Dixon trad in brass but it seems to clog very easily, can hardly get 2 tunes in before it starts to clog. I've read on the American chiff and fipple forum about using soapy water and some substance called "dupanol" but I've no idea if we even have that in Ireland.

I also have another problem with the trad which is probably down to my technique of not stabilising the whistle properly on the C#'s and B's. It basically rolls slightly side to side which I think is also a combination of the wide bore and the shape of it's mouth piece. I don't have this problem with any other whistle. It's not a huge problem, I can get by with it but it just doesn't feel comfortable for me.

I love the pure sound of the Dixon trad though. Do you know of any other Dixon whistle that might help me resolve my two issues above, one that's as easy to play and same volume?

Futurecrook

Blade wrote: »

Maybe you can advise me about something please. I have a Dixon trad in brass but it seems to clog very easily, can hardly get 2 tunes in before it starts to clog. I've read on the American chiff and fipple forum about using soapy water and some substance called "dupanol" but I've no idea if we even have that in Ireland.

I also have another problem with the trad which is probably down to my technique of not stabilising the whistle properly on the C#'s and B's. It basically rolls slightly side to side which I think is also a combination of the wide bore and the shape of it's mouth piece. I don't have this problem with any other whistle. It's not a huge problem, I can get by with it but it just doesn't feel comfortable for me.

I love the pure sound of the Dixon trad though. Do you know of any other Dixon whistle that might help me resolve my two issues above, one that's as easy to play and same volume?

Sorry I'm only getting back to you now. I play a Dixon tuneable soprano D whistle (DX006 on the dixon site) and I've never had any issues with my own apart from a slight crack in the mouthpiece due to wear and tear over the years. It's a good moderately loud whistle with a nice sweet tone. If you were willing to go up the price range, Seery whistles are quite good aswell. They're great session whistles as they have great volume. They do require more breath than other whistles though, I've found. But again, they have a nice sweet tone.

You said you're having issues with the whistle slipping. Is it the whole whistle or just the mouthpiece? With some dixon whistles I've found that the mouthpiece is too loose and can slip a lot during playing. If it's the whole whistle that's moving then you could look at adjusting the way you hold it. Is the mouthpiece firmly in the centre of your mouth when you're playing? Playing from the side of your mouth gives you less control over the whistle and breath control. You could maybe try a different shaped whistle? The penny whistle style mouthpiece isn't for everybody. Maybe you would be more comfortable with the longer generation syle mouthpieces?

Some of the kids I teach have had the same issues however with their whistles becoming clogged/mouthpiece slipping, etc. I'm unsure myself as to how to resolve the blocking problem. I think being a flute player helps in that I have more air to force the tunes through regardless, but, as you said, I would find myself having to stop after a few sets to unclog the whistle. i find detaching the mouthpiece entirely makes it easier to unclog.

I hope some of this is of use to you. Sorry I can't be of more help.

Blade

Futurecrook wrote: »

Sorry I'm only getting back to you now. I play a Dixon tuneable soprano D whistle (DX006 on the dixon site) and I've never had any issues with my own apart from a slight crack in the mouthpiece due to wear and tear over the years. It's a good moderately loud whistle with a nice sweet tone. If you were willing to go up the price range, Seery whistles are quite good aswell. They're great session whistles as they have great volume. They do require more breath than other whistles though, I've found. But again, they have a nice sweet tone.

Ok it's the Aluminium body you have then, I've generally preferred the sound of brass over nickel but have never tried Aluminium, might give that one a go, I've had my eye on it before. I had a lend of a Des Seery made from Delrin and as you say, whilst it had a perfect tone right up to the 3rd octave (just for the hell of it and with ear plugs lol) it did need one hell of a push to hit the high A's & B's and was too loud for me. As an intermediate player I found it difficult to play as I still have some issues with breath and relaxing. The session I play in is never noisy, it's mid week and people tend to listen, not like at the weekends. Though one of the lads plays small pipes and tends to drown us out a bit, he usually lets us get a round of the tune in before he joins.

Futurecrook wrote: »

You said you're having issues with the whistle slipping. Is it the whole whistle or just the mouthpiece? With some dixon whistles I've found that the mouthpiece is too loose and can slip a lot during playing. If it's the whole whistle that's moving then you could look at adjusting the way you hold it. Is the mouthpiece firmly in the centre of your mouth when you're playing? Playing from the side of your mouth gives you less control over the whistle and breath control. You could maybe try a different shaped whistle? The penny whistle style mouthpiece isn't for everybody. Maybe you would be more comfortable with the longer generation syle mouthpieces?

The mouth piece is indeed a bit loose but that's not the problem, it's the whole whistle that's moving. I do have it centered but I don't stabilise it for C# and B's, though I have started doing so on slower tunes using various "lazy finger cheats", you know leaving down certain fingers that don't flatten the tone. Also though I raise my fingers higher than the recommended text book way and perhaps slap them down a bit harder than needed, especially on taps. I think perhaps you are right that the Dixon type mouth piece isn't for me unless I change my style, I do definitely feel much more comfortable with the generation style mouth piece. It's annoying me because I really love the Dixon's sound but I think all their mouth pieces are the same.

Futurecrook wrote: »

Some of the kids I teach have had the same issues however with their whistles becoming clogged/mouthpiece slipping, etc. I'm unsure myself as to how to resolve the blocking problem. I think being a flute player helps in that I have more air to force the tunes through regardless, but, as you said, I would find myself having to stop after a few sets to unclog the whistle. i find detaching the mouthpiece entirely makes it easier to unclog.

I wouldn't even get to complete a set before the Dixon starts clogging on me and then after that it'll clog back up again even quicker. It's to do with the very narrow windway as far as I know, something they've done to cut down on the amount of unnecessary air going through. With such a narrow gap, one tiny blob of moisture reaches the full height of the windway.

Ahhh sure I'll potter along, might try a few different brands or ask over at the chiff and fipple forum, those guys have an addiction to buying every whistle under the sun so they are pretty good at comparisons. Thanks for your help!!

tinwhistletutor

Hello, I just thought you might like to try www.tinwhistlelessons.com if you're taking up the whistle again. There's a lot of free information and tunes available and if you want you can even opt for a 'real' lesson. Best wishes, John Ryan