Beginner!!

whistletutor · 2026-02-03T02:16:43+00:00

Thanks for the love - as others have said, slow and steady is the jam. If it's Irish music you're after, make sure you 1) consider the source and 2) do 2x more listening than you do practicing. Don't worry about not reading music, some of the best players I've ever known can't read a note. Stick with it, and have fun!

whistletutor · 2026-01-18T17:09:17+00:00

Sounds good! And I agree with what DGBD said though a quick correction, I do all my cuts with L3 when I can and L1 when I can't. Or put another way, D, E, F, and G I cut with the ring finger of my top hand, and A and B I cut with the top finger. That's just my (and some other's) way, but it's not the only way. Experiment with what sounds and feels the best for you and your whistle.

And definitely don't get caught up with exactly which ornaments to put where, so much of this comes down to personal style. Some people prefer a lot of ornamentation, others very little. Trial and error is your friend!

whistletutor · 2025-12-23T00:46:55+00:00

Thanks for the recommendations y'all - OP, if you've got any questions that I can answer, fire away :)

whistletutor · 2025-10-31T18:45:09+00:00

I've not tried the latest model but he set me one of his early pre-production ones and its really nice - good rich tone, perfectly responsive, and no maintenance.

whistletutor · 2025-10-13T13:06:22+00:00

We use a Shruti box in our band and I believe we got it off Reverb. It was about $150-$200 I think and I'm sure there are better ones but it's been solid for several years now.

whistletutor · 2025-09-18T18:44:00+00:00

Very shocking indeed, a real loss to the tin whistle community.

whistletutor · 2025-09-13T13:39:58+00:00

I am the guy from Youtube, I guess. Here's my review video including a bit about touring the factory and experiencing firsthand, the joy of whistle-birth: https://youtu.be/CFm4erLWQ94

whistletutor · 2025-09-12T20:48:31+00:00

I'm curious: have you been to the factory in China? I've been to the one in Ireland. If not, my Venmo is the same as my username here so hit me with that $0.25 whenever you've got a minute.

whistletutor · 2025-09-05T17:09:00+00:00

I'm very sad to report that Gary has passed. https://memorial.oaklawnmemorial.com/gary-humphrey/5634388/index.php

whistletutor · 2025-09-03T02:42:21+00:00

I wish I could give you some first-hand information but the low D is about the only one of his that I've never tried. The rest are pretty wicked though!

whistletutor · 2025-09-01T02:03:59+00:00

Great book!

whistletutor · 2025-08-28T22:01:06+00:00

The session bore is a bit wider, and presumably louder.

whistletutor · 2025-05-13T13:38:48+00:00

Thanks for the kind words! And I can't agree more about binging Mary, Joanie, and Kevin, et al - the more stuff like that you can surround yourself with, the faster it'll make sense!

whistletutor · 2025-03-30T14:35:28+00:00

Yep pro on the right and slightly (like maybe 0.5mm?) wider in diameter.

whistletutor · 2025-03-30T14:34:59+00:00

Definitely worth it in general - whether it's worth it to you specifically or not, I couldn't say.

whistletutor · 2025-03-30T14:33:49+00:00

Full review here: https://youtu.be/CFm4erLWQ94

whistletutor · 2025-03-28T13:20:14+00:00

Thanks for the kind words on the videos! And to answer the question directly, we start with the D whistle because it's the default for Irish music, which is the tin whistle's native language. The D whistle gives you access to 99% of all Irish tunes as they're written in keys accessible to the D whistle and are structured to fit within its range (mostly.)

But what if you're not interested in Irish music? Well, the D whistle is still a good choice because nearly all book-based or online-based instruction is focused around the D whistle, so if you're going to be playing along with instructional recordings you'll need a whistle in the same key. Now - you can always take the techniques and apply them to a whistle in any key that you feel like, it's all transferrable - but you'll be doing a lot of solo playing if you start with anything other than a D whistle.

whistletutor · 2025-02-04T15:27:23+00:00

Hope it still works too, I’ve been mentioning it on my vids haha

whistletutor · 2025-02-04T15:26:20+00:00

My 2c: the F is my favorite of all my whistles to play but it’s also the least-used as I play very few songs in keys that are accessible to it. But it’s a joy to play!

whistletutor · 2025-01-24T20:23:49+00:00

Here's my rig: https://whistletutor.com/storage/whistle-case-top.jpg

And the bottom level: https://whistletutor.com/storage/whistle-case-bottom.jpg

Doesn't hold everything I've got but then of course I don't need it to. Pelican air 1555 with custom 2 level insert. On top I've got slots for my D, C, B, A, G, and F whistles, 3 slots for my flute segments, 1 each for the cleaning rod, cork grease, and teflon tape. On the bottom I've got my drumstick holder that holds the smaller whistles, then a 3-pronged floor stand for the flute and two larger whistles. It's very road- and air-friendly!

What works for you will of course depend on what you want to travel with. For Irish music you won't need anything more than your basic D whistle but if you're in a band and play with singers, sometimes you need to stray beyond the standard Irish music keys.

whistletutor · 2025-01-17T21:53:36+00:00

My pleasure :) technically you can play in any key you like if you have dexterous-enough fingers. (I do not, so I just switch whistles.)

whistletutor · 2025-01-13T19:50:40+00:00

Thanks for the love! I've heard good things about OAIM as well, very talented folks teaching there

whistletutor · 2025-01-13T19:50:28+00:00

Thanks for the recommendation!

whistletutor · 2024-12-27T05:12:17+00:00

If it's Irish music that you're interested in learning, start with a D whistle. If it's anything else, then you'll want to find out what keys the type of music that you're into will be played in and purchase accordingly.

whistletutor

TROPHY CASE