The BEST Beginner Tin Whistles

What makes a good beginner tin whistle? Here I'm breaking down my 4 favorite beginner instruments (and why I like them) and locking in on a top choice.

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[jennyhoneypark]

3:00 Generation Scale
3:14 Generation Song
3:25 Sweetone Scale
3:38 Sweetone Song
3:50 Feadog Pro Scale
4:03 Feadog Pro Song
4:15 Woodi Scale
4:31 Woodi Song

[unluckyomen]

If you are allergic to nickel/brass jewelry, be very careful when purchasing a tin whistle. Even coated whistles can cause severe allergic reactions.

[georgirusev]

The first one I bought was the Sweettone D, but when I got it realized how loud this instrument really was, or at least I perceived it as loud. Basically due to my anxiety about disturbing my neighbors I couldn't relax and practice, so I put it down and didn't touch a whistle for an I discovered the Parks Every Whistle, it's polymer, so it sound a bit more mellow, but what made it usable for me was the "tone ring" which is basically a mute and it can make it sound as silent as a whisper, it looses tone as a result, but its better than not practicing at all. I recommend it to anyone with the same problem, it's a bit on the pricier side, for a whistle at about 80$, but also it sounds like a well made whistle, or at least I think so and the ability to practice at any time is priceless to me.

[sahamal_savu]

I started with a Feadog about 15 years ago, it was a decent first whistle but I agree with your assessment. Then I bought a set of brass Generations and was really quite disappointed. The only one I still play out of that set is the Bb. After that I finally got a Clarke Sweetone and was thrilled with it straight away. I wish this video was around back then because I probably would've progressed a lot faster instead of thinking I just wasn't good at playing the whistle 😃 Clarke Sweetone is the best beginner whistle and I still play it often, I even own several more now with different colors/celtic design. 👍

[rw]

I started out in an odd way. When I was looking at a flute from Eric the Flutemaker I saw his "double flute" and tossed it in my cart on a whim. I didn't know what a tin whistle was at the time (I always heard of them as toys) but the double flute was a double tin whistle. It was fun to play. But very loud, awkward to play one side, and required so much breath. I decided I wanted to learn. So I did a lot of research. Your channel and Cutiepie helped a lot. Went with a Sweetone. I enjoyed it greatly. But I find the one I have to be very finicky. So I treated myself to a Killarney as a reward for surviving last year. I love it, and it is what helped me learn breath control most. The Sweetone has to be spot on to sound ok. The Killarney has more range, and being able to play with that to find the sound I want is what made things click. Now I can play the Sweetone without thought. These days I play both, and ones that I made myself.

[stokiepeas]

Not the first whistle I got, not my current whistle either - but I think the Tony Dixon DX001 is a great starter whistle, too.
It's not too loud, it's easy to get to the second octave, they are definitely reliable. I think the ornaments are lovely and clear on it, too

[Nangwaya]

MY first whistle I ordered was a Dixon DX001 but was taking too long to arrive, so I ordered a Clarke Celtic Sweetone and that is what I played first. I absolutely love the mouthpiece on the Clarke... there is an almost unnoticeable groove where the lower lip rests under, and I like that feel. If I could magically pop that onto the Dixon, I would be in heaven.

[alexstucky]

I first got a Feadog original (green tip, brass), and then ordered a Clarke Sweetone online, mostly because it came with a small beginner book, cleaning cloth and tube brush (good for metal whistles). At first I found the Sweetone to be easier to play, but after a little bit more of getting use to it, I ended up liking the Feadog more. I was overblowing easier on the Sweetone it felt like, and the Feadog just seemed to sound better to me after getting more comfortable with it. This wasn't with too much playing either, just simply getting more comfortable. (As a clarinet player, it took a sec to get use to breathing SO softly). I recently got a Tony Dixon DX005, and have been loving it so far! Just need to find a good soft bristle brush to clean the inside w/o scratching it.

I am quite surprised you had the Woodi though. I ended up buying a twin pack of the Woodi's that came with a D and C, and a lovely little case too. I had high hopes for them, but I found the 2nd octave to be really hard to play. I had to blow much harder than any of the others, and even then it was not consistent. I did like how the how the low D note I could actually blow quite hard and it would stay in that lower octave range, but that didn't seem consistent with the other whistles, so didn't want to get too comfortable with that. Curious on your thoughts on this. Also, if you have a recommendation on something to clean the interior of the Tony Dixon, that would be great! (I ordered some flute cleaners, but they ended up being too thick!) Thank you for your informative videos!

[GodOfReality]

Ended up using this video as a reference to purchase the Sweetone myself. Thank you for making a video like this. I like the sound of the Sweetone more than the others. Here goes the start of my pennywhistle adventure.

[needleandmallet]

I started a few months ago with a Feadog D. It was what was available at my local music store, and so far I really like it. While this is my first tin whistle, I did play recorder and clarinet years ago in school. I'm looking forward to future whistles, but so far I'm happy with what I've got.

[aaronheiss]

Having owned most of the "cheap" whistles available over the last 10 years, I can say without hesitation that the Sweetone is the best for a beginner. It plays in tune with itself effortlessly, its tone is consistent all the way through both octaves, and switching between octaves is both amazingly easy and very controllable. Compared to a typical Generation, my Sweetone almost plays itself. And Sweetones have a reputation for consistent quality: you'll get a good instrument every time (unlike Generation, whose quality control is infamous: most (90–95%?) are fair, but a Good One is sublime, a Bad One is unplayable, and there are probably more Bad Ones and Good Ones). That said, lots of people object to the seam along the Sweetone's bottom, though I got used to it quickly; its tone is sort of a love-it-or-hate-it thing (I quite like it myself); and it "fades out" on the lower notes, such that the D and E are inaudible in recordings I've made with ukulele accompaniment (the uke being a fairly quiet instrument itself). But still, at ~$10, I'd say it's worth a try.

[WhistleToHymn]

Feadog Pro was definitely my favorite! I like the lower sound.

[SSRT_JubyDuby]

It took a while, but the sweetone was the one that when I got it, made me want to get better.

[frankhorn]

I started with a sweet tone and loved it.

[wade]

I made one from copper, and althow, a little heavy I love the thing. All copper with wood plug in D. It is very durable for backpacking and such. Great fun! Thank you.

[kayceparkinson]

I started on traditional Clarke’s but never liked the chiff. Breath wasn’t so much an issue for me as I’m used to playing instruments with a much bigger breath requirement (clarinets, saxophones, and the large varieties of the same). I then got a set of generations which were ok but I hated that their workmanship was so inconsistent. I ended up getting a Dixon DX005 and I loved it but as I start to learn more technique it fails in terms of stability. The Sweet Tone is what I got my kids to teach whistle and I like them perhaps more than the Dixon.

[crimson]

Just ordered a sweetone before watching this video. Happy with my choice now. 😊

[mheermance]

The woodi reminded me of a Susato I owned a while back. It sounded great, except the upper octave could easily get shrill.

[HiroPlaysGames]

I was fortunate enough to get a Sweetone tweaked by Jerry Freeman before he stopped tweaking Sweetones, and that's still the first whistle I reach for every time. It's gotten a bit beat up over the years, but I treat it with extreme care these days. I'd be distraught if it broke!

[colinm]

I started with a Clarke Sweettone and I think it's amazing for getting you started. I know exactly what you mean when you say it has a "hollow", airy sound. It's not inherently bad but I find I want a "fuller" tone now. Cheers!