My Irish Whistle story…
I came across the Irish Whistle (tinwhistle, pennywhistle, or just whistle) quite by accident. They were originally more of a side-effect. I had never played any kind of blown instrument before. Basically, I fell in love with the sound of the Native American Flute, but couldn’t afford one. I asked a general question about this on an unrelated forum, and someone suggested an Irish low whistle. I found several whistle clips online and just didn’t care much for them at first - either high or low. I was looking for something smooth and meditative (like the NA Flute), and the whistle just wasn’t quite what I had in mind.
But, a few months later I found myself looking at them again. High whistles can be had for less than $5.00 if you know where to look, so I picked up a couple - a Clarke Sweetone and a Feadóg. This was in September of 2005. I got them with the intention of working on my finger dexterity and breathing, so I’d be ready to play the NA Flute when I got one. Little did I know I’d love Irish Traditional Music (ITM) so much.
I’ve always liked Irish music when I heard it, but never really intentionally looked for it. I’m still very new, and there’s a huge amount of music out there, but I can (and often do) listen to it all day. If you want to play the whistle, the best way to pick it up the fastest is to submerse yourself in the music as best you can.
So, I’ve since gotten a few NA Flutes and focused on them for quite a while, neglecting my whistles. I also began playing the ukulele. But I have begun to take the whistle up again in the last week or so and plan on diligently practicing, and listening… always listening.
Thanks,
Jason