I'm amazed at how effective it is to first warm up the whistle. I've got a few whistles of very different brands and styles and they all respond very well to first being warmed up. They play more responsively and notes are hit more cleanly. The tone is better. I don't understand the reasons why, but it works!
Ive watched a number of your tutorials and find them very helpful. Thank you. I have a LIR whistle which sounds great. I practice at least an hour every day and can see improvement. My biggest challenge is trying to hit high B without sounding like pig squealing! ! ! I'm 74 and get much enjoyment from this. Again Thank you.
Thank you. I am so pleased to hear you're enjoying my content. Try this little trick (on the video below) You'll find the high notes much sweeter to the ear ❤️ ru-vid.comnQ62rFyXe64?feature=share
Be careful - by the time you reach the age of 78 (Imperial, not Metric), like me, you might find yourself with 15 whistles (not including a Peruvian "Quena", and several native American whistles), with my name-engraved LIR in production! 16 tinwhistles - who "wudda thunkit"? "Whistle acquisition syndrome" they call it. I thought that I had it "cured" at #15 - I was wrong. And NO, I'm not selling my John Sindt.
I do Like CutiePie, the more I play the more I appreciate her effort to help you through the first steps. I miss traditonal tunes Sometimes But She is special, a strong light in our dark days. She also tries to Please people which is the hardest thing to do. Almost impossible Great hug!
This is the video Iv been looking for. Very smart and well informed cutie pie here. She addressed some things Iv not been told. So I learned a thing or two here. Apache flute player here over in the plains of the US.
About 5 months ago I bought a Generations D whistle, and even after watching your tutorials I was having trouble playing it and getting the right sound. Today I came across this tutorial, and I think that it will make a world of difference. I am also re learning the recorder, which I haven't played since I was a kid in grade school, and I also play harmonica. Thank you for your videos and inspiration.
2:32 what today sounded like, day 1 of learning down, lets hope tommorow is better😅 What a great video, glad to see you enjoying it and teaching so much
This was what I needed. I noticed I was struggling to hit the lower octave of my tin whistle although having had no issues with it earlier, and it was sounding very off despite me barely blowing. A quick spit-clean and warming the whistle really made a world of difference!
After playing at a very dusty event I found that using small "Go Between" brushes designed for flossing your teeth can help remove any gunk from the corners inside of the mouth piece.
Good show! I'm very new with this tin whistle. I received as a birthday gift (60th) I just assumed it was a cheap quality because of all the freaky sounds. Now I know "I'm the bad quality" lol Thanks.
Great lesson! I'm really looking forward to getting one in March and your tips will be a big help! Thank you very much for your time and energy you share with us!
I’ve watched quite a few tin whistle videos and this has got to be one of the best I’ve seen. I’ve never seen where you blow harder and how for the higher notes. Thank you! I came here because my Clark’s D, all of a sudden can’t seem to get a high note to sound right. Maybe dirty? I see a lot of dust in there. I’ll give your how to wash s look see. Again, thanks.
Hi CutePie, I’m enjoying your video’s very much, thanks fort that! I’m a beginning tin whistle-enthusiast from the Netherlands. In the dutch language I can hardly find any understandable video. I play on two generation Whistles (D / Bb) and a Tony Dixon (D) which I prefer the most. I learn a lot from your vdeo’s and I have to say it, your appearance and enthousiasm makes it extra pleasurable. Thanks for that.
I've always used a Generation in D key but I bought an Eb to try duets. It was awful! Squelched, squeaked, and was better off as a drinking straw. I did what you said and looked in it and poof there was metal shavings in it from the machining. Sanded it out and now it works beautifully! Thank you for the tip!
Hi, thx so much for this video and the one called Your First Lesson. I've got a Clarke in D. I'm a beginner on Tin Whistle, and your videos have really helped me. I'm a musician, but I play guitar, bass guitar, percussion, sing, etc..., but I'm branching out! I'm currently recording a bunch of Beatles covers, and working on Fool On The Hill, which has those beautiful flutes and recorder on it, but McCartney also overdubbed a few bits on a Pennywhistle, which I'm going to add to my recording. I'm letting a pro flute player handle the flute and recorder parts! Thx so much for your lessons again, and by the way, you are indeed a cutie pie, you're gorgeous actually! :)
Question for you. So I've tried everything in your videos. I have a copper feadóg in D. Holes 3-6 open and all covered works great. However as soon as I open holes 1 and/or 2 it shrieks. Never had this issue on wood whistles or recorders. Any idea what it could be?
Thank you so explain things so well and your manner is so engaging :) I gave up trying to learn tin whistle due to horrible sound and illness where I didn't have any lung capacity. You have given me the desire to try again. :)
I am loving your tutorials, I have been watching over the last couple of days as I decided I really wanted to give Tin Whistle a go and I have just ordered two that are due to arrive tomorrow! I am too excited to get started!! Fingers crossed I can pick it up!
Greetings from Andy and I in Orange County California. Thanks for the tutorial. Much of it I've heard before but it's always nice to have a fresh angle on it to see what might have been missed. Also, Andy (pictured) asked me to pass along to you that if you are doing the whistling gig for money you should put that second and try modeling. You should really trust him, he's usually pretty right about these things. Though sometimes his instincts are a little off. Like the time he told me I should apply at Chippendales. They did hire me...but as the night janitor.
Thank Andy for me, though I beat him to his suggestion 😉 it is part of my day job, though I don't enjoy modelling much, prefer the acting and VO work. Glad your enjoyed the video though!
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Well, Andy has always had a keen eye for talent. Let me ask you one question; Do you have any experience with and/or thoughts on the Dixon PVC Soprano D non-tunable whistle? A couple of people demonstrating various whistles seem to feel that it's the best in it's class, even though for Dixon it's supposed to be the lower start of their line. Dixon says on their web page that various retailers they supply tell them that many people use them in competition in Ireland. I was wondering if that could be true or if I was just some sort of bloviation. I ask because, if it's that good at that level, then I'm going to spend the £27 / $36, including shipping for it. But if it's a quality whistle for a low price that will still save me £15 / $20 I'm getting a Jerry Freeman modified one. This is a hobby for me and I do want a decent whistle the sound decent, but I really don't want to go into $100 plus range for the thing. Any thoughts or advice you have in that regard would be appreciated.
Playing in a tent and the weather changed. I thought I had lost my mind. My Mk pro sounded awful then I remembered you saying it took a lot of warming up and I got the first part of "Unquiet Grave" to sound wonderful! Thanks!
@@kynaston1474 haha 🤣 hey it's fun to experience 😜 glad you found the music again! Heading into the winter here now, so I won't be able to get a decent sound out of anything for a while 😅😅😅
Thank you for this video, watched it and after a half hour had fixed alot of my cracking and wheezing sounds. really enjoying learning the tin whistle and definitely will be picking up a higher quality one soon!
Hey there, I hVe a question regarding the Feadog D whistle. Mine got an ugly dent just below the sticker that makes it sound awful on the higher octave, do you know what kind of glue do they use for the mouthpiece or what other glue is good so I can reattach it after I repair it? Love your videos, I learn a lot!
Hi. Great video. Thanks for the warming up tip. Ive never learned to play tin whistle apart from a few guitar lessons I took in primary school where the techer instructed a tin whistle before she got to the guitarists and picked up a few bits like the octaves and finger placing but didnt pick up a whistle until years later when I was in secondary school when in music class a band came in to do a tutorial and there was a guy talking about wind and he reckoned if you can play tin whistle you can play saxophone as there the same notes. As I said Ive never learned to play tin whistle apart from listening but that day I went home and thought myself Baker St. by ear on my sisters tin whistle. Since then Ive been playing plenty of sax tunes by ear but only if I get the hang of them quickly (I have no patience). Havent played my sax on whistle (well last I played on was a recorder) for almost 2 years. Very tempted to go out and buy a sax but want some practice so bought a whistle yesterday. Got my daughters santa presents already. got my youngest daughter (5) a set of Pearl Roadshow Jr. and older daughter (6) a mini Stratocaster. Trying to teach them some kids songs on whistle with little success but I dont want to force them, just let them do it in there own time but were talking about our little band. Im hoping there rock star instruments motivate them to want to learn but let them in their own time. After I got my whistle yesterday I was trying lessons on here for songs not so easy to pick up by ear such as pink floyd, us and them. That seemed very daunting so figured shouldn't I try starting from scratch with the whistle? so thats what brings me here. I must say so far your videos are very helpful espically the warm up the whistle. thats a handy trick i never knew about. What I'm starting with is one of the best tunes on whistle, Mna na h-Eireann (Women of Ireland) its a pretty easy tune but I seem to mess it up at the start and finish of each verse. Are you familiar with this tune? Have you any videos for it?Its pretty simple for a beginner but still I'm having issues and would love it if you could gives tips if you could. thank you!! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kW9N2TIiVd0.html
I love your videos i watch them all the time very entertaining. I don't even play the tin whistle lol. I am a guitarist but your videos have inspired me to start playing one i had floating around. Thanks, now time to go warm up my whistle ;)
@@fernanadablamey9357 Translate this in Google: Get a 'D' whistle. Listen to the music I play. Look at the dots and notes. Cover the same holes as I do. You can learn music with me!
I have a Waltons Little Black Tin Whistle in D. I’ve tried it a couple of times, but it always sounds really airy. I thought it might be the instrument, but I’ve seen videos of other people playing it and it sounds fine for them. What should I do to make it sound better?
Thanks for what you do! Love the channel! Sometimes when I'm outside playing the wind will make it difficult to play the low D on my starter Clarke tin whistle. Any advice on getting a clear tone in windy conditions?
Great video! Loved the shout out....I believe it was to me. :-) Just wanted to let you know I have a Clarke Original and a SweetTone coming in the mail shortly. Looking forward to working with them both! :-D
Yes, thank you. I also do want to state that I don't have much time to practice right now. Unfortunately, my wife and I are at a Children's Hospital here in Philadelphia with our newborn son. He was born on June 7th and has been in the NICU since. So we are bedside, and I go home once every two weeks for a day or two to cut the grass, get the mail, etc. So that video I made you was from when I was home last. I can't really play the flute here in the NICU, as much as I'd like to. haha It's been almost two months, and he is progressing nicely now, so hopefully we can be home soon. Looking forward to continuing to work on the whistle. Oh, and my son's name is Finnegan. We are sticking with an Irish theme in the family. :-D I'm Kevin, my wife is Erin, and our three and half-year old daughter is Bridget. Take care, and thanks again! Looking forward to more videos.
Wishing Finnegan lots of strength so he can come home sooner than you hope! :) I bet you can't wait to get him settled. Congratulations to you all and fingers crossed for a speedy recovery! Bridget is very lucky to have a little brother, I'm sure she'll love and loathe him in equal measure! ;)
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Yeah, I found him later! Now I'm subscribed and following him on Instagram. But of course I will keep following both amazing contents, two masters. Thanks for your recommendation :)
I love your music love your music. If I could ask can you do if I was a rich man the fiddler on the roof version. And indeed or low d so I can learn this song it's my favorite love you station your inspiration. Thanks Wendell
I’m doing ok, but my little fingers are really short and don’t reach the whistle, so playing c means I need a different way of holding it. Any suggestions?
Cheers for the video! I bought a Clarke pennywhistle some years ago because I like the sound of tin whistles and I thought that it could be fun to learn a new instrument. It could be that the Clarke whistle is not the easiest to play, I seem to notice with a lot of the videos that this black "original" Clarke whistle tends to sound very different from the normal tin whistles with a plastic mouthpiece. The latter seem to have perhaps more clarity, better articulation? But anyhow, in my hands, Clarke whistle sounds exceptionally bad! :) But perhaps with these tips I can make it sound much better. I don't want to blame a faulty whistle, but I do wonder... If I look through the whistle, from the end towards the wooden mouthpiece, it becomes clear that the piece of wood there doesn't really fit perfectly. I can see light shining through small gaps. Is it just okay?
The moisture removal is a technique passed on from the Vikings. They didnt mind being sprinkled by spittle during merriment round a campfire... So unless your listeners aren't Viking fans, wave your wand carefully!
thanks for the video. instead of using glue, you can attach a mouth piece on with bees wax using a low temperature soldering iron. then you can take it off when ever you want.
Hello Cutiepie. I love my Clarke SBDC. I play with a band and I’d like to get a whistle that sounds like it, is a little louder, and is in tune like my Susato Kildare. Any suggestions?
Cutie Pie, What a great channel you have... I wish that I had found it sooner. Do you like to be called Cutie Pie or do prefer something else? You have some really great tips.... Things that I didn't know... I've just been trying to figure it all out by trail and error. Thank you so much...I'll have more comments for you later . I'm going to study your videos for a while first.
Hi there, just received my first tin whistle and am eager to start your tutorials. First thing though is I have had my whole right index finger removed surgically so I am only using from my pinky finger up 3 on that hand. Before I get too carried away in my practice, do you think the normal hand position with left at the top and right at the bottom will still work for me? Cheers, Belinda, Australia
Belinda, I am not (yet) a tin whistler, so take this with a grain of salt. And...I just saw your question, and a reply a year late may be useless. Nevertheless: In one video CutiePie suggested that the right way to hold the whistle for stability is to brace the bottom with the bottom hand's pinky. This is only necessary when the holes are either all or mostly open. I have also seen her brace it with her ring finger. Given that your right hand's fingers will be completely used for holes, it may be harder to brace the whistle with your right pinky, since it will be doing double duty. Switching hands to put the left at the bottom will get around that problem. I have seen comments that while it's customary to have the right hand as the lower hand, there is no real reason to not do the opposite. HTH.
I find myself exhaling through my nose while blowing the whistle to reduce and soften the airflow. Is this a known technique or a habit I should break? Your thoughts, Cutie.
Hi, CutiePie: Thank you for this video. I'm a beginning whistler myself and am always looking for new tips. A question: does it make a difference if you wet your lips before you play? I'm wondering whether dry lips versus wet lips makes a difference.
CP-probably silly question here, are expensive whistles ( like your lovely green one!) easier to play ( thinking particularly of second octave) than cheaper ones? I have an alloy low D ( wont say what make but it cost £100 new)and I can't get much above a second octave g out if it without risking some sort of a respiratory arrest! Perhaps its the whistler not the whistle - but I am sorely tempted to look for an upgrade! Would that be foolish?
Some whistles require a lot less air to reach the second octave. The mkpro isn't too bad, but for ease of playing I'd highly recommend a Chris Wall low F whistle. You'll hit the notes in no time! 😊
Thanks CP! Have actually now ordered one- likely take a long while to arrive though ( will let you know how it goes!!) Keep up the good work, loving your videos!
I have a Generation Bb flute, which after some playing gets a real narrow gap of air pressure tolerance between high and low octave Bb/Db.. what to do about this?
It might be because the whistle is clogging up as you play. You could maybe try some tips from this video and see if it helps: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-aJTmp8ziA-8.html
I am learning on a walton's D Irish whistle. I am getting better if I am sitting correctly, etc. My main squeaks are when I try to go from D to E. Hopefully that will improve with practice. any other tips on blowing correctly? I did notice that I can feel the air differently...maybe there is a feel I am looking for?
Very nice vlog cp, keep up the solid work, have you listened to the delightful Mary Bergin? She is like a small bird whistling on a branch in winter time..a wonderful player. ✌📿🏵🍃🎶🐦☺
The Feadog Pro is a great little whistle, with the few extra €, and the coloured ones are good too. Nice crisp sound. I personally prefer the sound of plastic whistles, but that's just my preference, usually because they're quieter.
