Susato, Shearwater bass whistle, Bansuri and Chinese Dizi REVIEW - EBAY BUYS! 

I'm so glad you did this review because I, lile you, love new whistles, recorders, flutes coming in the post and trying out different sounds and tuning systems. I was tempted to get a dizi and a bansuri also. Thanks for the review 😊👍

The Reason you can't make a strong sound on the Dizi flute ( or clear sound ) Is because you covered the Dimo hole with very thick tape. Always use the basic thin tape not the paper tape and then after some experience you can start using dimo ( the membrane that the flute comes with ). Hope it helps 💜

What a beautiful sound Shearwater bass whistle produces - I'm in love! :)

Loved the sound of the G Bansuri fipple, gosh it is so melodic. Thanks for showing us that one. Just beautiful sound.

Love it, appreciate it, looking forward to more reviews!

The Shearwater bass whistle sounds like something you play round a campfire! Love it! I can almost hear the crackle of wood in the fire!

Low Bb is something rare to see. This video was awesome ! Thanks !

LOVE your enthusiasm for trying out new instruments, I can SO relate to that now, LOL. The bass shearwater is intriguing!!! Sounds almost like a Native American Flute, it's so low. LOVE it!

Love your reviews! Thank you!

Trying to learn flute with a bad instrument will brake your hart is a true saying. It’s hard to get a good sound from a top class flute. Great video I enjoyed it. 😊

Specifications and pro and cons on the left of your video are very helpful.

Hi I'm from Argentina. I love your videos. There aren't tutorials in Spanish about tin whistle. I saw several channel in RU-vid and yours is the best.

I play bass guitar and I REALLY love the tone of that Shearwater Bass!

Grate test hauling! Thx you!!

Thanks for introducing Chinese bamboo flute Dizi. membrane is the critical item of dizi. it will create a quite different playing feeling if paste membrane well.

Thanks for the great video. I know what you mean about the unpredictable nature of buying online. Miss the old days when we could just go to a local music shop and browse

Excellent video giving potential players an insight into a good selection of 6 hole instruments. Hope you post further videos for us. Thanks

Hi there i recently found your channel , and i find it very educative , i enjoy watching your reviews as well , i’m trumpet player and i would like start learning play whistle, what would you recommend for church type music to start with ... Thanks

Lovely videos. You have a very engaging style. Have you ever played a 3-hole tabor pipe? I'm waiting for mine to arrive. It's a Susato. You play it one-handed while you accompany yourself on a drum. Thank you for all your generous help with the tin whistle. I have a cheap feadog tin whistle in D which my mum bought me years ago. I've never played anything which you can blow but you've inspired me!! I play and teach the melodeon.

I play the bansuri ..i live in Pakistan ... you are right you have to blow very lightly to get a beautiful tone out of it... I have ordered classic clarke in D ... im hoping i enjoy playing it too!!

Que bonito toca! Y también que bonita es, gracias por compartir sus conocimientos! 😉

Wow! Stephanie you are adorable! I am so excited and so delighted to see you so soon! I love you! Your set and outfit is so fantastic. Beautiful, beautiful and more beautiful was my first thought when I saw you. Your presentation of all those whistles was and is so informative. And you can even play them as well. When you talk you never miss a beat and you are always so sweet. I’ll try not to say everything all at once about this video right now, but I want to say that some of the problems you are having with the bamboo bansuri is most likely not all your fault. An instrument like that needs a lot of fine tuning and balanced fine tuning at that. Those hard to hit low notes would probably be eaisier to find if the wind way or window were a bit larger and carefully adjusted. But at the price that you paid the maker didn’t or could not afford to take the time to do that. So don’t be so hard on yourself. I’ve found that bamboo as a unique sound and way of its own. I’m not going to talk about my whistles right now. But I did receive my Susato C whistle and it does play very much in tune. It has good intonation. Thank you so much for this beautiful and educational video! I’ll have more comments about you and the other whistles later.

The best flute instruction i have ever found in youtube is in Erik The Flutemaker's video, titled "Minor scale" . He explained it quite clearly, so i was able to make sound quite easily, after some minutes. Also, on a Dizi, what you use to cover the dimo hole (membrane hole) does actually make a considerable difference to the tone of the instrument. I'd say, when you re able, learn how to put the dimo membrane on, and use that, you'd be surprised at the overall tone difference. By the way, the key of a Dizi is actually the note produced when only 3 finger holes are covered (what would be a G on a D whistle, is a D on a D key Dizi).

That dizi is very interesting... the part from the mouth hole to the end of the flute (shoulder end) is quite a distance compared to a regular flute like I play. This video was made a while ago, have you made any more progress on it?

Very usefull video, thank you! Can you share notes of melodies that you played on dizzi?

Gosto de ver seus vídeos mesmo não compreendo muito bem o que vc diz😊 no Brasil não a tantos canais de qualidade focados em música, principalmente os instrumentos de sopro.

the dizi is pronounced di-dzuh. the key is three fingers down. when blowing any transverse (side blown) flute it is best to gently grin, keeping your bottom lip soft, and make a small hole like spitting out a sunflower or watermelon seed.

I use the thin clear/white plastic often used to wrap meat in a butcher's shop. It works perfectly on any dizi, in lieu of a proper dimo seal. You get the slight buzz into the note.

By the way I've been also looking forward to start with dizi but I thought on your review it didn't sound much like the traditional chinese sound with the membrane, it's maybe cos it was taped?

A whole lot of fun indeed, am afraid i get a little whistle and flute crazy myself, having cut my teeth on a Recorder, graduated to a tin whistle am also now having dual fun on a Tony Dixon PVC Low Flute thanks for the fun video :-)

Have you tried/seen the Bashkir "Qurai" (Kuray, Koray, etc)? It's a type of Choor (long endblown 2-to-7 [usually 5 or 6] hole flute from the western Eurasian steppe, Bashkortostan region.

You have to know the "Quena" . Is a native south American instrument. And change its name depending the tune. Sounds in 4 octaves . It is hard to get used to it but sounds amazing. Thanks for your videos, Mariano from Argentina

I've been saving to buy the Bass Bb cos I play a lot in that key and I like low sound. The lowest I have is D (from Burke) I recently purchased a A key from Shearwater and I just posted a video with it, I was very pleased, it was my self gift for Xmas. I have short fingers and short arms but I don't struggle with the low whistle in D, wonder if I'd found it difficult. Still saving for it.

Shearwater whistles are lovely. They come in all imaginable keys all the way down to Bass A. Happily, I was able to convince the maker, John Bushby, to make me a Bass G. Now that's a monster!

Dear CutiePie, It is just my opinion, I think you can call Chinese dizi(笛子) as Chinese flute, because dizi is the transliteration of flutes in Chinese, precisely in Mandarin. Usually, Chinese flute is made of bamboo so it is also called as Chinese bamboo flute. Since Chinese flute is made of bamboo, it is more complex to maintain than flutes made of metal. I hope you can understand what I try to explain, as I am not a native speaker. Have a good day.

i have been playing a naf flute just picked up a tin whistle I made some from pvc I see your comments about the naf flute and no it does not play the second octive but I will say this it is tuned different being a pentatonic scale but please do not let that fool you or get you down once you get used to it it is simple to play even easier then the tin whistle . it is so relaxing to play yest they are expensive . but i will say if you get one in pvc believe me they sound great and have a wonderful soft tone to it . I have one in the key of g from high spirits at a cost of $267 us its pricey . I also been making them as well out of pvc and to be honest the pvc sound amazing . you can pic one up from some one who makes them in your country out of pvc native American style flute for cheap and as long as its made good it will play amazing and you will be happy , I sell mine for around $35 us . if they are to pricy find a friend who is good with there hands and they can make you one . fairly easy . I hope to see you playing a naf . get your self one made of pvc pipe and you will not be displeased with the sound at an extreme affordable price

Hi Stephanie, would you perhaps be able to do a little comparison of the bass Bb hole size and spacing compared to low D whistle such as the MK Pro? I have hard time judging if I could manage the stretch and the hole coverage.

Is there any difference between side hole bansuri and top ?

You should buy bansuri transverse one . Like from famous flute maker like Punam flute And you should listen to indian flute music you will fall in love .

Im thinking to buy one of these instruments but im looking for something very quiet that will not disturb neighbours and family members outside my room ideally. Would you recommend the bansuri for that purpose?

I bought a Tony Dixon D piccolo thinking I would be able to play it right away as it is the same size and fingering as a standard D whistle. I did manage to post a very simple tune on RU-vid playing it but I really have not picked it up since then. I don't think side-blown instruments are for me. Next time you are browsing for a new whistle check out the Dixon G whistle, my wife bought me one for my birthday last year and it soon became one of my favorite whistles. The Shearwater Bb sounds great . P.S. do you have any festive tunes coming up?

Hi from New Zealand. I very much enjoy your channel. With the Dizi try covering the membrane hole with gladwrap or cling film and gently skew the film to add wrinkles to the film then try playing the Dizi, ( pronounced like pizza ). You will get a buzzing sound to your notes which is close to the true Chinese sound. Best wishes for the season

Hi your Shearwater Low B Flat sounds amazing, I see they do a Low A as well. How do I choose between them. I assume the A refers to the A below the B Flat, I dont expect you have both, but do you have opinions or poiters.

Love it.

I identified myself a lot with this video. And the base note with the Dizi is played with only holes 123 covered.

Try a chinese Bawu flute. Love to see you play one

On the Dizi you actually stretch your thumb toward the taped hole in a comfortable manner (don’t know how to explain it without demonstrating it). Because theirs no thumb hole it helps with support but you do not use the pads of your fingers to cover the holes, similar to the Pipers Grip I hope that makes sense

Hi, thank you for posting this video. Could you please advise about the name of the first tune (the one you play for Susato demonstration?) Thank you!

Hi there! I was wondering, I have a brass feadog in D whistle, I'd like to get another I was looking at the susato oriole brand and the Clarke traditional. What do you suggest between the two? Can you help with any information between the two? I'm actually looking to get both but not sure I'd like more info and I have watched most of your other review videos. Please and thank you! Merry Christmas!

Nevertheless, the Shearwater bass sounded pretty awesome in your hands. I hope you will not abandone it.

Okay, so i'm as new as it gets, when it comes to whistles... About the Susato, or any other tunable whistles... What does tuning mean or how do you tune your whistle? Is it like, you have to be very precise on how much you adjust the joint to get a proper sound? I cant seem to get any tutorial on tuning... Right now, I'm using a feadog whistle in D

In a previous video I marveled at the size of your low C, but that low B flat is even bigger. It looks really tricky to play.

The 'flute' embouchure takes time to develop - it's about fine tuning the muscles to make the appropriate mouth shape. Same for shakuhachi and quena in my experience. I challenge you to take up the Turkish Ney - among the most difficult of wind instruments. Just a point on the Bansuri. Only the non-fipple version is used for Indian classical music, where it is divine in the hands of a master like Pandit Hariprashad Chaurasia. Oh, the membrane for the dizi is a timbral modifier. It adds a 'buzz' to the sound and amplifies notes. A skilled player is worth listening to.

You should try a Hümmelchen. That's a German bagpipe which is very easy blown. On RU-vid are some good examples. But it's a little bit more expensive than a normal whistle.

You know, there could be a massive gap in the market concerning the bass whistle. U-bends in the main body of the 'pipe' to bring the finger holes together, use of keys, etc. I really like the simplicity of the 6-hole whistle, I just think it could use a little help on the larger models.

Try the theme to the Godfather with the Shearwater B flat. It will likely sound wonderful! Adapt your own version for low D and try to keep it in the first octave as far as possible.

thx alot i would like to buy a G clarinet how can i find it in uk or any website online can get it in like one day?

Be brave, bold, and revolutionary on that low B flat Shearwater, and do what I do on all low whistles. Miss out the fourth finger, and try the pinky. It takes some serious getting used to, but believe me, there are some major benefits to doing so. It allows fingertip control of the holes for very precise bending and half holing. I'm very taken with the sound of that Shearwater. I have one of his plastic low D whistles, and the low F aluminium which I use a lot. I've seen one well known whistle player who uses both pinkies on low D whistles. I haven't tried the left hand that way, but I will experiment. Small fingertips (like mine) can have challenges with large E holes; maybe that Shearwater is not an easy C hole. I am very tempted to get one, but I can't help feeling that his bass A might be a little more universally useful... a friend of mine has a beautiful six hole B flat flute, and I can play that.

you should try a bawu. there are straight bawus and ones that are held like the dizi. it sounds so interesting and it also has 6 holes.

Brava e bella!!!

Chinese flute dizi is tuned based on the note that 3 holes next to the mouth are closed and other holes are open.

Hello Cutie Pie! You and Windy Whistle are my online teachers of playing tin whistle! You guys are awesome. I have a question though. Is it ok if I spray-paint my tin whistle on the outside? Love from Bangladesh!

Try a side blown six holed bansuri for the real deal. The type of bansuri you bought is not really used for any type of serious music in India and is normally sold by street hawkers as a children's toy and at ridiculously cheap prices (much much cheaper than what you had bought it for). The side blown bansuri, on the other hand, is used for Indian classical music and also for all types of modern pieces. It is six holed and diatonic. A eight holed version is used for South Indian (Karnatic) classical music.

Stephanie, I’ve been listening to the Titanic theme and I have decided that the Bb Susato has the most pleasant and emotive sound. You really played it with a lot of emotion. And it recorded better than the Clarke whistle. I thought you might like to know that. I might get one for myself soon. They are easy to get here. I got my C Susato from “The Whistle Shop” online. I wonder how they thought of that name.:) I’m looking forward to your next video and watching as much as listening to your other videos. I always have to have my dose of cutiepie before bedtime. Actually, I’m in bed when I watch you on my smart phone and LG headset. I don’t have a computer anymore. Just a tablet and phone with a hot spot connection in the phone. I’m wondering how am I going to make a recording of my whistles? My phone will not handle that shrill sound. Do you have a suggestion. Well, why don’t I have a computer, I really haven’t had the need for one. Any suggestions will be much appreciated. Your last reply didn’t show up in the comment section but I did read it in the email. I’m not sure why it does that. Thank you so much for all that you do! P.S. Just one final thought... I have found that being not so good looking doesn't make you nice on the inside. Such people are more likely to have issues. That's just what I've learned from experience. There maybe more nice ugly people than handsome people simply because there are more ugly people, at least that's the way it is around here. That's all for now... I love talking to you.

Just got a Susato High D, V Series, and I really like it. Got one from Dixon too, his Trad whistle, just lovely. Also was talking to a nice gentleman, Timothy J. Potter, and ordered his High D Brass whistle. He only makes this model, more on an hobby basis. But whow, it looks so beautiful and came in a nice package. I like it a lot, amd really wanted to recommend it to you. It's such a great price for such a good whistle and it's completely made by him. The mouthpiece is little special I think, but I like it. I might round it of, maybe, just to get it even better. Bit it's not really necessary. Maybe you've already tried it? If you decide to do so, please let is know what you think. By the way, I've taken the step and ordered am Irish flute, keyless, by Patrick Olwell. It will take 12-14 months though, but I want so much to learn playing flute. I know it's not am easy task, and it might take a year to get the hang of it, but I love playing, so I'll manage.😊🌠💖☀️

which tune was this one you played with the susato?

Wow, the fact that you just got it and your that good already, there’s no way it will take you long to learn the instruments. Especially the Dizzi.

For the dizi flute, you have to put something like thin paper, like rolling paper and make it stick upon the hole with garlic juice. Then the sound will sound like a real dizi with this typical buzzing sound added to the air blow. So dizi will sound properly! It's nothing without the paper, it not sound like it have to! Do this and try, you'll see a really different instrument.

I just subscribed, I am learning to play the Quena, as the Dizi, the mouth needs to be placed in a certain way for it to sounds.

Y en donde puedo adquirir un tin wistleh de ese tipo? Soy de México.

Hi! I'm from India, and I want to buy a Susato Oriole whistle, but I can't find it anywhere? can someone help me? a link would be really really useful!!

I love your blouse! Wherever did you find it?

Stephanie, You make bad notes look so beautiful! You made such a great video! If you were able to play all those whistles perfectly it would have been very misleading to us less talented whistlers. You looked so beautiful and cute playing the Chinese Dizi, that you almost made me dizi. I think you were very smart getting that one and I was amazed at how well you played it. It has a great sound and I think you should keep practising on that one. Because it not only has a wonderful tone, you look so beautiful playing it. Those side blown flutes have a way of making beautiful ladies look even more beautiful. I’ve known that for a long time now. Now, about the big piece of plumbing at the end of the video… It sounded pretty good, but is all the stress and strain worth it… It wouldn’t be worth it to me, I would just stick with lighter whistles. I have to be honest, its not very visually flattering. But if you decide to play it often I won’t stop watching. Now, about my bamboo c whistles… I’ve been working on them today and I’m finding that it’s hard to balance the low c with the high c… One or the other is either sharp or flat… I think it has to do with the inconsistent resonance frequencies of the bamboo. Where as the PVC frequencies are always the same throughout its entire length. Getting the high c and the low c the same pitch might just come down to finding the right piece of bamboo. That will be a booger boo to do, but we will see. Well, what more is there to say… There is always more to say, but I will save some comments for later. Thank you for all that you do… Take care and have a wonderful day.😚

Those 2 hole are basically the decoration for the red ribbon. There’s something weird with your membrane cause usually it sounds like the membrane isn’t buzzing.

Saw the susato range in a music shop in galway. About 60 euro. Not bad price

Hi Stephanie, I have the Susato (though mine is a D) and overall I like it very much, but it's very screechy and hard to play in the upper octave, which is a problem I don't have with my other whistles. I have read other reviews and others have mentioned this as well. Do you find you have this problem or is it maybe just with my particular whistle? Thanks for posting your videos, they are incredibly helpful!

And soon, Irish Transverse Flute !!! :) Im sure you play it so well even if you say the against thing ;*

CutiePie - Would you consider doing a video just with the Shearwater bass? Special attention to craftsmanship and sound. Thanks.

I play the whistle and the Native American flute. I find both instruments to be somewhat similar. Also, I really like the tone of the NAF.

You play the dizi flute pretty well already!

Hello Cutie Pie in all your searching for quality instruments have you ever found a cheap (less than $50) plastic recorder that sounded OK? Thanks

The Shearwater Bb sounds really really great! But I don't think normal length arms and fingers can handle it. And the breath requirement is so high~~~

I think i have found a 6-holed instrument for you to try next... the Native American Flute! It's a 6-holed whistle that plays primarily in the minor pentatonic scale (so a G key would play primarily in Gm pentatonic and the relative major pentatonic). Though, these flutes can be quite expensive, since they are usually handmade by hardwoods like walnut or aromatic cedar. But, indeed youll be able to pick this one up and play it right away, because, duh, pentatonic minor scale. xD One thing to keep in mind is that these are usually and octave and 3 notes as range, NOT 2 octaves. The only one i have found that has 2 octaves is a hybrid made by Rob Yard (woodsong instruments) , but that is basically exactly like a tin whistle, same scale n everything, only it has a different, bird-like tone. If you do wanna look into it, i have some relatively affordable makers to recommend (around the 60-80 quid mark).

Which tin whistles take the most breath? I have large lungs and whistles that take little breath are hard for me! Maybe a video on low, medium, and high breath requirements.

What is the map in the background?

I think you have the right Fingers And talent for playing irish flute. By practising Sometimes you Could have a larger audience. Playing Low whistle is also hard And you can play Low whistles So weel. I would encourage you to Take on flute.

I have only been learning to play for about a month and I already have issues with buying whistles! I have 6 already! haha

Hey cutie, the membrane makes the tone (Dizi), using a bamboo membrane (designed for) or a 3M tape making day and night difference. haha.

You might find A Recorder easier to learn than the Dizi, it has about 10 holes to worry about 5 strait down the barrel like the tin whistle, then 2 under the 5 next to each other, then 2 on the Bell next to each other, and 1 on the back of the Barrel, it has a Fipple, and the fingering is very much the same, you put your right thumb over the back hole, and place your fingers as you do tin whistle, adding your left Pinkie to the final 2 holes.

The bansuri will probably sound in tune with itself, as the intervals in Indian Shruti tuning sound really good. It won't, however, sound in tune with western music because it isn't in A=440 12 TET. So it will sound better playing music written for it.

The "Kildare" models are the best of the Susato's. The Oriole's are a cheaper version and are a bit quieter and not quite as well in tune. You did pronounce Oriole correctly - as in the bird - oH -ree-oL (named for its call)

Have a wee look at this

For the Dizi - the key note is not the bottom note. The D is a three finger note. You did rather well - I don't like transverse flutes - too hard .

that a bass or a bazoka with fipple

is very good @CutiPie

I have been considering a Shearwater Bb and would welcome reviews and opinions of other viewers.

That low Bflat whistle is huge! Have you become used to the finger spacing over the last few months?

about bansuri, it can be much better if you get a decent bansuri. They don’t cost much in India but sounds quality can be a big gap. I’m having a D bansuri flute and I don’t see much different than a decent Irish D flute

Try (Tony Dixon - Flutes) There fun to play.

daaamn sum nice magic fingers there....😎🌀 could u tell me for how long playing flutes ,pls?😁✌