From the perspective of a usually fingerpicking guitarist who has fallen victim to WAS (whistle aquisition syndrome) during the last few years of learning to play them ... *LAUGH* ... the brand or type of whistle seems to make a big difference in volume and carrying power, and none of them seem completely uniform across the octaves. In the spirit of experimentation, I've aquired a basketful of different D, A, and low-D whistles, mostly as a result of inane impulse purchases ...

Here's a quick rundown of some of the lower priced "D" whistles from an admittedly novice player. Based on the range or type of tune, I often pick up a different instrument:

D - Clarke; tapered metal with wooden plug, well tuned across the octaves, but windy in upper register
D - Walton; brass tube with plastic fipple, tuning just so-so, shrill upper register, medium low end volume
D - Walton; larger nickel tube with plastic fipple, tuning just slightly worse, sounds slightly mellower
D - Walton; thin aluminum tube with plastic fipple, tuning very so-so, windy sound, erratic volume
D - Susato; molded plastic, edgy sound, tunes very well, moderate low end volume
(and in the not so low end)
D - Sweet; turned maple, mellow sound with surprising low end volume and upper octave a little sharp
D - Chieftain; turned aluminum, breathy sound, tuning ok and more rangey with pressure than others, nicely centered volume in middle register

The low-D whistles from Chieftain and Susato sound generally similar to their smaller counterparts. The Howard low-D has a nice haunting hollowness and volume in the lower register, but tunes poorly in the upper octave.

Using a "G" or "A" whistles when the tune permits allows the player to stay in the middle range of the instrument, with usually better volume and control. I've also been goofing around with the Susato "A" (both small and large bore) and their "G" whistle, and also with the Sweet "A" and "D" simple wooden flutes. Just for grins, I also got a Walton high-G, but the holes are almost too closely spaced for my fat fingers.

Basically, the Waltons and Susatos are cheap and durable, so they tend to ride around in the car for practice during road trips and traffic jams. The other ones only make it out of the house when I'm actually headed for a session. The Howard is good for slow aires, but I avoid the upper octave. The Sweet is also good for airs or fills behind vocalists.

The Chieftains are new aquisitions, and have crisp edge that will probably make them my choice for quick instrumentals after I get used to the difference in pressure needed to tune the upper octave well. Its interesting that they have more volume (and the pitch varies with volume) range on a given note than any of the others.

... whew ... longer than intentioned, but the difference in whistles might be worth pursuing.

~S~