Doubt you need a specialized tool--I just run water through em, but you could use a narrow nylon-bristle bottle brush if there was something really icky in there. I prefer regular watering!


After decades of playing cheap D whistles, I went on a bit of a buying jag last year. Got a Susato A--neither high nor low, it's an alto--then wanted a real low whistle so followed up with a Howard Low D. The latter is a fine instrument, but I've found the Susato A much more my style. It plays well in D or A, and the fingering and breath requirements are much easier to adjust to than those of a true low whistle.

I still like cheap high D's but not Generations. I get Sweetones (by Clarke). The conical barrel works better than the straight one for pumping the air through.

If I was thinking of expanding my whistle collection, I'd get more Susatos. Lots of models, tuneable and interchangeable mouthpiece/barrel combinations, reasonable prices. OK, they're made of high-impact plastic, but sound great and quality is very consistent (which makes them the opposite of Generations).

W-O