Try the plastic Suatu whistle very good tone once warmed up and loud enough for sessions they come in various keys.

Guy wolf I tend to believe that a tinker piper is a real piper ie someone who has moved beyond the military tradition of piping. I was once told that you couldn't slide or bend notes on the pipes - I soon discovered that not only can you do it but it also sounds fantastic! I'd rather be a tinker than a square!