Chiff and Fipple Forums

I've been fortunate enough to own a Hoover NBD & NBC for a couple of years. These were purchased used, but Mack gave them a complete tune-up. The maker and the whistles are very special.

Welcome to the clan, Rayne. You're in for an interesting journey.

Which "cheapie" whistle did you purchase?

I'm partial to clear and sweet.

First whistle played was a Feadog given to my mother Christmas 2000, but my niece took that one over. First whistle owned was not one but three -- a tweeked Clark Original D, a Walton's Mellow D, and a Feadog (I think), ordered from The Whistle Shop on March 17, 2001.

Welcome, Matt. You might find Brother Steve's website helpful, if you're interesting in learning the Irish traditional style of playing.

Practice is the real cure. I will admit to having the about the same problem when I started playing. It was frustrating. The whistles in question for me were a Clark original and a Feadog. It is really not the whistle ... totally. My cure was to buy a Dixon. The squawks disappeared for the most part...

Stacey O'Gorman, of Alba Whistles, made a whistle of very similar stuff in a gorgeous green well over a year ago. She did have a picture up on her forum, which is now defunct. IIRC, she planned to test that one whistle for a bit before deciding if it would be worth (or worthy of?) producing. Don't t...

JohnG10, how short are your fingers? My fingers are considered short & stubby in my family. The middle finger is barely 3" long (the R2 finger), the ring finger is a hair under 2.75" (the R3 finger) and I have had no problem sealing any of the holes on the Mellow Dog, the Blackbird or ...

Mellow Dog vs Bluebird? Best to contact Jerry Freeman for the actual differences between the two whistles.

As for my opinion, the Bluebird is the better of the two. I like the sound of the Bluebird better than the Mellow Dog.

Merry Christmas, all!

Like ecohawk said 'how on Earth did the list go this long without' .....

Mack Hoover
Ronaldo Reyburn
Chuck Tilbury

Agree with Feadoggie, although I haven't been playing strings or whistles as long. I play mountain dulcimer, whistles and flute. In no way has the dulcimer playing bothered the whistle playing abilities.

Get the ukulele and enjoy the music!

I don't suffer from WhOA, I enjoy it! Buying a new whistle now is simply to hear what it sounds like, to see any design differences, or maybe to check out a new material. If I can't play it, hold it, see it, then I don't know if I'll like it. Sounds clips do nothing for me. That is someone else play...

One of the easiest Low D whistles to play for me was Daniel Bingamon's $28 practice low D . It's not a whistle of wondrous beauty, but it does have a decent sound, easy fingering and fairly low air requirements ... plus a fantastic price. Since it is not tunable it might not work for group playing. ...

Perhaps, but would you really take the Trad if they cost the same? Peter, if I'm picking between the Trad and the DX203, cost equal, the Trad would still be my choice. Perhaps I lucked out in the Trad I got. It has just a touch of 'breathy', perfect for keeping the overall tone of the whistle inter...