just wanted to draw your attention to a nice little instrument of the Bavarian/Austrian folk tradition: The so-called Seitel- or Schwegelpfeife. It is a cylindrical (sometimes conical), non-tunable simple-system transverse flute which fingers exactly like a whistle, yet it stems from a different tradition. They are made in keys from D down to Low F I believe. A couple of weeks a go I had the chance to play one from the renowned German bagpipe maker Helmut Mossmann and I was very pleased. I would say for those looking for a affordable wooden alternative to bamboo flutes, this would be a good thing to try. The Schwegelpfeifer scene in Bavaria and Austria seems to be alive and kicking. Try http://berg.heim.at/almwiesen/410081/ or www.dudelsack-mossmann.de for more infos and pics (mostly in German).
Now back to practicing, folks
And, yes you can play slip jigs in lederhosen...