Dixon Traditional D Whistle - Nickel

First, full disclosure: although I am an experienced (string) musician, I am a beginning whistler. While I have owned Generation whistles for about 20 years, I never made a serious effort to learn to play the tin whistle until a few months ago. Concerns with my older Generation whistles (including not playing in tune) made me look for other alternatives. I was looking for a whistle that produced a stable tone across two octaves, realizing that my relative inexperience likely was contributing to a lack of stable tone at either the lowest notes of the low octave or the highest notes of the second octave. A bit of searching on the internet, including the Online Academy of Irish Music led to Dixon whistles. One of the pages on the Online Academy of Irish Music suggested looking for a whistle in the 25-50 euro price range for better tone and tunability compared to less expensive offerings, and the Dixon Trad D whistle is a very nice whistle in this price range. The Dixon whistle is very well made, with a cupro-nickel chiff and a brushed finish. Cupro-nickel is the metal used in "silver" money, so it will not tarnish. The plastic mouthpiece is adjustable for tuning (in fact my whistle arrived with the mouthpiece on the wrong end of the whistle, I think to demonstrate that the mouthpiece was removable and therefore tuning was adjustable). Pairs of spare mouthpieces are available from Dixon. The whistle has a very nice tone in both octaves, relatively bright but not harsh in the upper octave. Any problems I have encountered with unstable tone seems to have to do with my embouchure and/or not maintaining good posture to keep a relaxed airway. Better posture immediately corrects the problem. Dixon offers other whistles, including tunable and non-tunable plastic bodied whistles and tunable whistles with bodies (chiffs) of aluminum or brass. Each apparently has a different tone/timbre, and after spending a couple of years working on my chops with the Nickel whistle, I may try some of the others. Also, there are other makers of higher-end whistles which are for players well above my skill level. For me, the Trad D Nickel is an excellent whistle at an accessible price-point that should continue to serve as my main axe for a long time.

When deciding on a tin whistle for the first time - I looked up what to buy on youtube and they recommended a high D. Then I listened to musicians playing the beginner whistles they recommended - some sounded awful to my ear and I thought they would sound even worse when I tried to play them. I bought 3 whistles, Dixon Trad D, red Clarke Sweetone and Waltons Little Black D whistle) The Walton one was the lightest,cheapest, and worst sounding. This one (Dixon Trad) was most expensive but still under $30, arrived 2 weeks earlier than they predicted, came in handy protective case, and it sounds really good...when I play the correct notes and cover holes properly and am not out of breath :) The Sweetone is easier to play (breath-wise) and actually helped me figure out how to blow into the Dixon Trad. So I'm keeping both of them. The Walton is being returned. It has been a week and I can play 2 simple tunes almost by heart and can play 2 others looking at the tabs. Youtube is a wonder for tutorials. I highly recommend buying one or two and seeing which you prefer, cheaper whistles are easier to play but sound isn't as pleasing to the ear.

I thought I was buying a cheap, beginner whistle and wondered why it was going to take so long to ship from someone named Music USA. Checked it out and it was coming from the mountains in Ireland! Absolutely worth the wait and significantly nicer than my expectations! It's easy to play. Sounds lovely, not squeaky, and even my kids can play it without me wanting to hide it from them. Would make a spectacular gift for anyone interested in music or wanting to practice breath work. I'm a cellist and a singer, not a flutist, but I was able to play some lovely gentile vibrato my first time trying it. An absolute joy to play!

I ordered this whistle a few months ago to replace a Walton's trad tin whistle I received as a gift. The overall feel, weight, and perceived build quality is much better, as is the sound quality. This whistle is not nearly as sensitive, which translates into fewer frustrating squeaks while playing. This has me playing longer, and thus learning faster. Great upgrade and value for the money.

This whistle is well worth the price. Easy to play, handles the second octave well and is tunable. It also has a nice tone, not so piercing as other similarly priced whistles.

I started playing whistle about two years ago. I bought a Clarke at a music store maybe 10 years ago but through it in a drawer and never played it. When I wanted to start, I bought three decent but cheap whistles-- Oak, Generation, Feadog; later I added a Walston Mellow D. All those are playable and okay for beginners. I didn't want to invest in a fancy $100 whistle but wanted something a tad better so I bought this Dixon. Now the Dixon is what I play 90% of the time. It both sounds better and is way easier to play than all the others. I was leaving one of the cheap whistles in my office, bedroom, and living room so I'd always have a whistle to play in any room. But, now I carry my Dixon from room to room so I can play for 5-10 minutes wherever I sit down. I'm still glad I bought a collection but I'd advise any beginner, to buy this $28 whistle instead of a whistle in the $10-15 range. You will without question have better results. Yes, $28 is over twice $12. While a $60,000 car is nicer than a $25,000, most can't afford a $60,000 car. But, you CAN afford a $28 whistle. Considering the time you spend learning to play, the $28 for this whistle is chicken feed. Just buy this one.