The most important point is: This are not just two flutes to be compared. They have a very different background, different music, different style, different technique etc. There is no use in comparing. Would you try to compare an organ to a piano? I can play a recorder in a way that it sounds like an Irish Whistle. It mostly depends on ornamentation, musicality etc. not on the instrument itself. But why should I do this, since whistles are amazing instruments on their own. I could also play a baroque recorder concerto on a whistle and you would not notice any difference. But why should I do this? Recorders are also great. This has nothing to do with technique, it is a matter of musical style.
Hi there! thank you for your comment. I agree with you in that they really can't be substantively compared, musically. I appreciate your contribution and wish you the best.
Quote : "Would you try to compare an organ to a piano?". Yes, I will !!! Why not ? We can say for example that an organ can play very long sounds (as lond as you press the kee) and the piano cannot ? You can also compare a recorder to a piano. For example, you can say that you can put a recorder in your pocket and climb on a plane to go to Ibiza on hollyday and you cannot do it with a piano.(even a very small piano).
I like the sound of the recorder, and I do play it. I have recently started to learn the whistle and I like that as well. It must be understood that the instruments are different and cant really be compared like for like. To me the recorder has a much more refined sweet sound, a much more orchestral sound. The whistle has a much more earthy, coarse, breathy sound. Neither is better than the other because they are used differently, like comparing a rock singer with an opera tenor. Both are equally musical and valid. Traditionally you would play Irish and folk music on a whistle, this kind of music is much more spontaneous and unrehearsed, whereas for the recorder it is traditionally used to play baroque and renascence music from anything up to 500 years ago, although you can play modern and jazz on a recorder as well, and generally you would play the recorder with a musical score of the piece being played. I do lean more towards the recorder but I do like the rough and ready characteristic of the whistle.
some really good points, and really interesting what you said about spontaneous music with whistles and more rehearsed for recorder, i play the bass and the simplicity of 4 strings helps me think less and feel more/improvise, but the burden of 6 strings adds depth but not necessarily creative freedom for my brain. also my 6 hole native american flute i can freestyle way better than my concert flute
I'm starting to learn tin whistle. I got my first Oak Classic in D which I love the sound. But I will also purchase a Yamaha recorder so I can try it soon. I know they're both different but I like the sound of recorder too. Maybe there are some songs I like to play in tin whistle and some songs in recorder. By the way, my first instrument is a bamboo flute (similar to whistle) with 7 holes. I love it but I left it in the Philippines.
Hi, I'm Seth Henigman Songwriter, pleased to meet you. I will enjoy you playing your tin whistle to a few of my tracks, see how it goes. I'll credit you, maybe you can.
As a whistle player who's played a lot of whistles, I think you're in the ballpark if you're talking about inexpensive "traditional" whistles, like Clarke, Generation, Feadog, and Walton's, though "breathiness" varies considerably among them. However, while those embody the "tin whistle sound", there are certainly whistles that play much more like recorders, with a fat, woody tone, like a Swayne, Bleazey, or Sweet. The two most distinct differences between the two is in fingering and style of play. Recorders use much more tonguing, whereas whistles more primarily use cuts, taps, rolls, and other ornaments to articulate notes, with some never tonguing at all, but I don't think I'd say they are "brash" or "brassy", unless we're talking about cheap ones played by amateurs. They tend to have a full, mellow, sweet tone. There's not much "brassy" to be found here: th-cam.com/video/2tP8YxwLxzs/w-d-xo.html My impression of whistles vs. recorders is that whistles are like the wild, folksy cousins of recorders. They tend to have a bit more bite to their tone, more chiff, more lilting, while recorders are the proper, classically trained, well mannered instruments. I see similar things when you compare traditional Irish flute playing with classical Boehm flute playing (or even Baroque flute playing). One is wild and flowing, the other prim and precise, and a lot of that comes from how they are played.
Also, if I understand correctly, the recorders they hand kids in schools would be more equivalent to a "C" whistle, so a bit lower and more mellow than a standard tin whistle in D. Personally, I like C whistles better because they're usually more mellow, and thus easier on the ears.
Wow, thank you for your perspective. I definitely have so much to learn in this arena. I'm glad I disclaimed my comments because I really have such a limited experience. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
@@NathanielDowell No, the soprano/descant recorder is pitched the same as a D whistle, but with the extra C hole(s) at the end (like those "leading tone" Carbony or Busman whistles you had).
I am gonna vote for tin whistle mate. Less holes to deal with and sounds better if you ask me. Great choice to begin an instrument. Thank you so much. Will come back here as soon as I get one :)
Hey Peter, I found one of your tin whistle articles online - thanks for writing it! I plan to use it, in order to get better at the instrument as I'm a tad rusty. Cheers 👍
Great video. I’ve always wanted a flute but didn’t know what to get, i bought this one where you hold it horizontally and blow into its side, I don’t enjoy having to correct my embouchre. I saw a man in the street playing a flute like instrument where he would blow into one end of the flute with his mouth on it, the instrument was long like a flute. I wanted to ask him what it was so that I could get one, but I didn’t want to disturb his playing so that I could talk to him. Could you let me know what that could be? I don’t think it was a recorder or a tin whistle, it was red colour so I guess it might have been a wooden instrument.
Good question... the fingerings are different from the recorder to the tin whistle (in fact the recorder has more holes than the tin whistle). They are similar but different enough that you won't be able to use a tin whistle tutorial to play a song on the recorder, although you may be able to mess around enough to make it work. Luckily, tin whistles are pretty cheap! You can find a beginner model that sounds beautiful for less than $20. I have this whistle and I love it: www.amazon.com/Black-Clarke-Sweetone-Traditional-Whistle/dp/B00VK4YXF8/ Good luck and thanks for watching :)
That's very kind of you. :) I only had practiced a month of the tin whistle at the point of this video. I sure have a lot to learn still but I love this beautiful little instrument.
you prolly dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream all of the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Have been binge watching with my girlfriend recently :)
I play both, but my first and favorite one is the recorder. It brings a lot more of possibilities than the whistle, and for me, it is easier to change between octaves because you don´t need to change the airflow like in the whistle.
I love both the recorder and tin whistle. But I can't get my head around extra holes in the recorder I'm self taught. I find the tin whistle to be more begginers friendly for people like me who is still learning. It helps my asthma and mental health and anxiety. I tried the ocarina too hard. Harmonica is nice and cheap
As a player of both instruments I'd say the recorder is a more difficult instrument to play well. Discounting the fingering on a recorder, which is difficult to learn and remember, the bell note ( i.e. Lowest note. All holes covered ) takes considerable control of breath to play well, as do the high notes. On a cheap whistle like a Clarke or Generation the bell note can be difficult for a beginner, but one can buy a more expensive make of whistle ( Goldie / Susato ) and the bell note can easily be played on those. This is NOT the case with a recorder. The bell note and the high notes remain just as difficult irrespective of whether you play a cheap recorder ( Aulos / Yahaha etc ) or an expensive recorder ( Moeck / Aura Conservatorium etc ) I tend to associate recorders with early / medieval / renaissance music ( Which is the music that was around when they were invented ) but they're very versatile instruments and one can belt out a good traditional Irish folk tune if the mood takes you. To sum up, I'd be unable to say which I prefer, depends on the tune. I'd highly recommend learning both especially if one likes both early medieaval music and traditional Irish ; Here's a Treble / Alto Recorder playing a tune by Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan ; th-cam.com/video/tVBOXIaIBZ0/w-d-xo.html
Wow, I love your perspective! Thanks for sharing! I feel the same way about the fingering on the recorder (with as little knowledge I have on the subject), but the tin whistle is very straightforward in that regard.
you're 99% correct, all except the bell note on a sopranino aulos recorder is not difficult, then id say it starts getting difficult at soprano and after that its not very nice.......my tenor aulos is very difficult, i have to place it across the the other end of the room and blow to hit the bell note lol jk
I could never profess to being a master of the tin whistle, but I can play it proficiently enough to pay for me to hitch hike around the UK and Europe in the late 80's early 90's and live quite well from it......
I have a couple of questions. I’m about to get my first tin whistle and, do I need to do something special before blowing it for the first time? And the other question: what’s the right way to hold a tin whistle, I mean, does it really matters which hand goes up or down like in the recorder?
I noticed your head joint on the recorder wasn't fully inserted, making it longer, maybe it was on purpose, you can expect a different pitch if the recorder is longer than the maker intended.
Thank you for pointing that out. I took the time to try and learn more of the tin whistle and I haven't gotten the chance to spend the same attention on the recorder. Which is so unfortunate! I think the video could have been better if I had the chance to really practice and learn the recorder. So, no I wasn't aware of the head joint not being fully inserted. Thank for letting me know, though. :)
Outside of recorder only music it's pretty common to see partially pulled out head joints, since the recorder is generaly tuned to 442 hz (and sometimes other historic pitches), while standard tuning is 440 hz these days. So I just assumed it was intentional.
Awesome clarification! You're totally right. The tin whistle has an interesting and somewhat complicated history and many different names over the years.
@@SoundAdventurer As I understand it, the original tin whistle is from Clarke and his whistle spawned all the other variations but fipple flutes (recorder included) has been found all over the world.
Thanks a lot for the video! It helped a lot. Also, what's the name of the song you play with the tin flute at 5:30? It's a melody I've had stuck in my head forever, is it just a common tin flute lick? Or is it a song? Thank you!
Such a great question! I don't know if it's a song outside of where I heard it from: this really old dos adventure game called King's Quest 1. At the 20 minute mark you'll hear the song. th-cam.com/video/YCryoxjWK7M/w-d-xo.htmlm If anyone else knows the song I'd love to know more!
@@LeoAr37 I like that melody too but I don't know where is it from either. Did you find out? It reminded me a song from a Czech band playing medieval rock, it is probably not the origin of the tune but you may like this song too th-cam.com/video/HuVpEBVzyoU/w-d-xo.html
I really liked it - after replaying that part (a lot) I learned how to play the melody on my own tin whistle. I never knew about the Kings Quest series before but now listen to the OSTs regularly. Thanks :)
Great question! Actually the fingering is fairly different. Here are the fingerings for the recorder: www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/recorder/play/play002.html Here's my TH-cam video with the fingerings of the tin whistle: th-cam.com/video/8jLrB5PR3xo/w-d-xo.html They are somewhat similar in that many times you just cover or uncover a hole to get to the next note, but the recorder has more holes than the tin whistle and thus there are more options to play more notes.
You can play a fair of amount of the same music on both, but one is diatonic, one is chromatic and therefore far more versatile. The tin whistle is fundamentally a folk instrument, the recorder became part of the Classical music tradition with a large Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, as well as some contemporary pieces. They both sound substantially different, and the recorder family covers a wider pitch range across its various instruments. As you say, they both do have the advantage of a very low cost to entry: you can get a decent tin whistle for around $20, a decent sopranto/descant recorder for around $30. Way, way cheaper than drums or piano or violin or electric guitar with an amp, etc.! If you like wind instruments, you really should try both.
As someone who plays whistles in a variety of keys from low D to high D I am slightly biased in favour of the tin whistle. I attempted to play recorder all those many years ago in school and thought it to be the most awful sounding instrument ever invented. then you listen to someone like Lucie Horsch on the recorder and discover it can be the most subtle and sublime instrument. Or listen to Joanie Madden on the whistle and feel the same sense of awe at the sounds they can produce from such deceptively simple instruments.
Just started learning tin whistle. The high notes are driving me nuts. I listen to a recording and its this nice sweet sound, and I try to play the same notes and it sounds like someone scratching a blackboard.
That was me too--I recommend getting a beginner book and working your way through it--you'll be amazed at how much better you sound after 20-30 hours of practice.
Sometimes I am in the mood for the Whistle, other times the recorder - especially folk tunes. as we slide into early music the Recorder then tends to shine. - here Carlos Nuñez is playing the alto recorder to his signature song Andro (yet now he has some instrument that looks like a whistle but sounds like a recorder) th-cam.com/video/WKKU4PyJ9XY/w-d-xo.html
I do love the sound of tin whistles, but I've chosen to focus on recorder for the flexibility. In addition to chromatics, which are especially important with music I play that changes key, the larger tin whistles can get pretty tough for my fingers to stretch and cover. Tenor recorders have a wide stretch as well, but the holes are still small enough to cover with the tips/pads of the fingers. Bass and larger recorders fortunately have keys, so the reach isn't a problem. This is a video from my favorite recorder artist. I absolutely love the sound he gets from his instruments! th-cam.com/video/x9Niq-pwNTg/w-d-xo.html
I love this! Thanks for sharing! I think that is the Recorder's most important advantage over the tin whistle. Although the diatonic scale is powerful, there are so many nuances you can do with chromatic notes that it makes it really obvious that the recorder is just more flexible. Good luck on your journey! :)
I obviously don't know how big or small your hands are but I can play a low D whistle without much issues thanks to piper's grip even if my fingers are very slim. Also, not having to use the pinky is a godsend haha. But if you don't like piper's grip then the bigger whistles are going to be difficult to play, at least the lower hand.
@@griffithsharp Tenor recorder is actually around the same size as low D whistle, just with an extra bottom C that the whistle doesn't have. I haven't tried a tenor recorder myself, only alto but whistle has the advantage of utilizing piper's grip which makes the finger stretch considerably easier.
@@Tremendouz nice good to know, i have had the tenor recorder for like 8 years and just found out about pipers grip, ima try it on it. many use pipers grip on recorder yea?
You're awesome 👍💯💯🔥🔥🎉 you're very good at it sir. I'm self taught it has drawbacks it be nice to have a teacher to learn advanced or intermediate techniques instead of happy birthday 🎉🎂💕🥰🤪 or hot cross buns only. Both can do so much more
You say that the recorder is somehow "English" and the tin whistle supposedly "Irish." What on earth does this mean? The tin whistle, invented in England, first played by (and still played by) English folk musicians. Mass manufacture of tin whistles (and then the subsequent styles of whistle) started in England in 1843. In Ireland? 1978. Many of of the modern mass manufacturers of tin whistles are still in England (Generation, Clarke and the smaller Dixon and Kerry) and the vast majority of historical manufacturers were in England (not withstanding manufacture in North America). The tin whistle is not generically "Irish." Its great popularity as a folk instrument in Ireland is also relatively recent dating back to the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s. And guess what whistles they played? Yes, the ones made in England because that's literally all there was. The traditional sound of the so-called "Irish" tin whistle was set by the ABS plastic headed Generation whistle ... made in Oswestry. The recorder is a 20th century revival of Baroque and Renaissance instruments that had been played all over Europe and virtually died out towards the end of the 18th century. I'm truly struggling to find the reasoning to call it "English." The repertoire for recorder players was dominated by continental composers and they were introduced to Britain and Ireland from the continent. Recorders played no real role in English folk music, and there is no particular historical connexion between English traditional music and the recorder. In modern times, because of its popularity and use in schools, some folk music gets played on recorders. I have no problem with that of course, but the recorder is no more suited to English traditional music than it is to Irish.
Hey there Andrew. I appreciate your sharing of your knowledge! I definitely don't know nearly as much as you do about the instrument. I vaguely understood that the tin whistle was English in origin (from my Clarke tin whistle book)--I'm probably just influenced by what contemporary Irish folk music sounds like these days and made the association. Anyway, hope I didn't cause you too much stress. I wish you all the best. :)
@@SoundAdventurer It is nice, its hard to use. I am a beginner, but for a couple months started on cheap whistle. But, I'm not yet convinced its worth what I paid! $165 total. At least its durable. I like my cedar Indian flute better. Five hole, 24 in long.
@@SoundAdventurer I just watched your video, about you learning tin whistle in 30 days...problem with whistle is probably me. Its just not as easy as the flute. Thank you.
It can be discouraging to not progress as fast as you want. I had a similar experience with the tin whistle, i watched a TH-cam video of someone playing with the same whistle I had and I was shocked to hear her amazing sound quality! It is a deceptively simple instrument and can be very challenging to get the tone you're looking for. I practiced an hour a day for a while and I didn't even come close to the ornaments that the Irish tin whistle sound as great as it does. anyway, I know you can get there! It just takes some time. have you found a tutorial book that you like, yet? I found that really helped me.
This is Not a good recorder, but a good tin whistle. Your recorder tone is very beginnerlike, your tin whistle tone is much better . The comparison is not fair. The difference is not in the Instruments, it is in the quality and your technique.
It sounded to me as if the tongue was not used for playing the recorder, which definitely needs to be used. That would also have been a pretty important point to cover in the video, technical difference in playing.
Excuse moi, on ne peut pas comparer car tu joues médiocrement de la flute a bec. donc tu n'en presentes pas la beauté du son que l on peut en obtenir. dommage
I agree! I wish I was better at both instruments to give them a better comparison. I appreciate your viewership and for your comment. Have a good day. :)
“Fat” vs “thin”? “English” vs “Irish”? Pffft. Did you want us to take this video seriously? Would’ve been awesome if you’d asked a recorder player to play the piece you played on the whistle, to give a true comparison. I beg anyone to listen to François Lazarevitch or Carlos Nuñez or any other professional folk recorder player to see what the recorder is truly capable of.
:) I appreciate you making a tribute to the beauty and depth of both instruments. I definitely agree with you and don't want to downplay that. What you can DO with the instruments is quite complex and extensive. I think I was only speaking mechanically. In comparison to other aerophones like the concert flute or the saxophone (mechanically) they are simple instruments. Anyway, thanks for watching--and I'll try and tread more carefully on what I say next time.
The most important point is: This are not just two flutes to be compared. They have a very different background, different music, different style, different technique etc. There is no use in comparing. Would you try to compare an organ to a piano? I can play a recorder in a way that it sounds like an Irish Whistle. It mostly depends on ornamentation, musicality etc. not on the instrument itself. But why should I do this, since whistles are amazing instruments on their own. I could also play a baroque recorder concerto on a whistle and you would not notice any difference. But why should I do this? Recorders are also great. This has nothing to do with technique, it is a matter of musical style.
Hi there! thank you for your comment. I agree with you in that they really can't be substantively compared, musically.
I appreciate your contribution and wish you the best.
There are tin whistles and penny whistles, but there is no such instrument as the "Irish whistle."
Quote : "Would you try to compare an organ to a piano?". Yes, I will !!! Why not ? We can say for example that an organ can play very long sounds (as lond as you press the kee) and the piano cannot ? You can also compare a recorder to a piano. For example, you can say that you can put a recorder in your pocket and climb on a plane to go to Ibiza on hollyday and you cannot do it with a piano.(even a very small piano).
I like the sound of the recorder, and I do play it. I have recently started to learn the whistle and I like that as well. It must be understood that the instruments are different and cant really be compared like for like. To me the recorder has a much more refined sweet sound, a much more orchestral sound. The whistle has a much more earthy, coarse, breathy sound. Neither is better than the other because they are used differently, like comparing a rock singer with an opera tenor. Both are equally musical and valid.
Traditionally you would play Irish and folk music on a whistle, this kind of music is much more spontaneous and unrehearsed, whereas for the recorder it is traditionally used to play baroque and renascence music from anything up to 500 years ago, although you can play modern and jazz on a recorder as well, and generally you would play the recorder with a musical score of the piece being played.
I do lean more towards the recorder but I do like the rough and ready characteristic of the whistle.
Yes. The repertoire is the major diffence i think also.
some really good points, and really interesting what you said about spontaneous music with whistles and more rehearsed for recorder, i play the bass and the simplicity of 4 strings helps me think less and feel more/improvise, but the burden of 6 strings adds depth but not necessarily creative freedom for my brain. also my 6 hole native american flute i can freestyle way better than my concert flute
i also agree, i like the recorder better than the whistle, but the whistle is unique and cool
I am learning tin whistle first, then will learn the recorder. I am sure one will help learn the other. I like the sound of both anyway.
I'm starting to learn tin whistle. I got my first Oak Classic in D which I love the sound. But I will also purchase a Yamaha recorder so I can try it soon. I know they're both different but I like the sound of recorder too. Maybe there are some songs I like to play in tin whistle and some songs in recorder. By the way, my first instrument is a bamboo flute (similar to whistle) with 7 holes. I love it but I left it in the Philippines.
Hi, I'm Seth Henigman Songwriter, pleased to meet you. I will enjoy you playing your tin whistle to a few of my tracks, see how it goes. I'll credit you, maybe you can.
As a whistle player who's played a lot of whistles, I think you're in the ballpark if you're talking about inexpensive "traditional" whistles, like Clarke, Generation, Feadog, and Walton's, though "breathiness" varies considerably among them. However, while those embody the "tin whistle sound", there are certainly whistles that play much more like recorders, with a fat, woody tone, like a Swayne, Bleazey, or Sweet. The two most distinct differences between the two is in fingering and style of play. Recorders use much more tonguing, whereas whistles more primarily use cuts, taps, rolls, and other ornaments to articulate notes, with some never tonguing at all, but I don't think I'd say they are "brash" or "brassy", unless we're talking about cheap ones played by amateurs. They tend to have a full, mellow, sweet tone.
There's not much "brassy" to be found here: th-cam.com/video/2tP8YxwLxzs/w-d-xo.html
My impression of whistles vs. recorders is that whistles are like the wild, folksy cousins of recorders. They tend to have a bit more bite to their tone, more chiff, more lilting, while recorders are the proper, classically trained, well mannered instruments. I see similar things when you compare traditional Irish flute playing with classical Boehm flute playing (or even Baroque flute playing). One is wild and flowing, the other prim and precise, and a lot of that comes from how they are played.
This girl is using a recorder to play Irish music, though she uses more recorder style playing: th-cam.com/video/WFsFKzWJiVE/w-d-xo.html
Also, if I understand correctly, the recorders they hand kids in schools would be more equivalent to a "C" whistle, so a bit lower and more mellow than a standard tin whistle in D. Personally, I like C whistles better because they're usually more mellow, and thus easier on the ears.
Wow, thank you for your perspective. I definitely have so much to learn in this arena. I'm glad I disclaimed my comments because I really have such a limited experience. I appreciate you taking the time to share.
@@SoundAdventurer It's an interesting video, and I definitely heard your disclaimer (very wise).
@@NathanielDowell No, the soprano/descant recorder is pitched the same as a D whistle, but with the extra C hole(s) at the end (like those "leading tone" Carbony or Busman whistles you had).
I am gonna vote for tin whistle mate. Less holes to deal with and sounds better if you ask me. Great choice to begin an instrument. Thank you so much. Will come back here as soon as I get one :)
I'm with you-- I just love the sound of the tin whistle.
...And he never returned.
Hey Peter, I found one of your tin whistle articles online - thanks for writing it! I plan to use it, in order to get better at the instrument as I'm a tad rusty. Cheers 👍
Great video. I’ve always wanted a flute but didn’t know what to get, i bought this one where you hold it horizontally and blow into its side, I don’t enjoy having to correct my embouchre. I saw a man in the street playing a flute like instrument where he would blow into one end of the flute with his mouth on it, the instrument was long like a flute. I wanted to ask him what it was so that I could get one, but I didn’t want to disturb his playing so that I could talk to him. Could you let me know what that could be? I don’t think it was a recorder or a tin whistle, it was red colour so I guess it might have been a wooden instrument.
Is it the same if I play tin whistle notes on a recorder ?? Idk how to play recorder but I found an amazing song but tin whistle tutorial
Good question... the fingerings are different from the recorder to the tin whistle (in fact the recorder has more holes than the tin whistle). They are similar but different enough that you won't be able to use a tin whistle tutorial to play a song on the recorder, although you may be able to mess around enough to make it work.
Luckily, tin whistles are pretty cheap! You can find a beginner model that sounds beautiful for less than $20. I have this whistle and I love it: www.amazon.com/Black-Clarke-Sweetone-Traditional-Whistle/dp/B00VK4YXF8/
Good luck and thanks for watching :)
@@SoundAdventurer tysm!
Wow, you present yourself as something as a beginner but you play the tin whistle like a pro. I am impressed!
How many years have you been playing?
That's very kind of you. :) I only had practiced a month of the tin whistle at the point of this video. I sure have a lot to learn still but I love this beautiful little instrument.
you prolly dont care but if you are bored like me during the covid times then you can stream all of the latest series on InstaFlixxer. Have been binge watching with my girlfriend recently :)
@Axel Ali definitely, have been watching on Instaflixxer for years myself :)
I am a recorder student. I am planning to try also tin whistle if i have time. Maybe the major difference is the repertoire the recorder has..
That is probably right!
I play both, but my first and favorite one is the recorder. It brings a lot more of possibilities than the whistle, and for me, it is easier to change between octaves because you don´t need to change the airflow like in the whistle.
I love both the recorder and tin whistle. But I can't get my head around extra holes in the recorder I'm self taught. I find the tin whistle to be more begginers friendly for people like me who is still learning. It helps my asthma and mental health and anxiety. I tried the ocarina too hard. Harmonica is nice and cheap
As a player of both instruments I'd say the recorder is a more difficult instrument to play well. Discounting the fingering on a recorder, which is difficult to learn and remember, the bell note ( i.e. Lowest note. All holes covered ) takes considerable control of breath to play well, as do the high notes. On a cheap whistle like a Clarke or Generation the bell note can be difficult for a beginner, but one can buy a more expensive make of whistle ( Goldie / Susato ) and the bell note can easily be played on those. This is NOT the case with a recorder. The bell note and the high notes remain just as difficult irrespective of whether you play a cheap recorder ( Aulos / Yahaha etc ) or an expensive recorder ( Moeck / Aura Conservatorium etc )
I tend to associate recorders with early / medieval / renaissance music ( Which is the music that was around when they were invented ) but they're very versatile instruments and one can belt out a good traditional Irish folk tune if the mood takes you.
To sum up, I'd be unable to say which I prefer, depends on the tune. I'd highly recommend learning both especially if one likes both early medieaval music and traditional Irish ;
Here's a Treble / Alto Recorder playing a tune by Irish harpist Turlough O'Carolan ;
th-cam.com/video/tVBOXIaIBZ0/w-d-xo.html
Wow, I love your perspective! Thanks for sharing! I feel the same way about the fingering on the recorder (with as little knowledge I have on the subject), but the tin whistle is very straightforward in that regard.
@@SoundAdventurer Yes. Easier to learn the basics on a tin whistle but nevertheless both instruments difficult to play well :)
Thank you for sticking up for the recorder, It is a beautiful instrument also
you're 99% correct, all except the bell note on a sopranino aulos recorder is not difficult, then id say it starts getting difficult at soprano and after that its not very nice.......my tenor aulos is very difficult, i have to place it across the the other end of the room and blow to hit the bell note lol jk
Why should I choose one over the other? I have both, and they are both great instruments in their own right. Play and be happy.😄
I could never profess to being a master of the tin whistle, but I can play it proficiently enough to pay for me to hitch hike around the UK and Europe in the late 80's early 90's and live quite well from it......
I have a couple of questions. I’m about to get my first tin whistle and, do I need to do something special before blowing it for the first time? And the other question: what’s the right way to hold a tin whistle, I mean, does it really matters which hand goes up or down like in the recorder?
I noticed your head joint on the recorder wasn't fully inserted, making it longer, maybe it was on purpose, you can expect a different pitch if the recorder is longer than the maker intended.
Thank you for pointing that out. I took the time to try and learn more of the tin whistle and I haven't gotten the chance to spend the same attention on the recorder. Which is so unfortunate! I think the video could have been better if I had the chance to really practice and learn the recorder.
So, no I wasn't aware of the head joint not being fully inserted. Thank for letting me know, though. :)
Outside of recorder only music it's pretty common to see partially pulled out head joints, since the recorder is generaly tuned to 442 hz (and sometimes other historic pitches), while standard tuning is 440 hz these days. So I just assumed it was intentional.
At 0:35 you hold up a Clarke and call it Irish but Clarkes have been made in England since 1843
Awesome clarification! You're totally right. The tin whistle has an interesting and somewhat complicated history and many different names over the years.
@@SoundAdventurer As I understand it, the original tin whistle is from Clarke and his whistle spawned all the other variations but fipple flutes (recorder included) has been found all over the world.
Thanks a lot for the video! It helped a lot. Also, what's the name of the song you play with the tin flute at 5:30? It's a melody I've had stuck in my head forever, is it just a common tin flute lick? Or is it a song? Thank you!
Such a great question! I don't know if it's a song outside of where I heard it from: this really old dos adventure game called King's Quest 1.
At the 20 minute mark you'll hear the song. th-cam.com/video/YCryoxjWK7M/w-d-xo.htmlm
If anyone else knows the song I'd love to know more!
@@SoundAdventurer Thanks for replying! It's not where I heard it from though, but it's still very similar. I will continue looking for it haha.
@@LeoAr37 I like that melody too but I don't know where is it from either. Did you find out?
It reminded me a song from a Czech band playing medieval rock, it is probably not the origin of the tune but you may like this song too th-cam.com/video/HuVpEBVzyoU/w-d-xo.html
I really liked it - after replaying that part (a lot) I learned how to play the melody on my own tin whistle. I never knew about the Kings Quest series before but now listen to the OSTs regularly. Thanks :)
is the fingering similar for tin whistles and recorders?
Great question! Actually the fingering is fairly different.
Here are the fingerings for the recorder:
www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/recorder/play/play002.html
Here's my TH-cam video with the fingerings of the tin whistle:
th-cam.com/video/8jLrB5PR3xo/w-d-xo.html
They are somewhat similar in that many times you just cover or uncover a hole to get to the next note, but the recorder has more holes than the tin whistle and thus there are more options to play more notes.
Thanks!
You can play a fair of amount of the same music on both, but one is diatonic, one is chromatic and therefore far more versatile. The tin whistle is fundamentally a folk instrument, the recorder became part of the Classical music tradition with a large Renaissance and Baroque repertoire, as well as some contemporary pieces. They both sound substantially different, and the recorder family covers a wider pitch range across its various instruments.
As you say, they both do have the advantage of a very low cost to entry: you can get a decent tin whistle for around $20, a decent sopranto/descant recorder for around $30. Way, way cheaper than drums or piano or violin or electric guitar with an amp, etc.! If you like wind instruments, you really should try both.
Great video and explanation.
Loved it, so helpful. Thank you
You had me at, “Diatonic” , tin whistle,it is, mate
So you prefer an instrument because it *can't* play some pitches that the other one can?
@@rosiefay7283it’s easier to play Tin whistle
Recorder players also tend to have many different sizes of recorders.
I'm WAAAAAY late, but when you half-cover the hole, blow much harder. That's how you get the smooth transition.
cool, ty!
Thank you! Very helpful video. Best Wishes.
Learned so much about not only flutes but music in general
As someone who plays whistles in a variety of keys from low D to high D I am slightly biased in favour of the tin whistle. I attempted to play recorder all those many years ago in school and thought it to be the most awful sounding instrument ever invented. then you listen to someone like Lucie Horsch on the recorder and discover it can be the most subtle and sublime instrument. Or listen to Joanie Madden on the whistle and feel the same sense of awe at the sounds they can produce from such deceptively simple instruments.
Just started learning tin whistle. The high notes are driving me nuts. I listen to a recording and its this nice sweet sound, and I try to play the same notes and it sounds like someone scratching a blackboard.
That was me too--I recommend getting a beginner book and working your way through it--you'll be amazed at how much better you sound after 20-30 hours of practice.
Sometimes I am in the mood for the Whistle, other times the recorder - especially folk tunes. as we slide into early music the Recorder then tends to shine. - here Carlos Nuñez is playing the alto recorder to his signature song Andro (yet now he has some instrument that looks like a whistle but sounds like a recorder) th-cam.com/video/WKKU4PyJ9XY/w-d-xo.html
here is his wood whistle and a few years later th-cam.com/video/Cn9vbcZ0brg/w-d-xo.html
Wow, what a tremendous performance... Cool!
@@stevewolfe3214 He's playing a wooden whistle made by Jonathan Swayne.
www.jonswayne.com/
Good things man thanks for telling
No problem 👍
Wait, there are nine holes on the front of a recorder? How do you play it? Humans don't have enough fingers to cover all nine of those holes at once.
There are holes that are very close to each other that you can cover both with one finger.
Dam good playing
The original modern tin whistle is english. Yep the Clarke tin whistle was used for generations in Ireland.
Your whistle is as English as can be plus the recorder originates in Germany, Holland and France.
I love it! interesting how the perception of an instrument is shaped over time.
Good stuff!
Glad you enjoyed it :)
I have a recorder that is new i dont still know how to play
I do love the tin whistle.
I do love the sound of tin whistles, but I've chosen to focus on recorder for the flexibility. In addition to chromatics, which are especially important with music I play that changes key, the larger tin whistles can get pretty tough for my fingers to stretch and cover. Tenor recorders have a wide stretch as well, but the holes are still small enough to cover with the tips/pads of the fingers. Bass and larger recorders fortunately have keys, so the reach isn't a problem. This is a video from my favorite recorder artist. I absolutely love the sound he gets from his instruments! th-cam.com/video/x9Niq-pwNTg/w-d-xo.html
I love this! Thanks for sharing! I think that is the Recorder's most important advantage over the tin whistle. Although the diatonic scale is powerful, there are so many nuances you can do with chromatic notes that it makes it really obvious that the recorder is just more flexible.
Good luck on your journey! :)
I obviously don't know how big or small your hands are but I can play a low D whistle without much issues thanks to piper's grip even if my fingers are very slim. Also, not having to use the pinky is a godsend haha. But if you don't like piper's grip then the bigger whistles are going to be difficult to play, at least the lower hand.
@@Tremendouz my fingers are very short and fat, even a tenor recorder is pushing it.....that low D whistle sounds like a pain in the keister to me
@@griffithsharp Tenor recorder is actually around the same size as low D whistle, just with an extra bottom C that the whistle doesn't have. I haven't tried a tenor recorder myself, only alto but whistle has the advantage of utilizing piper's grip which makes the finger stretch considerably easier.
@@Tremendouz nice good to know, i have had the tenor recorder for like 8 years and just found out about pipers grip, ima try it on it. many use pipers grip on recorder yea?
You're awesome 👍💯💯🔥🔥🎉 you're very good at it sir. I'm self taught it has drawbacks it be nice to have a teacher to learn advanced or intermediate techniques instead of happy birthday 🎉🎂💕🥰🤪 or hot cross buns only. Both can do so much more
You say that the recorder is somehow "English" and the tin whistle supposedly "Irish."
What on earth does this mean?
The tin whistle, invented in England, first played by (and still played by) English folk musicians. Mass manufacture of tin whistles (and then the subsequent styles of whistle) started in England in 1843. In Ireland? 1978. Many of of the modern mass manufacturers of tin whistles are still in England (Generation, Clarke and the smaller Dixon and Kerry) and the vast majority of historical manufacturers were in England (not withstanding manufacture in North America).
The tin whistle is not generically "Irish." Its great popularity as a folk instrument in Ireland is also relatively recent dating back to the folk revival of the 1950s and 60s. And guess what whistles they played? Yes, the ones made in England because that's literally all there was. The traditional sound of the so-called "Irish" tin whistle was set by the ABS plastic headed Generation whistle ... made in Oswestry.
The recorder is a 20th century revival of Baroque and Renaissance instruments that had been played all over Europe and virtually died out towards the end of the 18th century. I'm truly struggling to find the reasoning to call it "English." The repertoire for recorder players was dominated by continental composers and they were introduced to Britain and Ireland from the continent.
Recorders played no real role in English folk music, and there is no particular historical connexion between English traditional music and the recorder. In modern times, because of its popularity and use in schools, some folk music gets played on recorders. I have no problem with that of course, but the recorder is no more suited to English traditional music than it is to Irish.
Hey there Andrew. I appreciate your sharing of your knowledge! I definitely don't know nearly as much as you do about the instrument. I vaguely understood that the tin whistle was English in origin (from my Clarke tin whistle book)--I'm probably just influenced by what contemporary Irish folk music sounds like these days and made the association.
Anyway, hope I didn't cause you too much stress. I wish you all the best. :)
💚☘Happy Saint Patrick's Day🍀💚
Recorder is a little more versatile imho
I got tin whistle in carbon, by Eric the Flutemaker.
That's awesome! What's been your experience with it?
@@SoundAdventurer It is nice, its hard to use. I am a beginner, but for a couple months started on cheap whistle. But, I'm not yet convinced its worth what I paid! $165 total. At least its durable. I like my cedar Indian flute better. Five hole, 24 in long.
@@SoundAdventurer I just watched your video, about you learning tin whistle in 30 days...problem with whistle is probably me. Its just not as easy as the flute. Thank you.
It can be discouraging to not progress as fast as you want. I had a similar experience with the tin whistle, i watched a TH-cam video of someone playing with the same whistle I had and I was shocked to hear her amazing sound quality!
It is a deceptively simple instrument and can be very challenging to get the tone you're looking for. I practiced an hour a day for a while and I didn't even come close to the ornaments that the Irish tin whistle sound as great as it does.
anyway, I know you can get there! It just takes some time. have you found a tutorial book that you like, yet? I found that really helped me.
This is Not a good recorder, but a good tin whistle. Your recorder tone is very beginnerlike, your tin whistle tone is much better . The comparison is not fair. The difference is not in the Instruments, it is in the quality and your technique.
It sounded to me as if the tongue was not used for playing the recorder, which definitely needs to be used.
That would also have been a pretty important point to cover in the video, technical difference in playing.
Great vid but I wasn't expenting to see such agresive comments in the comment section lol
Tin whistle all day
if you can play one..you can play the other only diff is sound
Excuse moi, on ne peut pas comparer car tu joues médiocrement de la flute a bec. donc tu n'en presentes pas la beauté du son que l on peut en obtenir. dommage
I agree! I wish I was better at both instruments to give them a better comparison. I appreciate your viewership and for your comment. Have a good day. :)
To me the difference is that you're not going to see someone someone whip out their trusty recorder at a pub session. 😏
I think a band like this would be excellent in an upscale bar. th-cam.com/video/lGU7jWeEg9k/w-d-xo.html
Me twitching because the head joint of the recorder is not on right
Yikes! Sorry
@@SoundAdventurer Don't stress! Otherwise, it was a good video!
The recorder is pulled out lol
“Fat” vs “thin”? “English” vs “Irish”? Pffft. Did you want us to take this video seriously? Would’ve been awesome if you’d asked a recorder player to play the piece you played on the whistle, to give a true comparison.
I beg anyone to listen to François Lazarevitch or Carlos Nuñez or any other professional folk recorder player to see what the recorder is truly capable of.
totally agree!
For many tin whistle players the recorder has a generic sound that's thin sounding and horrible.
The view of an absolute amateur, simple instruments he says?
:) I appreciate you making a tribute to the beauty and depth of both instruments. I definitely agree with you and don't want to downplay that. What you can DO with the instruments is quite complex and extensive. I think I was only speaking mechanically. In comparison to other aerophones like the concert flute or the saxophone (mechanically) they are simple instruments.
Anyway, thanks for watching--and I'll try and tread more carefully on what I say next time.
Racist lol