Also called
tin whistle or simply
whistle. It is a common instrument in
Irish traditional music where some
experienced players can do amazing thing with this seemingly simple
instrument.
Whistles are categorized by the note you get when you cover all the six finger holes and sound the instrument. The instrument used in Irish and Scottish traditional music is keyed in D5, but whistles are made ranging from G5 all the way down to D4. Below D4 special designs with keys and levers are needed, and D4 itself requires quite large hands to play easily.
The most common brand of whistle is the Generation make. It will set you back approximately USD 10, plus several years of your time while you try to make it sound good. Some players swear by it and they can make it work, how they do it is beyond me.
There is a large number of makers that make hand crafted instruments using materials as diverse as wood, PVC, brass and silver. The better makers (Abell, Copeland, Burke, Sindt) have waiting lists for their instruments, and you will have to spend well in excess of a penny to buy a whistle from these sources.
Some gifted players of the instrument include: Mary Bergin, Laurence Nugent, Paddy Moloney.