How to Find an Irish Flute or Tin Whistle

If you are starting lessons it is good to check with your instructor before investing in a flute or whistle. I'm happy to consult with you before your flute purchase if you are coming for lessons or classes.

• Often a student will begin their lessons using a tin whistle.  These are inexpensive and easy to come by.  Most music shops and online locations carry tin whistles in D for under $15. Other keys are often available but in order to play at the same pitch as a flute with others, use a small "high" D whistle.

• A good starter flute can be a "composite"  flute made of delrin or polymer.  The best of these flutes are machined just like a wooden flute but with less expensive materials.  Most flute players keep their composite flute forever, to leave out on a table at home or to use in inhospitable climates, because they are virtually unbreakable.

• A wooden flute without keys is the simplest choice.  You will not be taught any tunes which need flute keys.  Most traditional Irish music does not require a keyed flute.  

• An Irish flute with 'all-fingers-on' will have you covering six holes.  The standard note which this sounds is D. (this is called a 'D flute'.)  That's the kind you want.

Local sessions with flute players, Comhaltas (pronounced "COAL-tus") regional events, and the Catskills Irish Arts Week are all good places to try out a wooden flute.  Some of these events include instrument-maker showcases, where you can try a new flute, meet the maker, and order an instrument if you wish. 
In a session, a polite inquiry to a flute player could end with an offering to try out the feel of their flute.