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.

This D whistle maker and I are longtime transverse flute players, sideways blown. I have been getting along nicely with a Feadóg D whistle, if ever an Irish street busker's favorite affordable whistle, excellent! I will always keep and play my Feadóg D whistles, thank you, but from the first moment when I tried it I could feel the flute in this Dixon D whistle, so smoothly all there and it can be pushed way beyond two octaves. Its price today is not just a bargain but a steal, otherwise easily worth hundreds, perhaps thousands. It plays!

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 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.

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.

I am brand new at playing the tin whistle, but I wasn't sure which tin whistle to buy. I actually purchased two. I purchased this Clark Trad D Cupro Nickel tin whistle and the Oak D triple Nickel plated brass tin whistle, which some reviews said is the best of the cheap tin whistles. I will tell you this: being brand new to the tin whistle, this Tony Dixon tin whistle is much, much easier to play than the Oak tin whistle. I struggle immensely to get the notes to sound right on the Oak, but I am able to easily get the notes to sound right on this Tony Dixon Trad Cupro D tin whistle. I highly recommend this tin whistle from a beginner's standpoint.

This whistle is an amazing deal! It plays well, shifts octaves easily, is clear on the C note that defeats so many whistles, even the very expensive, hand-made ones. All in all, an amazing whistle and especially at this price. I've had many whistles over the years and none have impressed me out of the box as much as this one. You can't go wrong at this bargain price! It's like a perfect nickel Generation, only better! I wouldn't feel bad having this as my only whistle, plus it comes with a handy plastic box so you don't sit on it inadvertently.

Yes, this Tony Dixon "D" whistle costs a little bit more than the basic ones. But it's completely worth the money and a pleasure to play! The tube is solid without folded seams. The sound is clear and there's no chance for air leaks around the tube. The holes are accurately drilled for the best sound. It comes in a nice plastic case to keep it safe. Delivery was much quicker than expected from Belfast. A real value here on a high-level beginner to intermediate musical instrument. I'm gonna learn "Amazing Grace" and play it at church!