I too have a Lir Whistle in D (high - no low D available) and A. Both are outstanding. The name addition is a nice touch They look steezy Have a nice weight to them Well made Great service My 'easy play' go to Clearly sound ace Cheers Lír, great job 👊🏽
Thank you for your review. I am new to the whistle word and your reviews are helping a lot. I just ordered my first Lir whistle and am looking forward to feel and hear the difference from the less expensive ones. I am a multi instrumentalist in a cover band and I’m adding whistle to the list.
They all sound SO responsive, clean and rich in tone! The higher pitched ones have that bright breathy "chirp", and the A has such full and soulful deep tones. I think that you have inspired me to make my next purchase an A Lir! I have several Native American flutes in the key of A, and they are a joy to play. Have you taken a crack at these Pentatonic scaled instruments Stephanie? I know that you delve into other instruments, and I would love to hear you play one. Thanks for all of the whistle instruction and inspiration~ 🎵 you play these brilliantly! You have brought back my desire to pick up my whistles again. Cheers ~ from Pensacola, FL USA
I had to wait a long time for my Lir in D, they had lost my order, but found it when I e-mailed them. Good products, but they don't seem to be able to handle a webshop.
Hello, I'm following you for some time already and I really appreciate your work. Because of your videos I purchased a Killarney whistle in D and is extraordinary masterpiece. I searched your channel but I found no video of how you master your whistle music and what software you're using. Can you please make a video and show us how your work flow goes. Thank you so much! Be blessed!
@@brassmonkey84 It depends what genre of music they're singing. A lot of mainstream songs are in the key of C, so G whistles tend to be more useful for that. But songs come in all sorts of keys... The better reason to go for a Bb is probably the fact that it opens up a different range of notes to the D. You'd have access to: Eb, Ab, Bb and F that aren't on your D whistle without half holing. Whereas an A whistle will only give you a G# as an extra note. If you scroll down to the whistle keys chart on this page you'll be able to see the major, minor and additional keys each whistle can play in: tinwhistletabs.wordpress.com/home/useful-info/
I ordered a whistle based on your nice reviews of Lirs recently, but it seems like me and several others have been duped. We've been waiting for whistles since summer. For anyone thinking about a Lir A, I'd be wary ordering from them right now. They did not hesitate to take my money in July, but I still have not received my whistle. They are not very good following up with customer queries for updates unless you are a UA-camr apparently.
It seems as though they've been struggling to keep up with their recent amount of orders, though I think prior to my reviews, they had made lots of sales to happy customers, and also sold whistles through a few other stores, online and in physical stores. I'm not sure what's changed recently, and waiting long periods without delivery or reply is certainly not the way to conduct business. It's very unfortunate. Hopefully they manage to get things back on track soon.
You mention they're your favourite "loud" whistles - I'd love to know if you have any recommendations for a quiet A whistle. I'm kinda torn between the Lir A and the Shaw A. I'd really like to practice after the kids are in bed! 😄 (but preferably without the temporary measures you talked about in another video). Thanks!
Chris Wall and Mack Hoover make quiet whistles but they're hard to get hold of. Big Whistle sell 'shush' whistles, though I'm not sure they make an A... There's also one with a volume slide on it... But I can't think what it's called...I've not been able to get hold of one of those either though...🙁 You could perhaps look into WARBL, they're more of an investment but can be played completely silently 😊
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Thanks for getting back to me. Yeah those Shush whistles only seem to be in D, but I did just come across on ebay a Generation B flat tweaked by Freeman down a key into an A! Very interesting... Supposed to be a bit quieter too. I make harps for a living so unfortunately I can be a bit of a purest when it comes to materials etc - the Warbl sounds like the opposite of what I'd like 😄 (but I'm sure it has its place). Thanks for your help!
I was wondering if you’ve heard about the Flip Head mouthpiece for flute and if you could do a review on it. I would be very interested in your opinion.
The flip head mouthpiece?? I have a review for a Tony Dixon whistle that has interchangeable whistle and flute mouthpieces. Is that what you're referring to?
Just a silly question, but is a Bb whistle automatically a low whistle, because it is lower than a D? I have the Lir D Whistle, but when practicing in the living room, I find it quite loud at the next octave. So I figured I should get me a Bb or maybe an A whistle. Also another question, I had actually been looking at a Killarney. Is there a big difference btw Lir and Killarney?
I personally much prefer Lir whistles, I passed on my Killarney whistle not long after getting them - I found them loud and didn't personally enjoy the tone, though lots of people love them. They're great whistles, just not for me :) I use a little piece of Blu-tack on the blade to make things quieter for practise, but there are lots of other ways too: ua-cam.com/users/shorts1fBQ_dWJEyY?feature=share As for lower whistles, they're not much quieter to be honest. The second octave is always going to be loud :)
I guess it depends what you plan to use it for. Wide bore whistles are generally louder, so not required for playing at home 😊 great for sessions though 👍
@@joelmontgomery3242 Not a peep. But I got my refund and I'll steer clear of them in future, so I'm content. I just hope they soon stop messing people about.
@@Silentpartner2176 they do need to be greased occasionally to keep them easily moveable but someone's they get stuck. I usually try a few different things. Try cooling the whistle down by rubbing very cold water through it. This might help shrink the metal a little and give you a tiny bit of space to move the whistle head. Alternatively, Olive oil is safe to use on silver, so hopefully won't damage the silver plating (might be worth double checking that online though). You could try rubbing a little under the lip of the tuning slide, then holding the entrance upside down to see if gravity will allow any to seep into the tubing side joint. This might give it the lubrication it needs to move. Thirdly, sometimes you just need good grip and extra force. Try and use something sticky. You can get rubbery fabric - non slip mats - gardening gloves - slipper socks - anything flexible but with a rubbery grip. This will help you get the body and head of the whistle. Try twisting in opposite directions with the added grip and hopefully you'll be able to remove the mouthpiece so you can lubricate before replacing. Best of luck!
@@Silentpartner2176 they often come that way, as they are subject to temperature changes in the mail and have been sat around for a little while. I'm sure it'll be fine once you get it up and running ❤️
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I tried you’re tips and no luck, it’s like they glued my tuning slide. It won’t budge. Im starting to regret I bought a Lir. No response from Lir either. They took my money cut and run.
@Silentpartner2176 I assume they're closed over Christmas. They might not be back until 6th/7th Jan, so you may still get a reply after the holidays. It's a small business where the instruments are handmade, and is run by a small team, so it might take them a little while to reply. They're on Instagram and a few other social media platforms too, so you may have better luck there? I think they accept returns though if you're unhappy with it. They may also have some advice that I haven't given you on how to get the tuning slide moving 🙂 Did you look online for lubricants for silver? There might be a better option than Olive oil. You can also try warming the slide a little too, maybe with a hairdryer, if the cooling didn't work
Might be worth trying a thumb rest (or some elastic bands around the whistle where your thumbs are, just fora not of extra grip. It might give you that extra bit of stability on the whistle and cause less movement when playing 😊
I've only tried one or two other A whistles, but they've around the same price. You could try Takahe Flutes or Becker Whistles. I'll be reviewing both their low D whistles soon 😊
Hey there! This is so random, because I remembered you from your awesome whistle videos, whicih I love by the way. Keep up the awesome work. But I have a random question for you....have you ever done an Introduction Video for HireVue video interviewing? Because I'm about to take a video interview and I swear the lady who is doing the intro on what to expect looks and sounds JUST like you ha ha.
It's me. That was my job, before recently changing to playing tin whistle full time 😊 I made product videos, adverts etc for online business. Hope the interview goes well! 👍
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I think it's great you're now working on something you love full time and you're bringing joy and knowledge to a lot of people. That's the best thing anyone can do with their life. Keep up the amazing work! And thank you for the well wishes XD. I'm terrible at these video interviews ha ha.
Hi! I started watching your videos because I'd like to try out the tin whistle. I have this little melody I come up with but the problem is that I think I shouldn't buy a 100€ whistle as my first one just to try it out but I've had a hard time finding an affordable whistle in the key of A, can anyone point me in the right direction?
What notes do you have in your tune? Perhaps you can play it on a different key of whistle (that will also play in the key of A) and be able to find a more affordable alternative 😊
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Thanks for the quick reply! I suck at theory but it uses all the notes in the A-major scale (or F# minor?), the lowest note is an A and the highest is a C# one octave higher. I suppose the key could be changed but I came up with the melody before figuring out what key it was in so other keys sound weird to me now.
I prefer the Lir, personally. It's more responsive, a warmer and sweeter tone 💚 It's much heavier though, which, looking at other player's feedback, some people find tiring when playing for long periods, and the shiny finish could possibly be a little slippery if you have sweaty fingers 👍 The addition of a thumb rest (or elastic band around the whistle where your thumbs are) would probably solve both of those though 😊
Shame about the delays and lack of communication. At least PayPal upheld my claim when I was forced to open a dispute to get my refund for non-delivery.
I had to wait a long time for my Lir in D, they had lost my order, but found it when I e-mailed them. Good products, but they don't seem to be able to handle a webshop.
This is the most Wrong amount of money I've spent in my life. Sixty days ago I ordered a tin whistle from Lir and I'm still waiting. I have already paid 130 euro for whistle in the key of A. No one responds to the emails I send.
I had contact with Lir about their shipping issues last year and made an interview with them earlier this year (it's on my channel, out might help explain where your whistle is, though I can't account for why they don't reply). It seems they've continued to have shipping problems this year unfortunately 🙁
@@mab00991 you could certainly try. If you haven't recieved a whistle and you're not prepared to wait for it, though it may still arrive at some point...
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I need to know who can help me get my money back from this guy. And you can mention in a video that if someone buy a whistle from him may not get it.
@@mab00991 I'm pretty sure it'll arrive, it's just going to take some time. Have you tried contacting Lir on social media? They're usually responsive on Instagram.
I'm not sure unfortunately, I haven't had a response lately either, I've been trying to find out what's happening, as they don't seem to have been fulfilling their orders 🙁
@@CutiepieTinWhistle oh darn, that's what I'm reading from the other responses. I hope they are doing well, and I don't have to request a refund. Thank you for responding so quickly. Cheers!
@@detenator890 I'm not even sure you'll get a refund if you request one from them. Others have tried to go through their banks to get refunds. I'll keep asking, but unfortunately it doesn't look good at the moment 🙁 not sure what happened, things were all going well...
I too have a Lir Whistle in D (high - no low D available) and A. Both are outstanding.
The name addition is a nice touch
They look steezy
Have a nice weight to them
Well made
Great service
My 'easy play' go to
Clearly sound ace
Cheers Lír, great job 👊🏽
Thank you for your review. I am new to the whistle word and your reviews are helping a lot. I just ordered my first Lir whistle and am looking forward to feel and hear the difference from the less expensive ones. I am a multi instrumentalist in a cover band and I’m adding whistle to the list.
Thanks for the review, your playing is lovely as always. I've had my eye on the A whistle as few manufacturers make that key.
They all sound SO responsive, clean and rich in tone! The higher pitched ones have that bright breathy "chirp", and the A has such full and soulful deep tones. I think that you have inspired me to make my next purchase an A Lir! I have several Native American flutes in the key of A, and they are a joy to play. Have you taken a crack at these Pentatonic scaled instruments Stephanie? I know that you delve into other instruments, and I would love to hear you play one. Thanks for all of the whistle instruction and inspiration~ 🎵 you play these brilliantly! You have brought back my desire to pick up my whistles again. Cheers ~ from Pensacola, FL USA
Lovely to hear! Yes I have a few Native American flutes, always a pleasure to play!
Hi Stefanie. I just ordered myself a Lir A whistle ! Just need one because Brian Finnegan got a lot of tunes in A. Thanks for discount code! :D
I also want one for playing brian finnegan's tunes ! Are they good ?
@@petitcanasson3990 a bit heavier as the average whistle but easy to play and with a warm sound.
Love my D Lir! Have ordered an A but it's been two months and no dispatch yet. I can't wait but they must be popular right now!
I gave up after two months and got a PayPal refund as Lir didn't answer my email/refund request.
I had to wait a long time for my Lir in D, they had lost my order, but found it when I e-mailed them. Good products, but they don't seem to be able to handle a webshop.
@@Dead-Eye this is the situation I'm in right now. The company stopped responding to me. What was the outcome when you requested the refund?
@@PhotoViking they responded to me once, but then stopped responding. Still waiting.
Thanky I already have the A whistle and I love ❤️ it too
I have a Lir in D and I love it. Had to wait a long time for it, they had lost my order, but found it when I e-mailed them.
Love your material and to that end, would consider doing a comparison between Killarney and Lir? Mahalo!
Great question. I would like to see a comparison on both. I have the Killarney high d. Brass whistle
My Lir in D is one of my favorite ever whistles. It has a sweet and mellow sound that's just exceptional
GREAT SOUND
Hello, I'm following you for some time already and I really appreciate your work. Because of your videos I purchased a Killarney whistle in D and is extraordinary masterpiece. I searched your channel but I found no video of how you master your whistle music and what software you're using. Can you please make a video and show us how your work flow goes. Thank you so much! Be blessed!
Thanks for all!!!👏👏👏
Fantastic. Now I want a Lir!
This is beautiful Stephanie thank you ❤️ I definitely need to try them🤣😘🤣
Thank you for the review and thank you for the discount code that I have just used and got a nice discount on an A whistle.
The best sound!!! Thanks! 😎🌞✌️🎻
I’m trying to decide between the A and Bb whistle. Why is Bb more popular? Which is better to play with singers?
@@brassmonkey84 It depends what genre of music they're singing. A lot of mainstream songs are in the key of C, so G whistles tend to be more useful for that. But songs come in all sorts of keys...
The better reason to go for a Bb is probably the fact that it opens up a different range of notes to the D.
You'd have access to: Eb, Ab, Bb and F that aren't on your D whistle without half holing.
Whereas an A whistle will only give you a G# as an extra note.
If you scroll down to the whistle keys chart on this page you'll be able to see the major, minor and additional keys each whistle can play in:
tinwhistletabs.wordpress.com/home/useful-info/
I ordered a whistle based on your nice reviews of Lirs recently, but it seems like me and several others have been duped. We've been waiting for whistles since summer. For anyone thinking about a Lir A, I'd be wary ordering from them right now. They did not hesitate to take my money in July, but I still have not received my whistle. They are not very good following up with customer queries for updates unless you are a UA-camr apparently.
It seems as though they've been struggling to keep up with their recent amount of orders, though I think prior to my reviews, they had made lots of sales to happy customers, and also sold whistles through a few other stores, online and in physical stores. I'm not sure what's changed recently, and waiting long periods without delivery or reply is certainly not the way to conduct business. It's very unfortunate. Hopefully they manage to get things back on track soon.
You mention they're your favourite "loud" whistles - I'd love to know if you have any recommendations for a quiet A whistle. I'm kinda torn between the Lir A and the Shaw A. I'd really like to practice after the kids are in bed! 😄 (but preferably without the temporary measures you talked about in another video). Thanks!
Chris Wall and Mack Hoover make quiet whistles but they're hard to get hold of. Big Whistle sell 'shush' whistles, though I'm not sure they make an A... There's also one with a volume slide on it... But I can't think what it's called...I've not been able to get hold of one of those either though...🙁
You could perhaps look into WARBL, they're more of an investment but can be played completely silently 😊
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Thanks for getting back to me. Yeah those Shush whistles only seem to be in D, but I did just come across on ebay a Generation B flat tweaked by Freeman down a key into an A! Very interesting... Supposed to be a bit quieter too.
I make harps for a living so unfortunately I can be a bit of a purest when it comes to materials etc - the Warbl sounds like the opposite of what I'd like 😄 (but I'm sure it has its place). Thanks for your help!
@@lisamccann1081 haven't been able to get one! 😭
I was wondering if you’ve heard about the Flip Head mouthpiece for flute and if you could do a review on it. I would be very interested in your opinion.
The flip head mouthpiece??
I have a review for a Tony Dixon whistle that has interchangeable whistle and flute mouthpieces. Is that what you're referring to?
@@CutiepieTinWhistle No this is a whistle style head joint that fits a standard C flute. It’s called a Fliphead . You can see it on youtube
@@stevenstamour6007 ah yes, so you can play transverse/concert flute but with a whistle mouthpiece. I have seen it, I haven't tried it.
Just a silly question, but is a Bb whistle automatically a low whistle, because it is lower than a D? I have the Lir D Whistle, but when practicing in the living room, I find it quite loud at the next octave. So I figured I should get me a Bb or maybe an A whistle.
Also another question, I had actually been looking at a Killarney. Is there a big difference btw Lir and Killarney?
I personally much prefer Lir whistles, I passed on my Killarney whistle not long after getting them - I found them loud and didn't personally enjoy the tone, though lots of people love them. They're great whistles, just not for me :)
I use a little piece of Blu-tack on the blade to make things quieter for practise, but there are lots of other ways too:
ua-cam.com/users/shorts1fBQ_dWJEyY?feature=share
As for lower whistles, they're not much quieter to be honest. The second octave is always going to be loud :)
Would you consider the D a wide bore? That’s what I prefer.
I guess it depends what you plan to use it for. Wide bore whistles are generally louder, so not required for playing at home 😊 great for sessions though 👍
I am still waiting for mine. They have tried twice to get it to me, it never seems to get out of Ireland. I am getting discouraged.
I gave up and got a refund from PayPal when Lir stopped replying to emails.
@@Dead-Eye You never heard from them again?
@@joelmontgomery3242 Not a peep.
But I got my refund and I'll steer clear of them in future, so I'm content.
I just hope they soon stop messing people about.
What to do if the tuning slide won’t slide or twist? Is it stuck?
@@Silentpartner2176 they do need to be greased occasionally to keep them easily moveable but someone's they get stuck.
I usually try a few different things.
Try cooling the whistle down by rubbing very cold water through it. This might help shrink the metal a little and give you a tiny bit of space to move the whistle head.
Alternatively, Olive oil is safe to use on silver, so hopefully won't damage the silver plating (might be worth double checking that online though). You could try rubbing a little under the lip of the tuning slide, then holding the entrance upside down to see if gravity will allow any to seep into the tubing side joint. This might give it the lubrication it needs to move.
Thirdly, sometimes you just need good grip and extra force. Try and use something sticky. You can get rubbery fabric - non slip mats - gardening gloves - slipper socks - anything flexible but with a rubbery grip. This will help you get the body and head of the whistle. Try twisting in opposite directions with the added grip and hopefully you'll be able to remove the mouthpiece so you can lubricate before replacing.
Best of luck!
@ Thank you I’ll try that. I just received my whistle from Lir and it came stuck. I wonder if Lir will offer a replacement if I can’t get it working?
@@Silentpartner2176 they often come that way, as they are subject to temperature changes in the mail and have been sat around for a little while. I'm sure it'll be fine once you get it up and running ❤️
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I tried you’re tips and no luck, it’s like they glued my tuning slide. It won’t budge. Im starting to regret I bought a Lir. No response from Lir either. They took my money cut and run.
@Silentpartner2176 I assume they're closed over Christmas. They might not be back until 6th/7th Jan, so you may still get a reply after the holidays. It's a small business where the instruments are handmade, and is run by a small team, so it might take them a little while to reply. They're on Instagram and a few other social media platforms too, so you may have better luck there?
I think they accept returns though if you're unhappy with it. They may also have some advice that I haven't given you on how to get the tuning slide moving 🙂
Did you look online for lubricants for silver? There might be a better option than Olive oil. You can also try warming the slide a little too, maybe with a hairdryer, if the cooling didn't work
I have a Lir Eb. I find the glossy finish a challenge as my fingers get sweaty and slip when I play. Otherwise it is a fine whistle.
Might be worth trying a thumb rest (or some elastic bands around the whistle where your thumbs are, just fora not of extra grip. It might give you that extra bit of stability on the whistle and cause less movement when playing 😊
OMG they are so expensive ! Could you recommand a cheap brand of A whistles ?
I've only tried one or two other A whistles, but they've around the same price. You could try Takahe Flutes or Becker Whistles. I'll be reviewing both their low D whistles soon 😊
Good video 👍🏻
Hey there! This is so random, because I remembered you from your awesome whistle videos, whicih I love by the way. Keep up the awesome work. But I have a random question for you....have you ever done an Introduction Video for HireVue video interviewing? Because I'm about to take a video interview and I swear the lady who is doing the intro on what to expect looks and sounds JUST like you ha ha.
It's me. That was my job, before recently changing to playing tin whistle full time 😊 I made product videos, adverts etc for online business. Hope the interview goes well! 👍
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I think it's great you're now working on something you love full time and you're bringing joy and knowledge to a lot of people. That's the best thing anyone can do with their life. Keep up the amazing work! And thank you for the well wishes XD. I'm terrible at these video interviews ha ha.
Hi! I started watching your videos because I'd like to try out the tin whistle. I have this little melody I come up with but the problem is that I think I shouldn't buy a 100€ whistle as my first one just to try it out but I've had a hard time finding an affordable whistle in the key of A, can anyone point me in the right direction?
What notes do you have in your tune? Perhaps you can play it on a different key of whistle (that will also play in the key of A) and be able to find a more affordable alternative 😊
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Thanks for the quick reply! I suck at theory but it uses all the notes in the A-major scale (or F# minor?), the lowest note is an A and the highest is a C# one octave higher. I suppose the key could be changed but I came up with the melody before figuring out what key it was in so other keys sound weird to me now.
@@CutiepieTinWhistle While fooling around with different keys I liked E as well, but that's another rare one for whistles, right?
@@AVJHalonen there don't seem to be many E whistles available, though I do have two low E whistles. James Dominic and Setanta - might be worth a look?
@@AVJHalonen this might be helpful to see which whistle you might be able to use:
images.app.goo.gl/MpDkCPh6ZUJTLEa29
How is this compared to a Killarney?
I prefer the Lir, personally. It's more responsive, a warmer and sweeter tone 💚 It's much heavier though, which, looking at other player's feedback, some people find tiring when playing for long periods, and the shiny finish could possibly be a little slippery if you have sweaty fingers 👍
The addition of a thumb rest (or elastic band around the whistle where your thumbs are) would probably solve both of those though 😊
Shame about the delays and lack of communication. At least PayPal upheld my claim when I was forced to open a dispute to get my refund for non-delivery.
I had to wait a long time for my Lir in D, they had lost my order, but found it when I e-mailed them. Good products, but they don't seem to be able to handle a webshop.
This is the most Wrong amount of money I've spent in my life. Sixty days ago I ordered a tin whistle from Lir and I'm still waiting.
I have already paid 130 euro for whistle in the key of A.
No one responds to the emails I send.
I had contact with Lir about their shipping issues last year and made an interview with them earlier this year (it's on my channel, out might help explain where your whistle is, though I can't account for why they don't reply). It seems they've continued to have shipping problems this year unfortunately 🙁
@@CutiepieTinWhistle Do you think it would be fair to get my money back in such a situation? I think it is.
@@mab00991 you could certainly try. If you haven't recieved a whistle and you're not prepared to wait for it, though it may still arrive at some point...
@@CutiepieTinWhistle I need to know who can help me get my money back from this guy.
And you can mention in a video that if someone buy a whistle from him may not get it.
@@mab00991 I'm pretty sure it'll arrive, it's just going to take some time. Have you tried contacting Lir on social media? They're usually responsive on Instagram.
Ты зазналась, я тебе написал в Инстаграме, ты игноришь
Hello beautiful person! Can you help me? Is this company still in business? They stopped responding. :(
I'm not sure unfortunately, I haven't had a response lately either, I've been trying to find out what's happening, as they don't seem to have been fulfilling their orders 🙁
@@CutiepieTinWhistle oh darn, that's what I'm reading from the other responses. I hope they are doing well, and I don't have to request a refund. Thank you for responding so quickly. Cheers!
@@detenator890 I'm not even sure you'll get a refund if you request one from them. Others have tried to go through their banks to get refunds. I'll keep asking, but unfortunately it doesn't look good at the moment 🙁 not sure what happened, things were all going well...