How do I start playing the tin whistle or recorder?

Two cheap instruments that make a real sound on the first breath. Covering the holes properly, the breath control that stops squeaking, and the second octave that catches everyone out.

Difficulty: beginner
Time: 40 min
Read: 5 min

Short answer

Cover each hole completely with the fleshy pad of the finger, not the tip, and check by looking for a clean ring pressed into the skin. Blow gently and steadily — squeaking is almost always too much air or a partly covered hole. The second octave is produced by blowing harder, not by different fingering.

Both instruments suffer from being remembered as school equipment, and both are capable of genuinely good music — the tin whistle is a serious traditional instrument and the recorder has centuries of repertoire. They are also the cheapest way into playing a melody instrument, and the sound arrives on the first attempt.

What you'll need

A tin whistle in D, or a descant or treble recorder
A cleaning rod or pull-through
A tune you know well enough to hear in your head

Step by step

Cover the holes with the pads of your fingers.The soft flat part of the finger, not the tip. Fingertips are curved and leave a gap at the edge of the hole, and a hole that is nine-tenths covered sounds completely wrong rather than slightly wrong.
Check the seal by looking at your fingers.Lift them after a note and look for a clean pressed ring on each pad. No ring, or a partial one, means that hole was leaking. This is the fastest diagnostic there is and it settles most beginner problems.
Keep the fingers relaxed and close to the instrument.Lifting fingers high wastes time and makes fast passages impossible. A few millimetres is plenty, and relaxed fingers seal better than tense ones.
Blow gently and steadily.Both instruments need very little air. Overblowing produces a shrill squeak or jumps unintentionally into the second octave. A steady, gentle, warm breath is what produces a good tone.
Learn the low notes first.Starting from all holes covered and lifting one finger at a time gives you a scale. Play it up and down slowly until every note speaks cleanly before attempting a tune.
Use breath, not fingers, for the second octave.On a tin whistle the upper octave is produced by blowing harder with the same fingering. On a recorder it usually involves partly uncovering the thumb hole as well. This surprises people who expect new fingerings.
Learn to tongue the notes.Starting each note with a soft syllable — a light t or d against the roof of the mouth — separates notes cleanly. Without tonguing, a run of notes slurs into one long sound.
Play tunes you already know by ear.Both instruments are traditionally learned by ear, and playing something you can hear in your head trains the connection between hearing and fingering far faster than reading dots.
Swab it out after playing.Condensation collects in the windway and makes the instrument gurgle and eventually clog. A pull-through or cleaning rod after each session takes ten seconds and prevents it.

Tips

A tin whistle in D is the standard for Irish and Scottish traditional music, which is where almost all the material and all the sessions are. Buy D unless you have a specific reason not to.
Inexpensive whistles are genuinely good — many professional players use them. This is one of the very few instruments where the beginner price point is not a compromise.
Both instruments are loud in a small room and there is no volume control. Consider where and when you will practise before committing.

Common mistakes

Covering holes with fingertips — The curve of a fingertip leaves a gap at the edge of the hole. The note comes out sharp, thin or squeaks, and beginners assume the instrument is faulty.
Blowing too hard — Both instruments need very little air. Overblowing squeaks, jumps octave unintentionally and makes the tone harsh. Gentler is almost always the correction.
Trying to learn fingerings for the upper octave — On a whistle the upper octave is the same fingering with more breath. Looking for new fingerings sends people down a blind alley for weeks.
Never swabbing it out — Moisture collects in the windway, the instrument gurgles and the tone deteriorates. It is a ten-second job that prevents the most common complaint about both instruments.

If it doesn't work

The note squeaks or jumps octave

Cause: Blowing too hard, or a hole not fully covered — Fix: Blow more gently, and check your finger pads for clean pressed rings after playing.

The note is muffled or does not sound

Cause: A hole partly covered, or a finger touching an adjacent hole — Fix: Lift and re-place the fingers deliberately, using the pads. Play the scale slowly, checking each note speaks before moving on.

The instrument gurgles

Cause: Condensation in the windway — Fix: Swab it out and warm the instrument in your hands before playing. Blowing warm dry air rather than cold moist air helps.

Notes run into each other

Cause: Not tonguing — Fix: Start each note with a light t or d syllable. Practise a repeated single note with clear separation before applying it to a tune.

It sounds sharp or flat overall

Cause: Temperature, or on some instruments a tuning slide out of position — Fix: Warm the instrument up before judging. Many whistles have a tuning slide at the head joint that adjusts the overall pitch.

Questions people ask

Is the recorder a real instrument?

Yes, with a very large serious repertoire from the Renaissance and Baroque periods and a thriving modern one. Its reputation comes from being handed to seven-year-olds in bulk, not from anything about the instrument.

Which whistle should I buy?

One in the key of D from a well-known maker. They cost very little, and the difference between an inexpensive good one and an expensive one is real but not a beginner concern.

Do I need to read music?

No. Traditional whistle playing is overwhelmingly learned by ear and from tune recordings. Reading music helps for recorder repertoire and is worth learning eventually, but neither instrument requires it to start.