Tin whistle part of several folk traditions. Whistles are a prevalent starting instrument in English traditional music, Scottish traditional music and Irish traditional music, since they are often cheap (under US$10), relatively easy to start with (no tricky embouchure such as found with the flute), and the fingerings are nearly identical to those on the traditional six holed flute (Irish flute, baroque flute). The tin whistle is a good starting instrument to learn the uilleann pipes, which has similar finger technique, range of notes and repertoire. The tin whistle is the most popular instrument in Irish traditional music today. In recent years
Shepherd's whistle opening. Unlike typical, single-tone whistles, the shepherd's whistle can emit a range of tones, by using the tongue and mouth to change the shape and size of the "sound box". By moving the tongue and mouth, the resonance, and therefore the sound, can be varied. Shepherd's whistle A shepherd's whistle is a specialized, modulatable, variable-pitch whistle used to train and transmit commands to a sheepdog to aid in herding. Unlike other whistles, they are placed inside the mouth and the sound is controlled by the placement of the tongue. Like tin whistles, while simple, they can be used as musical