The D Scale
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We will start with the D Major scale (your whistle should be in the key of D; if not, don't worry - you can keep going.) This scale starts and ends on D, and is illustrated by the chart below:

As you proceed up the scale, you will need to use progressively more breath pressure to get the note cleanly. The high D, or middle D as it is called, can also be played with all the holes covered if it occurs in a fast passage of notes as the tone is virtually the same. The scale above covers one octave, and the next octave can be played by simply starting with the middle D above and continuing up with the same fingering. You will need to blow harder, however, and the high D requires quite a lot of pressure. It is also very loud (note: you may find it easier to get the high notes by tonguing them - see the topic on Tonguing Vs. Slurring).

The C sharp above is fingered with the sixth finger down. This finger is not strictly necessary, and the same note will be produced with all holes uncovered. The sixth finger is used as a balance finger, and keeps the whistle from flying out of your hands and across the room. Some players instead use their lower pinky finger on the body of the whistle (not on the hole), and a few players don't use a balance finger at all, but simply hold the whistle tighter with their lips (this method has the advantage of forcing you to remain relaxed and develop clean fingering habits). You should pick a method which is comfortable for you, and stick with it. I personally use a balance finger as shown above, and sometimes on the A and B as well (depending on the tune).

This brings up another issue with regards to fingering, that of open vs. closed fingering. Open fingering is a method in which you only close the holes you must close to make a note; that is, all holes are open by default. Closed fingering is exactly the opposite; you only open the holes you need to open to make a note, and all holes are closed by default. On notes G, A, B, and C sharp, you can close any or all open holes provided that you leave the top two open, and the pitch won't be affected much. For example, when playing a G, you could safely close the sixth hole without changing the pitch noticeably.

Which method you choose is up to you. Generally, open fingering will be closer to being in tune, but closed fingering is sometimes easier to employ. I use open fingering except where this is difficult. You may have noticed that the use of the sixth finger as a balance finger is a form of closed fingering.

Your fingering style also will affect the sound of your playing. Open fingering lends itself to a smoother, more fluid style, whereas closed fingering will yield a slightly more abrupt, broken style. It is not actually important at this time to choose a style; in fact, you may find it best to choose your fingering on a tune-by-tune basis. In any case, try both ways and pay attention to the differences in difficulty and also the sound produced.

EXERCISE 2
Memorize the fingerings for each of the notes in the D scale. Practice each note individually as in Exercise 1, then start on low D and proceed up the scale all the way to high B, and then go back down. When doing this, do not stop to take a breath until you run out of breath. Blow continuously, and do not use your tongue to separate the notes, but use only your fingers to do so. Be careful on the transition from B to C#, and from C# to middle D, that you do not get additional notes. The change should be clean and smooth. Practice slowly until you can do the complete exercise in one breath, at will.

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