MarkCC

I’m a moderate level tinwhistle and wooden flute player.

I’ve been a classically trained woodwind player for about
25 years. I was first exposed to Irish music about 5 years
ago, and was instantly hooked. I’ve been getting more and
more obsessed ever since.

I discovered the tinwhistle at a traditional music festival. The
clarinet is a wonderful instrument, but it’s dreadfully ill-suited to
Irish music. Irish music is mostly in keys that are very clarinet-
hostile, and it’s extremely difficult to play Irish ornamentation
due to the mechanics of the instrument. The whistle was
a revelation.

I now play a mixture of whistles. My main whistle is a Silkstone
D alloy with a low-C-natural hole. I’ve also got a full set of
generations that I use for keys that don’t fit on the D whistle,
and a Burke low-D for slower tunes.

My flute is a beautiful Pratten style made by the brilliant Patrick Olwell.