Yes, your link works. It is only mine that does not work for some reason (but the shortened URL I posted last does lead to the youtube video all right). Computers are weird sometimes. :)

Does the video link below work for you when I copy/paste it?  It's working fine for me.

Prząśniczka on Slavic tin whistle (svirel)

updated by @martha-campbell: 06/03/24 09:04:44AM

Can't say, as I see no other differences. Music is a universal key, and it seems many cultures evolve the same type of instruments eventually. :-) So indeed, the Svirel could very well be called a "wooden pennywhistle". At least the 6-holes version, because there are also chromatic, 10-holes Svirels, but playing these is an entirely different story.

Ah, yes - one difference is the mouthpiece. It's flat, and the wind hole is pointed downwards, like on Ukrainian Sopilkas, so one needs to adapt to this, esp. since it is not possible to hold the Svirel with the mouth/lips so doing a D# (no holes covered) might require a little bit of training. That being said, Oleg creates also recorder-style mouthpieces, but honestly I prefer the flat one, it is more traditional and I find it more hygienic as well because I touch the Svirel only with the front of my lips, not their interior (wet) part.

I'm glad the link works for you. It still does not work for me, but it must be a local issue then. :) It seems the forum converts youtube links in some special way, so I will try one last time with a different URL, in case the previous method does not work for anyone else.

Youtube link to Svirel demonstration: http://viste.fr/76b46

updated by @mateusz: 06/03/24 09:07:28AM

That is very cool, I did know know about these svirel. Pretty sound. Can you say what makes svirels different from pennywhistles then, aside from being made from wood?

(Your first link did not want to open the first time I clicked on it, but now all your links seem to open and play no problem for me here.)

Yes, it is maple wood. They are hand made by Oleg, a musician from a town near Moscow. There is lots of maples in his area, so he uses it to make Svirels. I'm no musician so my judgement isn't worth much, but I find him to be very competent.

That's what I think, too. The video does not reflect it as good as it is in real, but indeed they sound very warm and delicate. To the point that when I take a tin whistle I wonder each time if it's broken, because the sound seems so much more strident/harsh in comparison.

Not at all, and that's exactly what I was looking for, because I did not want to learn a new instrument. The 6-holes Svirel is exactly like a tin whistle, so it's not really a different instrument, rather a different "brand" of tin whistle. I have 3 Svirels, and each is different (it's hand made, so every piece is unique). The major difference is about how easy it is to get the 2nd octave. On some it is slightly more difficult than on my Feadóg tin whistle, but on others it's easier, so there is no universal rule about this. All share the same melodic sound, though, which is lovely even for a complete music noob like me. :-)

I see now that my youtube link is not clickable for some reason, not sure why it is. Did you manage to open it? Maybe it's just a problem with my computer. I will try posting it again:

Prząśniczka on Slavic tin whistle (svirel)

Youtube link: http://viste.fr/76b46

updated by @mateusz: 06/03/24 09:11:23AM

Wow those are such pretty instruments!  Are they wooden?

I like how they sound- I guess the wood makes them sound a little similar to recorders... mellow and warm.

Does it get confusing for you to switch back and forth between them and standard pennywhistles? 

Hello, I am a tin whistle beginner (started last year). I recently discovered the Svirel (a slavic flute). The 6-hole version of this flute is nearly identical to a tin whistle. Just not made of tin, obviously. I am enjoying playing the Svirel as much, if not more, than the tin whistle, so I thought I'd drop a word about this cool instrument here. (I am not selling anything)

I've also recorded a few tunes that I played on the Svirel, here's the youtube link below. It might not sound great, but that's not an issue with instrument, rather with my very bad skills. :-)

Prząśniczka on Slavic tin whistle (svirel)