A229 Aspire Tri-Tone Whistle : A softer apito :)

This whistle is really an essential for anyone involved in leading a samba band/school. Samba leaders generally use it to call the attention of players and signal breaks or changes in the rhythm. BUT it's not just for that specific purpose, I have used this whistle (sometimes referred to as an Apito) in some recording work to add a carnival feel with it's tri-tone sound, I found it really good for copying and developing bell patterns for samba (usually played on agogo bells).

If I'm leading in a samba group I tend to hold the whistle between my teeth while I'm playing repinique and that's where this particular whistle comes in really handy (no pun intended); the plastic body stops the possibility of damaging your teeth which can happen with the metal bodied whistles (from the same maker). The only drawback is its' volume level; compared to the metal apito it is allot quieter so if you're playing with over a 15 piece ensemble it may have difficulties cutting across (particularly if you're outdoors).

Overall I would happily take the drop in volume (which is small enough) over having chipped teeth from gripping a metal whistle.