Of course, a whistle is not a precise instrument and is never going to play exactly in tune. I suspect that's because the first hole is rather small. One thing I find is with all holes open, if you do not blow hard enough the note (A) is rather flat it's much more noticeable on the high octave If you blow a tad harder enough, it's fine on the low octave on the high octave you almost have to overblow to get the high A (all holes open) in tune. I know hole size varies but these seem to vary more than my High D whistles. I find the holes a bit odd in that 1st and 4th are much smaller than the others. I haven't had a hard time hitting most notes either octave the A and high Bb on the high octave are a bit tricky. I haven't tweaked/tuned it yet but it plays pretty well (as far as I can tell, I consider myself a novice). This one being cheap, I figured I'd give it a try. I have a few High-Ds and wanted a lower whistle to try. For the price, this can't be beat and beginners and intermediates alike should be very satisfied with this whistle. Also, the included booklet is actually very informative for reading music, half holing, understanding keys and the circle of fifths, etc. Also, unlike other alto keys of G and A which are the two neighboring keys to D (circle of fifths), Bb is pretty far away and can open up some other possibilities in terms of playing in tune to other types of music. If you are looking to expand your whistle collection and possibly take a half step before jumping straight to a low whistle and the piper's grip, this would be a good transition perhaps. I have a Generation in G, tweaked by Jerry Freeman, that looks almost identical (brass and red fipple) but does not play as well as this whistle. I was pleasantly surprised at just how well it actually plays! It's got a great tone and is pretty forgiving in my experience. I'd never acquired a Bb though and when I saw this for the price, it was a no brainer. I've been playing whistles for a few years now and have a pretty decent collection.