Saint Patrick’s Day, celebrated on March 17th, is one of the most recognised dates in the Irish cultural calendar. Here is a selection of tin whistle tunes for the occasion, with sheet music, whistle tabs and audio. As usual scroll to the end of the page to download the sheet music & tabs in pdf format.
Halloween has always been tied to music and storytelling in Ireland. The ancient festival of Samhain marked the time when spirits were close, and music carried both celebration and a touch of the eerie. In this article, you’ll find whistle tabs, audio, and sheet music for five Irish tunes with a Halloween connection, each rooted in folklore, myth, or seasonal tradition. I play each tune at moderate speed with ornamentation. Scroll to the bottom of the page for download links, including free tin whistle sheet music pdf file. The music is played on a Dixon Trad whistle.
The pagan Hallowe’en at the end of summer was a time of grief for the decline of the sun’s glory, as well as a harvest festival of thanksgiving to him for having ripened the grain and fruit
Turlough O’Carolan (1670–1738), often called Carolan, occupies a special place in Irish cultural history. A blind harper, composer, and singer, he is remembered as one of the last great figures of the old Gaelic harp tradition and, at the same time, as a composer whose music absorbed European influences of the Baroque era. His compositions, known as planxties, laments, and airs, survive as a body of work that continues to be played and adapted by traditional musicians and classical performers alike. Carolan was a musician who stood at the crossroads of two worlds: the fading bardic order rooted in Gaelic society, and the new cultural realities of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
Choosing between a keyed or keyless flute is a decision faced by many flutists interested in playing Irish traditional music. While both styles have their proponents, the right choice often depends on your musical goals, repertoire, playing style, budget, and practical considerations such as availability and waiting lists.
The term “regional style” in Irish traditional music refers to the distinctive ways tunes are played in different parts of the country – often based on the playing of one influential musician or group of players from a given area, whose approach came to be seen as representative. In many cases, what we call a regional style is best understood as a cluster of local and individual styles that happen to share certain musical features. The regional styles discussed in this article represent some of the major and most widely recognised traditions within Irish traditional music.
Irish traditional music is distinguished by a rich and complex stylistic heritage, shaped by centuries of transmission and performance. The defining features of the tradition lie as much in the manner of performance as in the melodies themselves.The concept of style in Irish music is complex, shaped by factors such as ornamentation, phrasing, articulation, variation, and regional influences. This article explores these elements, tracing their historical development and how they continue to define Irish traditional music today.
A selection of Tin Whistle tunes to play in your Valentine’s Day sessions, with sheet music, audio examples and whistle tabs. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the sheet music & tabs download
On this site you can find a variety of resources to support learners at different skill levels, all available free of charge. Use the top menu to navigate the sections of the site: to learn about Irish Traditional Music or to develop your tune repertoire of the various tune types. Learn about the instruments of Irish music in general, or read on for tin whistle learning resources.
In this article you will find some practical advice about choosing and buying a tin whistle in 2024. The information presented here is meant to be objective and impartial, and I have no connection to any of the models or brands mentioned. The recommendations are my own based on the whistles I use myself and have played over the years.
Contents
Some easy Christmas songs that go well on the low whistle. The low whistle is the bass version of the tin whistle, and plays an octave lower in low D. I play each tune twice, once with ornamentation and once more slowly and plainly. These tunes can of course also be played on tin whistle.
As usual, you can download the sheet music pdf booklet at the bottom of the page. If you have any questions, message me in the comments!
These tunes are all quite simple on the low whistle, with no notes above high F and melodies that are linear enough to make breath control easily manageable (no octave jumps, for example) The challenge of the low whistle is the grip, and ensuring that all the holes are adequately covered, particularly for the lower notes E and D. Any leakage of air in the fingers can result in these notes refusing to sound at all.
Tip: if you’re having trouble with holes leaking, try a descending scale from B, one note at a time, to try and isolate which finger is causing problems!
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