Tag Archives: Tin Whistle Tunes

Tin Whistle Tunes – free audio, sheet music and tablatures of tunes and songs for tin whistle, pennywhistle & Irish flute, beginners and advanced

5 Scottish Songs for Tin Whistle Beginners

Scottish Tunes for Tin Whistle

5 easy Scottish songs for tin whistle beginners, with audio, sheet music & fingering guides; songs from the collection Tin Whistle for Beginners Volume 1. I play them on a D tin whistle (Dixon Trad) . Scroll to the end of the page for sheet music with whistle tablatures in printable pdf form. As usual, I play each song once up to speed with ornamentation, and once more slowly for learning.

Wild Mountain Thyme (Go Lassie Go)
Wild Mountain Thyme, or Will ye Go Lassie Go, is a Scottish song that was originally known as the Braes of Balquhidder; in it’s current version it was recorded by the McPeake family of Belfast in gthe 1950s. It seems to be unclear whether the song is a new composition, or an adaptation of the earlier song. the song is also come=on in the Irish tradition, indeed many people view it as Irish.

Loch Lomond
Loch Lomond, also known as the Bonnie Banks o’ Loch Lomond, is a Scottish Jacobite song dating from around the 17th-18th centuries; Loch Lomond itself is the largest lake in Scotland & the UK, lying on the boundary between the Highlands and the Lowlands. An Irish version of the song exists, known as Red is the Rose.

O ye’ll tak’ the high road, and I’ll tak’ the low road,
And I’ll be in Scotland a’fore ye,
But me and my true love will never meet again,
On the bonnie, bonnie banks o’ Loch Lomond.

Scotland the Brave
Scotland the Brave is an iconic Scottish pipe tune, and the “unofficial” Scottish national anthem. it is most often played by pipe bands. There seem to be several sets of lyrics, with the most common ones dating from the 1950s.

Scots Wha hae
Scots Wha Hae was written by the great Scottish poet Robert Burns. In the lyrics, Robert the Bruce addresses the Scots before the battle of Bannockburn:

Scots, wha hae wi Wallace bled,
Scots, wham Bruce has aften led,
Welcome tae yer gory bed,
Or tae victorie.

Skye Boat Song
The Skye Boat Song, or Over the Sea to Skye, is a folk song dating from the 19th century. It speaks of the flight of Bonnie Prince Charlie to Skye as he escaped after the battle of Culloden.

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5 Irish Christmas Songs for Tin Whistle

5 traditional Irish Christmas songs for tin whistle, with sheet music, fingering charts and audio. Scroll to the end of the page to download the pdf file with sheet music and whistle tablatures for all 5  songs. The songs are all played on a D tin whistle (I use a Dixon Trad on these recordings) See also : 5 Easy Christmas Songs for Tin Whistle

1: Don Oíche Úd i mBeithil
An Irish-language Christmas carol of unclear origin ; it may date as far back as the 7th century. The lyrics speak of “that night in Bethlehem” (Beithil in Irish is Bethlehem). It’s one of the easier Irish Christmas carols to play on the tin whistle.

2: Good People All (the Wexford Carol)
“Good People All, This Christmas Time” is a famous Irish carol said to originate from Enniscorthy in Wexford around the 15th-16th century. The tin whistle arrangement is quite challenging with several half-holed notes.

3: Now to Conclude our Christmas Mirth
One of the Kilmore Carols. The parish of Kilmore has a unique tradition of singing Christmas Carols that is kept alive to this day ; there are 13 carols in all, for each of the 12 days of Christmas and one for Christmas day.

4: Duncormick Mummers Jig
A jig from the mummers or wrenboys tradition of St Stephen’s Day.

5: Ye Sons of Men
Another Kilmore Carol, also known as the Third Carol for Christmas Day. It’s a tune I usually prefer to play on a Bb or C  tin whistle.

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5 Easy Reels for Tin Whistle

5 easy reels for tin whistle

Here are 5 easy reels for tin whistle beginners or improvers. Reels are perhaps the most challenging Irish tunes to play, but also the most rewarding. In this post you will find sheet music and whistle tablatures of each tune, as well as recordings of each tune played at moderate speed and also slower. I’ve also included Spotify playlist of the tunes played by Irish musicians, with several examples of each tune.

The tunes:

1. John Egan’s Reel
2. Tommy O’Dea’s Reel
3. Hanly’s Reel
4. The Galtee Rangers
5. Famous Ballymote

Scroll to the bottom of the page to download the sheet music & whistle tabs of the 5 reels, as a printable pdf file.

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5 Easy Christmas Songs for Tin Whistle

5 easy Christmas songs for tin whistle, suitable for beginners or kids,or anyone who just wants to play Christmas Carols! From the collection Tin Whistle for Children Volume 1. With sheet music, whistle tabs and audio recordings (I play each tune with & without ornamentation, on a D tin whistle). Download link to the sheet music at the end of the page.

The songs:
I Saw Three Ships Come Sailing In
Away in a Manger
Ding Dong Merrily on High
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night
Jingle Bells

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5 Easy Irish Tunes for Tin Whistle

Here are 5 easy tin whistle tunes for beginners, complete with sheet music, whistle tabs and audio files, from the Tin Whistle for Beginners book & audio collection. The tunes here are all accessible to beginners, although it may take some time & practice to get them up to speed! I play them slowly in the audio files, both with & without ornamentation. Download link to the sheet music pdf at the end of this page. The tunes are typical irish dance tunes : jigs & reels, with a slide and a march.

The tunes :
Around the World for Sport (Reel)
Brian Boru’s March
The Dunmore Lasses (Reel)
Geese in the Bog (Jig)
O’Keefe’s (Slide)

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High Germany – Irish song on tin whistle

High Germany – Irish song on tin whistle from the collection Tin Whistle for Beginners Volume 1. Sheet music and whistle tabs available in the book. More tin whistle tunes and songs for beginners

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Good King Wenceslas – Christmas Song on Tin Whistle

Good King Wenceslas – Christmas Song on Tin Whistle from the book Tin Whistle for Children Volume 1

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