With March 17 fast approaching, here is a selection of tin whistle tunes for St Patrick’s Day, 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.
6 Irish tunes you can play at Thanksgiving, for tin whistle, with audio recordings, sheet music & whistle tabs (fingering charts). Scroll to the bottom of the page to download the free pdf sheet music booklet.
It is a New England Autumn in 1621. The beautiful gold and crimson leaves
contribute to the festive atmosphere that blankets Plimoth village. The smell of
roasting Turkeys adds to the ambience. The little village’s fifty English settlers
are preparing a harvest festival in celebration of having survived the previous
year’s great hardships and brought in their first crops in the New World.
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!
Tin whistle tabs, sheet music & audio for 5 Irish tunes for Halloween, some spooky and some not so spooky! 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
5 easy Irish tin whistle songs for beginners, with sheet music, whistle tabs & audio (sheet music pdf download link at the bottom of the page). I play each tune with and without ornamentation, on a D tin whistle – I use a Tony Dixon trad whistle on these recordings. The songs in this article can be found in the book Tin Whistle for Beginners Volume 1.
These 5 songs are all in the Irish language – I’ve used the word “Gaelic” here to differentiate from Irish folk songs in English, but in general the Irish language is simply referred to as “Irish” – or “Gaeilge”, in Irish.
Chuaigh sí siar agus bróga breac’ uirthi,
Ribíní glasuaithne teannta ar a gruaig,
D’éalaigh sí uaimse le buachaill an tsiopa,
Is a Rí nár dheas í, mo chailín rua.
She went west wearing striped shoes,
Her hair tied up with the greenest ribbons,
She left me for a shop-boy,
God, wasn’t she lovely, my red-haired girl.
2: Óró mo Bháidín – Oh, My Little Boat
A song written by Padraig Pearse, an ode to his little boat or currach
Óró mo bháidín
Ag snámh ar a’gcuan
Óró mo bháidín
Faighimis na máidí
Agus téimis chun siuil
Óró mo bháidín
Óró mo churaichín ó
Óró mo bháidín
Oh my little boat
As she glides in the bay
Oh my little boat
Let’s get the sticks
And we’ll row on
Oh my little boat
Oh my little curragh
Oh my little boat
3: Cailín na Gruaige Doinne – The Brown-Haired Girl
Another love song, about a poor wanderer who falls for a lovely brown haired girl. her mother is having none of it, though, and now he’s “defeated, weak and senseless”.
Ar bhantaibh an tSróil sea d’fhagas mo stór,
‘S a maithrín ag gleo gan dabht léi.
‘D taobh grá ‘ thabhairt dom shórt sa d’fhánaí gan treoir,
Gan cairne buí óir i gcabhair dom.
On the plains of Sroil I left my love
And her mother, no doubt, was arguing with her
About the love she gave my kind, an aimless wanderer,
With no stack of gold to succour me.
4: Ar Éirinn ní neosfainn cé hí – For Ireland I’d Not Tell Her Name
An eighteenth-century love song; the poet is in love with a girl but won’t tell her name as presumably her friends and family would disapprove.
Le haonghean dá méin is dá cló,
Dá briathra is dá beol tanaí binn,
Do léimeas faoi dhéin dul ’na comhair
’S ar Éirinn ní neosfainn cé hí.
With her lovely bearing and shape,
Her sweet words and thin lips,
I hastened to be in her presence
But for all of Ireland I’d not tell her name.
5: Buachaill ón Éirne – Boy from the Erne
This is a tongue in cheek song in which the young cowherd claims immense riches, the opposite of his station in life.
Buachaill ón Éirne mé
‘s bhréagfainn féin cailín deas óg.
Ní iarrfainn bó spré léithe
tá mé féin saibhir go leor.
‘S liom Corcaigh ‘a mhéid é,
dhá thaobh a’ ghleanna ‘s Tír Eoghain.
‘S mura n-athraí mé béasaí
‘s mé n’ t-oidhr’ ar Chontae Mhaigh Eo.
I’m a boy from the Erne
and I could charm a nice young girl.
I would not ask for her wealth
as I am rich enough myself.
I own Cork, as big as it is,
two sides of the glen, and Tyrone.
And not to repeat myself,
I’m the heir of County Mayo.
Books in English
Special offer pack : Tin Whistle Tutor + 400 Tunes Book, with audio
Books in English
Book + FREE AUDIO DOWNLOAD. 90 children’s songs from the Whistle for Kids collection
Books in English
Book with free audio download - 90 well-loved Irish and Scottish songs, chosen for beginners.
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.
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.
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.
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
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)
Français
