Low Whistle Christmas Songs - Tabs & Sheet Music (with Video)

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!

Don Oiche Ud i mBeithil - Low Whistle

The Little Drummer Boy - Low Whistle

The Cherry Tree Carol - Low Whistle

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!

Don oíche úd i mBeithil – Christmas Song for Low Whistle

I sing of a night in Bethlehem
A night as bright as dawn
I sing of that night in Bethlehem
The night the Word was born

Don oíche úd i mBeithil is an irish language hymn, the title translates as “Of a night in Bethlehem”. It is performed by Altan in the video below.

Don Oiche Ud i mBeithil - Low Whistle

Don Oiche Ud i mBeithil (Slower)

The Little Drummer Boy – Christmas Song for Low Whistle

The Little Drummer Boy - Low Whistle

The Little Drummer Boy (Slower)

The Cherry Tree Carol – Christmas Song for Low Whistle

When Joseph was an old man, an old man was he
He married Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee
He married Virgin Mary, the queen of Galilee

The Cherry Tree Carol is a 15th century song relating an apocryphal tale from Mary & Joseph’s trip to Bethlehem. Video below with a beautiful performance by Sandra Joyce from East Galway.