Tin Whistle Questions

How do u play Happy Birthday on the Tin Whistle?

Thats a simple one:

The notes for happy birthday are:

'Happy Birthday': D D E D G F#, D D E D A G, D D D' B G F# E, C C B G A G

Happy Birthday!

My breath seems to be very wet- the sound of my whistle always deteriorates very quickly because there is too much liquid inside. Is there anything I can do against that?

well u could always breath in and out before u start using your tin whistle.now u have your mouth dry. by divya

I have a G tin whistle, can I play all notes and scales on that one?

A simple question, but one that can be complex to answer. The simple answer is you can play all the notes in the scale of G i.e from G to g and you can play many of the notes in the scale of d. Other than that you need to have a whistle in the other keys if you want to play more than that, but why bother when the key of D will see you through much of what many tin whistle players play?! As well, the whistle is a transposing instrument, so if you find something not in the key of your choice, just transpose the notes to suit your whistles key or get a whistle in that key. Generation whistles are cheap and have a variety of keys.

i just went thru the note structures and positions on the tutorial page . i want to know the shown notes corrosponds to which tune of the tin whistle?

Go to the "Musical Scales" on the online tutorial. click on the pictures of the notes on the scales and it will play the note (or click the "play note again" bock). And make sure you have your speakers turned one, lol. ^_^

I just got my D tin whistle and im having trouble keeping a solid tone, any suggestions?

A little more info would be helpful. Is it a wood fipple? Wood fipples tend to moisten the longer you use them, and I find, over time, it lowers tone. Are you cleaning the airways between each song? Moisture builds up over time in the airway, and you need to clean it out. Most people snap the whistle forward to clean it out. Dont hit it on anything, just snap it. Others just whistle really hard into it, and watch the saliva fly.

I dont know how to read music!!! Im a begginner and all i can play is twinkle twinkle little star ... foggy dew sounds amazing! Is there any books or music sheets online that show you all the fingering??

Soodlums Tin Whistle books and also Instant Tin Whistle books have all the tunes with fingering diagrams as well as notes. They will also teach you how to read sheet music if you want to learn that too. You can find those books on Amazon or ebay or source them locally. Mick

How do I keep my whistle from rusting any further? it is a little bit rusted on the outside, and I cant see in it. Please answer!

The only reason your whistle is rusting is because it is getting damp. To make sure it doesnt rust on the outside you should make sure to give it a quick rub with a dry cloth when you have finished playing.

To clean the inside of your whistle just sellotape a piece of tissue to a long stick and rub this up the inside, it will clear away any moistness and also dust!!

how do you do twinkle twinkle little star

Try the following notes on your whistle:

ddaabba ggf#f#eed

Simple!

How to keep my tin whistle properly? How to clean it inside? On my brass whistle appeared ugly stains and fingerprints. How to get rid of them?

Most brass whistles are coated in a clear laquer. You might need to remove this coating and them use a brass cleaner on the outside of the tube. Warm soapy water and an bottle cleaning brush that you would use for dish washing will help keep the inside tube clean.

What is the best book to learn the penny whistle? Daughter has had 5 years of strings , so she knows how to read music. What would be the best book for her?

The Tin Whistle Toolbox by Grey Larsen. You wont go wrong there. It will start her down the right track from the word go. Mick

What are the notes for twinkle twinkle little star on the tin whistle

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star: D D A A B B A, G G F# F# E E D

How do you play a note lower than a D if you have a D whistle?

hhhrrrrrmmmmm? i dont think you can on a d whistle sorry. :((

I have a D whistle, but many of the tunes I want to play have notes below the low D. How do I play them or transpose the music?

If you have sheet music, the first step is to figure out what key it is in. Look at the key signature, if you see sharps, look at the last one within the key signature, and go a half step higher. (if its a G# you are in the key of A, ect.) If you see flats, look at the second to last, and that will tell you the key. (if the last flat is an A flat, go back one, and you are in Eb). If there is only one flat, then you are in F, and if there are no sharps or flats, you are in C.

Now that you know what key you are in, every time you see that note, play a D instead, and build your scale from there. That will transpose you to the key of D. Or you can play a G, as these keys are very closely related. (The only difference is in D, you play a C# by not covering any holes, and in G, you play C natural, by covering the second and third holes with your left hand.)

That should get you started, it works for me. As far as playing below the low D, I will usually try to stick my pinky in the bottom of the whistle, and if I am lucky can get a C or C#. The downside to that is there is no speed or precision. Let me know if you learn any other ways.

Happy transposing!

~Jo

what is a A#?

It is an A sharp, which is a semitone above A and basically the same as a Bb (B flat) - strictly speaking they are slightly different sounds but everyone treats them as equivalents.

Hi, Im interested in learning the Tin whistle and the Irish flute. Ive played a standard open-holed flute for 4 years so Im about level 5. In the videos, most of the fingerings look like that of a recorder. I just want to know would this be a dramatic change?

no iv played a flute and recorder there is not alot of difference in a tin whistle and recorder apart from there is no hole in the back of the tin whistle

I just bought a tin whistle and there is no hole on the back, only 6 on the front, how can I play the higher notes?

Hi Diana,

Most tin whistles dont have a hole in the back,(maybe your thinking of a recorder) you just got to blow a little harder to get up to those high notes!

When blowing on the whistles mouthpeice should you hold it with your teeth or just use your lips?

I would say the most common method of holding the whistle is with your lips, hold it firmly and try not to think about it too much. It really doesnt matter, some whistlers use their ttech also, so I suppose, whatever you feel comfortable with as it shouldnt affect the way the tin whistle sounds.

When I listen to whistle music I sometimes hear the player slide from one note to the other. Are there rules for doing this? How is it done properly?

Slowly cover or uncover a finger hole, letting the pitch change gradually. Simple as that! Tom

I Have A Waltons D Whistle And I Was Wondering Whether You Had Some Music So I Can Pipe The Rats Away.Thanks,The Pied Piper

In my opinion, the best kind of music to get rid of any living creature is rap, if you can call that music. But to get critters to follow you away, learn a nice reel, like The Lily, or a jig, like Morrisons.

What microphone do you recommend for live performance?

This all depends on where you are performing, what type of setup you are running it through, and what whistle you are playing. Send me a message on my youtube profile, www.youtube.com/dedaluminus with the details and I will come up with an answer for you. However, in general, AKGs are inexpensive and can be really good depending on the model.

Im interested in a

Yes, a Dixon trad in brass, around the same price but with a nicer tone.

Someone asked me do i tongue or slur when I play the whistle, an anybody explain what exactly is tonguing?

Tonguing is separating a note from the one in front of it by momentarily stopping the air flow through the whistle with your tongue. You stop the air flow by very briefly and lightly saying "tuh" into the whistle at the beginning of the note.

Slurring is the absence of tonguing, so you keep a steady stream of air flowing through the whistle as move your fingers to the next note; in classical music terms this is called playing legato. Traditional Irish music uses less tonguing that other genres of music.

What is tonguing?

Tonguing is an ornamentaion technique, its basically the way most notes are played on the whistle, using your tongue to limit the amount or air which flows down the whistle. If you tut your notes your probably a tonguer

What is fingering?

Fingering is simply the way you place your fingers on the whistle to play a note. People sometimes play the same note differently in order to make it easier to play the next note.

What exactly is ornamentation in irish music?

Ornamentations are little tricks used to help the music come alive and make the melody stand out. The use of these taps, cuts, rolls, crans etc separates a good player from a great player.

What makes a good wooden whistle?