Music theory

Whistle keys

Tin whistles come in a variety of keys, where each key is represented by a letter, for example, D, E, F, G, C, B flat and A.

The key often appears on the front of the whistle below the mouth piece.

The most common tin whistle key is D. Many traditional Irish tunes are played in the key of D.

Whistles of different keys are different lengths due to the way that the sound is created. On a shorter whistle, the sound travels a shorter distance within the whistle and creates a brighter, sharper tone. On a longer whistle the increased length of the whistle allows more air vibration which results in a warmer, mellower sound.

The key tells us what set of notes the tin whistle can play. So by knowing the key of a whistle, you know which notes are available to play melodies.

What is a melody

A melody is the main, recognizable sequence of musical notes that are played one after another. It’s often what you would hum or whistle along with when you hear a song.

When learning to play the tin whistle, understanding melody is crucial because you’ll be playing individual notes in succession to create a tune. Melodies can be simple or complex, but they typically have a distinct pattern or sequence of notes that repeat throughout the song.

For beginners learning to play the tin whistle, focusing on simple melodies is a great way to start. These melodies often consist of a series of notes played in a particular order to create a recognizable tune. As you become more familiar with playing the tin whistle, you can explore more complex melodies and experiment with variations.

Learning melodies on the tin whistle involves practicing playing the correct notes in the correct order, paying attention to rhythm, timing, and phrasing. With practice, you’ll develop the skills to play a wide range of melodies on the tin whistle, making it an enjoyable and rewarding musical experience.

How to play the tin whistle

To play the different notes on a tin whistle, you cover different holes with your fingers. The tin whistle has 6 holes so you will use 6 fingers to cover all the holes at once.

The following are the notes the D whistle can play.

  • D
  • E
  • F#
  • G
  • A
  • B
  • C#

The chart below illustrates the holes that need covered to play the above notes on a D whistle. The circles represent the 6 holes on the tin whistle from top to bottom.

  • Black circle: this means you cover the hole with your finger
  • White circle: this means you leave the hole uncovered

Chart showing the holes that need covering to play the notes on a D whistle in the first octave.

When beginning to learn to play the tin whistle, it can be helpful to learn songs by following the song written out as tin whistle tabs. Tabs show the holes that need covered for each note of the song.

Tabs are a great way for beginners to get started and learn basic fingering patterns. Though note that tabs don’t provide information about rhythm, tempo, or musical phrasing so additional resources or listening will be required to learn to play the song correctly.

Here is a simple example of tin whistle tabs for an easy song called Hot Cross Buns. The song only includes 3 different notes, B, A and G.