How to Play a Tin Whistle

If you love the folksy sound of a good Irish jig and are eager to join in yourself, the tin whistle may be just the thing to get you started. It's one of the simplest of musical instruments, and with a little practice you'll soon have others dancing to your jigs.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Tin whistle
• Fingering chart
• Recordings of Irish whistle music
• Sheet music or fingering guide for Irish tunes

1. Listen to Irish music. It's full of subtleties that you'll never pick up any other way. This is a step that you should repeat for as long as you're interested in playing Irish music.
2. Learn the fingerings. Using your fingering chart, take time to familiarize yourself with the fingering of each note, and listen to how it sounds. Think of the name of each note as you're playing it.
3. Play easy songs. The basics of the tin whistle can be learned quickly, and you will be able to start playing recognizable melodies almost immediately.
4. Keep listening and imitating. To get that Irish flavor in your playing, you'll need to keep going back to recordings of your song. Listen for what notes are emphasized and try to get the feel of the rhythm. Now practice playing what you hear. Imitation is the best place to start.
5. Add another octave. By blowing a little more forcefully or lifting your top finger, you can double the range of your tin whistle.
6. Expand your abilities. As you keep on listening to Irish music you'll hear extra notes that the musician uses to add zest to the piece. That's called ornamentation. Start experimenting, and soon you'll be freely adding your own ornaments to your music.