How to Play a Penny Whistle

A penny whistle, also known as a tin whistle, is a simple wind instrument that produces smooth, melodic tones. Penny whistles are fun to play and simple to learn. They come in a variety of lengths, depending upon the type. The most common of these, played by the Irish in their traditional music, is the D penny whistle. Here's how you can quickly learn to play the penny whistle to impress your family and friends with a newfound musical skill that will keep them entertained.

Things You'll Need

• D penny whistle beginner's penny whistle book penny whistle fingering chart simple penny whistle music

Instructions

1. Familiarize yourself with the note holes on your penny whistle and the different finger positions that create different notes. The best way to do that is to get a penny-whistle fingering chart, available at local bookstores and free online (see resources). A fingering chart is a graphical representation of a penny whistle that uses dark circles to indicate holes you cover and white circles to indicate holes left uncovered to produce various notes. There are only six holes on a penny whistle, so learning the notes is quite easy.

2. Study the music staff as it relates to the D penny whistle. A music staff is five lines and four spaces. The lowest note on your whistle, a D (played by covering all the holes), will be notated on the space below the first line of the music staff. The highest note you can play is notated in the first space above the last line of the staff -- the G note. The spaces on the music staff are F, A, C, and E. The lines are E, G, B, D, F. An easy way to remember that is with the phrase Every Good Boy Does Fine. That is the only part of the music staff you will need to understand in order to read penny whistle music..

3. Place the fipple, or mouthpiece, into your mouth and hold the penny whisle at a downward 45 degree angle, placing your index, middle, and ring fingers of one hand on the first three holes, and the same fingers on the other hand over the remaining three holes. You want to cover the holes, but don't press down unless these are the notes you intend to play. This position is the most natural and relaxed position for holding your penny whistle.

4. Practice blowing notes on your penny whistle by covering or opening the holes one at a time and in different combinations. Keep your blowing even and not too hard; that keeps your notes even and allows for smooth transition between the notes. When you want to play the notes on your penny whistle an octave higher, blow harder. The increased air pressure raises the pitch of your notes to the next octave.

5. Practice playing simple songs on your penny whistle. You can purchase beginner's books from your local music store or find free songs online (see resources). The more songs you play, the better you will become with your new penny whistle.

References

• Whistle This Penny Whistle Instruction
• How to Play Penny Whistle (video0

Resources

• Mel Bay Learn to Play the Penny Whistle
• Penny Whistle FIngering Chart
• Penny Whistle Tutorials
• Free Penny Whistle Music