How to Play the Irish Whistle
An Irish Whistle, also known as a tin whistle or penny whistle, is a simply constructed instrument in the woodwind family, much like recorders or American Indian flutes. The Irish Whistle is tuned to a variety of diatonic scales. Learning to play the Irish Whistle isn't difficult. With a fingering chart, an Irish Whistle and simple sheet music, you can teach yourself how to play Celtic or popular melodies in a short time.
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Instructions
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1
Hold the whistle to your lips with your left hand on top of the whistle and your right hand beneath. Place your fingers over the top three holes of the whistle (closest to the mouthpiece), place the whistle between your lips and blow gently. This note is G. Ensure your lips are resting fully against the end of the mouthpiece and that you don't blow too hard. This helps avoid uneven are squeaky notes.
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2
Practice placing your fingers over the six holes of your flute in various combinations. Lift your third finger away from the hole it's covering, changing your G note to an A. Blow gently into the whistle to play this note. Lift your second finger next, so that only one finger remains on the whistle. This gives you a B note. Play the B.
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3
Practice playing F, E and D notes by covering the four top holes for the F, five holes for the E and six holes for the D. Use the same gentle, smooth blowing pattern as before.
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4
Play two additional notes. The first is a D sharp. Cover all holes except the top hole of the whistle and blow with a little more pressure than you used for the other notes. When the note comes out fully, this is a D sharp. To add a C sharp, simply blow into your Irish Whistle with all holes uncovered.
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5
Practice playing the notes in this order: D, E, F sharp, G, A, B, C sharp and D sharp. When you can play these notes fluidly, you're ready to begin playing simple songs on your Irish Whistle.
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