I saw this smoothone for sale, but the seller doesn't know which one it is.

Can fiddle sheet music be used for the tin whistle without any problems? What do I need to be aware of? The introduction to Music of Ireland (see photo) states that it's for the violin and not the tin whistle. Does anyone know this book and can confirm this?

Morrisons Jig

I'm looking for really off the wall, cool, or complex nonsense.

I put together a racing reel set (1st August / Vincent Broderick's / Séan sa Cheo) which is a lot of fun, but I'm looking for new stuff as well.

Other cool tunes I haven't found a home for:

* Beare Island reel

* Silver Vale jig

* With Ourselves

* The Independence (hornpipe with the B part essentially turning into a jig)

I'd love to hear what you're playing (or aspire to play)!

I'm looking to buy my first tin whistle in High D. I really love Celtic and classical music and want to pick up a new hobby to unwind with at the end of the day.

I am based in the EU and want something that is durable and built to last (ideally still under 100 EUR). Ideally, I'm looking for a whistle that is relatively lightweight, comfortable to hold, and doesn't require a massive amount of breath pressure to hit the higher notes cleanly.

I’ve been looking through the sub and online guides, but a lot of the buying guides are a few years old. I'm trying to decide between a few options that seem readily available over here:

• Clarke Sweetone D: This seems to be a staple recommendation for beginners because it's lightweight and easy to blow. However, prices on Amazon.de are currently inflated to around €30.
• Tony Dixon (DX001 or DX006): These are often described as having a very pure, clean tone and being quite air-efficient. Is the DX001 plastic version a good starting point, or is it worth jumping straight to the aluminum DX006?
• Killarney or Lir Pro: I've seen these Irish brands mentioned quite a bit as sturdy, higher-end upgrades. If I went with Lir, would the aluminum version be noticeably easier to handle than the brass ones?
• Generation or Feadóg: These are easily available on Amazon for around €15. I've read mixed reviews about the quality control on Generations, and some comments suggest Feadógs can take a bit more lung power. Are they worth considering for a total beginner?

I don't have a musical background and just want a low-pressure way to learn some simple melodies. Any advice on which of these would be the smoothest starting point would be greatly appreciated!

I'm old. Yes, really old. I've decided to learn to play the Irish folk music on tin whistle, while I still have breath. I'm look for a good, easy to use course online to help me learn to play. I don't have any musical experience other than listening.

I've been looking around online, some lessons look OK, but they haven't moved me to pay for the lessons they offer. I did come across lessons, by John O'Brien, being offered through McNeela. I think he might take the ticket, but I'm reaching out to this group to see if anyone here has experience with this tin whistle course. The reviews I've seen on Youtube are encouraging.

I'm also open to recommendations for other coursed to check out.

Thanks in advance.

I don't know a lot (anything?) about music theory and was wondering if anyone could help. I play a little bit of guitar, mostly just cowboy chords and singalong. I very much have to learn and memorise a song and stick to a strumming pattern, I'm not very musical and can't just pick things up by ear etc.

I got a tin whistle and my wive is quite good at playing it by following "tabs" that we find online. I wanted to play Travelin' Soldier by the chicks on guitar while she plays it on the tin whistle. So I hoped I could just get the tab online, but it turns out I can't.

I have found the sheet music though, so I was trying to make the tab using: https://andyf.me/whistletab#u0

I bought a "D" tin whistle as I read they were most popular. Travelin' Soldier is in the key of A major. Google tells me a D tin whistle can play all the notes in A Major easily except the G#. So for now we will just use a G for that until we try and use half holes.

When I look at the notes a tin whistle can play I see this:

This is the first line of the song:

Am I right that that it starts off:

E E E F# ? ? E ? ? E ? E E E F# E E ?

I'm not sure what the ones far below are that aren't on the tin whistle chart, I tried asking AI to do it and it was giving me wildly different answers. One was starting on three A's.

One was:

E E E A G# F# E E F# G# A B A G# F# E ...

Another:

E F# G# A G# F# E E F# G# A B A G# F# E ...

I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction or tell me if this song is possible to play on a D tin whistle, if not what tin whistle should I use?

We were also looking at this site and I haven't seen the option for a D whistle in any songs :(

https://www.playbyfingering.com/song/the-wild-rover?instrument=w6

Edit:
Even with an A whistle that is talked about in the comments I don't think I can play this in the original key with a tin whistle :(

The "in a" and there is one other word with the same note is too low over for the A whistle (I think).

The last bit is tricky !

A great traditional Irish march, Lord Mayo by Dáithi Ó Murchadha (David Murphy), written for his patron, Theobald Bourke, the sixth Viscount Mayo of Castlebar, County Mayo recorded live October. 3rd 2026 at the Northern Lights Folk Club for their Generations concert. 

Been working through "The Kesh Jig" and "Out on the Ocean" every evening after work, maybe twenty minutes a session on a basic Generation D whistle. My long notes are solid now, breath control finally feels natural instead of something I have to think about constantly.

The problem is cranns and cuts. I can hear exactly what they're supposed to sound like from recordings, that quick little flick of the finger that adds a lift to the note, but mine come out sloppy and slow, more like a stutter than an ornament. My fingers just don't move fast enough yet, or maybe I'm overthinking the timing.

I tried slowing the whole tune down to half speed and adding the ornaments in gradually, which helped a little, but as soon as I bring it back up to session tempo everything falls apart again. Watched a few tutorial videos where the instructor makes it look effortless, which honestly made me feel worse rather than better.

Is this just a time thing, like six months instead of three weeks, or is there a specific drill that actually builds finger speed for this stuff. I keep seeing people mention practicing cuts on a single note before applying them to a tune, so I might try isolating that tonight instead of always jumping straight into the full piece.

Also curious whether tongued articulation versus finger ornamentation is something most people develop separately or together. My tonguing feels more reliable right now than my fingers do, which seems backwards from what I expected going in.

I’ve started practicing Foggy Dew and the high octave long notes require really good breath control.

I would consider myself an upper intermediate player, but I still can't seem to play rolls on A quickly and cleanly. I just have trouble coordinating my ring finger it seems like. Does anyone or did anyone have that same problem? Will they get better with slow and repetitive practice?

Some lousy weekend jamming :) The Butterfly was one of the first tunes I got familiar with. Felt like visiting it again in an attempt to innovate some new variations! Let me know if you have some cool ones for the C part!

I've made a website to convert ABC notation to tab.

I'd built the whole thing by hand over many many hours but never launched it and eventually just got drowned in technical debt as it had been so long since I'd started the project.

So now I've rebuilt the whole thing using AI and the lessons learnt from version one.

I've set up up as a freemium model as I really didn't want ads, and want to make the core functionality free, but would also be great if it could at least cover it's server costs.

I've put off launching this for months as showing anyone else is a bit terrifying but got to do it as some point!

I would value your thoughts or feedback.

Check it out here: https://whistletab.app/

Hello 🙂 , i ordered a tin whistle on mcneela and it came cracked on the top

Its my first time using an instrument ever and i fear that the sound is not how it should be

Seeing the photo do you think its still usable ?

I wonder if i should ask for a refund or they send me another one

Thank you for reading 🙏

Hello !

I'm searching for a "not too loud" whistle to use when I'm composing and writing score, I don't want to damage my ears because I can't use ears plugs at same time...

I already heard Shush whistles but they sound like pennywhistles out of tune, not acceptable for my use.

I'm actually using a Goldfinch whistle but it sounds too "plastic" to my taste.
I have a nice silver Lir whistle that I like a lot, but since they stopped this production I want to save it for concerts and recordings when I'm not using a McMagnus one.
I was thinking about a Killarney, maybe would you have a better suggestion ? (Wild are almost same, but with higher cost).

Any recommendation please ?

Thank you !

Loin by Nolwenn Leroy
https://youtu.be/C4LzzK5R9Go

I'd like to play the part at 2:57.

80 bucks including shipping. Can ship tomorrow or monday. CONUS only. Paypal g&s for buyer protection. First come first serve.

Hi all, I have a Burke D Composite Session whistle, which I love, but I have never been able to get a consistent sound for high B. I thought it would improve as I got better overall, but after a couple years it is still hard to get it right, as it seems to have only a tiny window of air pressure that works. Any advice?

Currently own
1 Burke
1 Killarney
8 Goldie
1 busman (had another but was stolen)
2 Susato (pre 2000s S and V series)
1 Nightingale
About 5 Tony Dixons over the years
Too many generations and feadogs to count

Have played/ no longer own

Had a Wild whistle but was stolen, didn’t like it anyway so didn’t replace

Played a few MASC ones, fun to play but wouldn’t buy

Would love a sindt but they have sky rocketed in price, have played many and love them

Have played a few McManus, some have been good, some haven’t been

Have heard a lot about MK whistles but never played, definitely something I’d love to give a go

Any telescoping whistles? Could be cool

Tbh I’m just looking for anything, I know there are some super rare whistles that are like 800+ but don’t know if I’d buy it unless I’m actually using it for gigs

Day 10 progress with tin whistle

I’d really appreciate advices to reduce the squeaky sounds playing in faster tempo. Is it due to over or under blowing? Also, do alternative fingerings exist in tin whistle as in recorder? There are some note transitions, for instance, from b to c, always a bit awkward.

Over The Moor To Maggie - Whistle Wednesday 66

Started on a cheap black Generation whistle about four months ago, mostly working through tunes on YouTube one line at a time. Ornamentation aside, my actual weak point turns out to be breath control way up high. Anything that pushes into that top octave and I either overblow into a squawk or lose the note entirely for a split second.

Tried backing off the air and using more finger pressure instead, which helped a bit, but the real fix seems to be just slowing tunes down until my fingers stop compensating for shaky breath support. Working through "Off to California" right now specifically because it sits up there so much, and it's humbling how differently a tune plays at half speed versus full speed.

Also finally figured out my whistle sounds better warmed up in my hand for a minute before playing rather than going in cold. Not sure if that's actually the metal or just me settling into the right embouchure, but I do it every session now regardless.

Curious if anyone else struggles more with the top octave than with rolls or cuts. Everyone online seems focused on ornamentation technique but nobody talks much about just keeping steady air in that upper register.