Orki The Whistler
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@OrkiTheWhistler
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Tabs
O Little Town of Bethlehem
O Little Town of Bethlehem was written in 1868 at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia: the rector Phillips Brooks wrote the words after a visit to the Holy Land, and the organist Lewis Redner composed the tune “St. Louis” for the Sunday school. This is that American tune (British churches usually sing “Forest Green”), in G major from low D to high E. It is the most chromatic carol in the set, with two A sharps, played with the first, third, fourth and fifth holes covered, plus a few C naturals, so take the opening bar slowly until the A sharp to B step is clean.
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen is a traditional English carol printed on broadsides from around 1760, and the one a boy sings through Scrooge's keyhole in Dickens's A Christmas Carol. It is in E minor here, so on a D whistle it starts and ends on low E with only the bottom hole open, and the range never goes past high E. The C naturals in the “comfort and joy” refrain are the main fingering challenge, and the melody moves in steady steps, which makes it a good carol for building speed.
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing joins Charles Wesley's 1739 words to a melody from Felix Mendelssohn's 1840 Festgesang, which the English organist William H. Cummings fitted to the hymn in 1855. In G major the tune runs from low D to high E, with a bright, march-like rhythm that suits the whistle well. Watch for the repeated high Ds in the middle and the run of high Es in the refrain, and for its nine C naturals: get that cross-fingering comfortable before you play it at full speed.
Deck the Halls
Deck the Halls takes its tune from “Nos Galan”, a Welsh New Year's Eve melody far older than the English words Thomas Oliphant wrote for it in 1862. This tab is in G major, which keeps the whole carol on a D whistle (in D it would drop below the bottom note), so it runs from low F sharp to high G. The fa-la-la runs sit nicely under the fingers, but almost every line uses C natural, played with only the second and third holes covered, so practise moving between B, C natural and A until it is smooth.
O Come, All Ye Faithful
O Come, All Ye Faithful began as the Latin hymn “Adeste Fideles”, which the English Catholic John Francis Wade copied out in the 1740s; Frederick Oakeley's English words followed in 1841. The tab is in G major and stays between low D and high D, so there are no squeaky high notes to worry about. The fingering to practise is C natural, which turns up in the verse and again in the “O come, let us adore him” refrain, a slow climb that sounds best on a full, steady breath.
Away in a Manger (Cradle Song)
This is the “Cradle Song” setting of Away in a Manger, composed by William J. Kirkpatrick in 1895 and the tune most people in Britain and Ireland sing. In G major it runs from low D to high E, a little higher than the American tune, with a lilting 3/4 rhythm. Each half climbs to high D and E and then comes back down through C natural, so the cross-fingered C is the one move to get comfortable with before you play it through.
Away in a Manger
Away in a Manger is an American carol: the words first appeared in Philadelphia in 1885, and this tune, “Mueller”, was published by James R. Murray in 1887 and long wrongly credited to Martin Luther. It is the melody most people in the United States know, set here in G major between low D and high D, and its gentle 3/4 rocking makes it a calm, forgiving carol to learn. The opening high D falls straight through C natural, so practise that first bar until the cross-fingered C sits cleanly between D and B.
Good King Wenceslas
Good King Wenceslas sets John Mason Neale's 1853 words, about the Bohemian duke who goes out in the snow on the Feast of Stephen, to “Tempus adest floridum”, a spring carol printed in the 1582 collection Piae Cantiones. The tab is in G major and stays between low D and high D, moving in steady even notes, which makes it one of the easiest carols here to play in time. There are only three C naturals, all in the last two lines, and the tune ends on a long low G, so save enough breath for that final note.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
We Wish You a Merry Christmas is a traditional carol from the West Country of England, the one where the singers will not leave until they get their figgy pudding. This tab is in D major and sits higher than most carols, between G in the low octave and high A, so much of the tune is played in the second octave. The fingerings are all simple; the work is breath control, so practise the jumps up to high F sharp, G and A with slightly faster air until they speak cleanly.
Silent Night
Silent Night was first sung on Christmas Eve 1818 in Oberndorf, Austria, with music by Franz Xaver Gruber and words by Joseph Mohr. This tin whistle tab is in D major, the whistle's home key, so every note is a plain fingering. Most of the carol sits in the low octave; the one stretch is the last line, where the first “sleep in heavenly peace” climbs to high G before the tune steps back down to low D. Play it slowly with a gentle 6/8 sway and let the long notes ring.
Joy to the World
Joy to the World sets Isaac Watts's 1719 words to “Antioch”, the tune Lowell Mason arranged in 1839 from melodies then credited to Handel. In D major it opens with a full descending scale from high D to low D, which makes it one of the best carols for practising clean finger changes. Everything stays between low D and high D, and the one real test comes near the end: an octave leap from low D straight up to high D, so lift the top finger cleanly and give that note a little more air.
The First Noel
The First Noel is a traditional carol thought to come from Cornwall, first printed in the 1820s and 1830s in collections edited by Davies Gilbert and William Sandys. In D major it stays between low D and high D and uses only the plain whistle notes, which makes it one of the friendliest carols for beginners. The same rising phrase comes back again and again, so once you have the first line you have most of the tune; just hold the first note of each phrase long enough before the quick run up.
California Dreamin' (Flute Solo)
The soaring flute solo from The Mamas & the Papas' 1965 classic California Dreamin', arranged for a low D whistle so it sits in the same rich register as the original flute. A few half-holed sharps near the top make it an intermediate-plus workout.
Hijo de la Luna
Hijo de la Luna ("Child of the Moon") is Mecano's haunting Spanish ballad, a modern classic with a soaring minor-key melody. It lives mostly in the whistle's upper octave with a few half-holed sharps, so it rewards a steady breath and clean fingering. Repeat the whole tune for as long as you like.
My Heart Will Go On
My Heart Will Go On is the Oscar-winning love theme from Titanic, written by James Horner and made famous by Celine Dion. The section labels mark where the original changes key — grab the matching whistle for a sing-along, or just play it straight through on a D whistle.
Rooney's Favourite
Rooney’s Favourite is a modern Irish jig often mistaken for an older tune. The common D dorian session setting dips below the whistle’s low D, so this version is set up a fifth in A dorian — watch for the high C natural near the top, played with a half-holed C.
Blacksmith, The
The Blacksmith is a haunting English folk song made famous by Steeleye Span, also known as "A Blacksmith Courted Me." This B minor setting sits comfortably in the whistle’s range and makes a lovely, plaintive slow jig.
Calum's Road
Calum’s Road by Donald Shaw of Capercaillie honours Calum MacLeod, who spent ten years building a road to his Raasay township by hand. This A major setting fits the D whistle, with a high C sharp near the top to watch for.
Planxty Fitzgerald
Planxty Fitzgerald is a modern harp tune by Michael Rooney, so convincing in the old style that it is often mistaken for an O’Carolan piece. This G major setting stays within the whistle’s range and makes a lovely slow waltz.
Wrong Foot Forward
Wrong Foot Forward is a modern slip jig from the band Flook, a favourite of flute and whistle players. Mind the time signature: this setting runs in 7/8, which is exactly what gives the tune its off-balance lift.
Misty Mountains (The Hobbit)
The dwarves’ song from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, better known as Misty Mountains. This E minor setting sits low and dark on the D whistle, matching the mood of the scene by the fireside in Bag End.
Immigrant, The
The Immigrant is a slow waltz known from Joanie Madden’s whistle playing with Cherish the Ladies. This D major setting fits the whistle’s two octaves exactly and rewards gentle phrasing over speed.
Lyke Wake Dirge
The Lyke Wake Dirge is one of England’s oldest surviving songs, a stark Yorkshire funeral chant sung since at least the 1600s. The A minor melody spans barely an octave, so it plays beautifully on any whistle.
Lonesome Boatman, The
Finbar Furey’s The Lonesome Boatman may be the most famous tin whistle piece ever written. This D setting keeps the long haunting phrases exactly where whistle players expect them, so take it slow and let the notes ring.