Cooley's Reel and Easy Reels for Tin Whistle Beginners

Cooley's Reel is on this site as a full tab, but it is tagged intermediate, and it makes a better third reel than a first one. Learn the reel rhythm on an easier tune, then take that steady pulse to Cooley's. Below are three easy reels that work in Play Mode, one intermediate step up, and then Cooley's Reel itself, with what each tab actually asks of your fingers and your breath.

What a reel asks of you

A reel is written in 4/4 (sometimes 2/2) and moves in an almost unbroken stream of eighth notes, two to each beat and grouped in fours, rather than the groups of three you hear in a jig. The weight falls on beats one and three, and the tune should feel level and driving, not bouncy. Because the notes rarely stop, a reel tests two things before it tests speed: an even pulse, and breathing you have planned in advance.

If you already play a few of the easy Irish jigs, your fingers will want to lilt. The reel rhythm exercise drills the straight, even feel on simple notes, so you can hear whether you are really playing even eighths before you add a new tune on top.

Two tabs called Cooley's that are not Cooley's Reel

Search the site for "Cooley's" and two easy tabs turn up besides the reel. Neither one is Cooley's Reel.

• Cooley's is a hornpipe written in G major. Hornpipes are played with a heavier, swung lilt, which is the opposite of the even flow you are trying to learn here.
• Seamus Cooley's is a jig in 6/8.

Both are good tunes. Just do not learn them as preparation for the reel with the same name.

Three easy reels to learn first

All three are tagged easy and all three work in Play Mode, which scores your notes and timing as the tune runs. None of them has a backing track, so set Play Mode to 50% tempo and let it be your metronome.

The Broken Pledge

The Broken Pledge is in D and runs from bottom D up to F# in the second octave. Its first bar shows you the shape of the whole tune: it starts on D in the second octave, walks down through C#, A and G, and lands on a held bottom D. That fall from top D to bottom D keeps coming back, so once your fingers own it, a good part of the tune is already learnt.

The one thing that makes it harder than its tag suggests is the triplets. A quick B, C#, D turns up in both parts. Play the three notes evenly in the time of two, and slow the whole tune until they fit without rushing the bar around them.

For breathing, use that held bottom D in the first bar (it comes back in the fifth). Shorten it slightly and breathe in the space you made, then come in on the next note on time.

Blackberry Blossom

The site's Blackberry Blossom is also in D and covers the same range, bottom D to F# in the second octave. The first part stays low, circling A, F#, E and D in the bottom octave. The second part opens on a long D in the second octave and climbs to F#. Both parts end on B, which gives the tune a darker, minor colour than the D scale suggests.

It is generous with breathing room for a reel. There is a held D in the second bar, long Bs closing each half, and a long D and a long F# near the start of the second part. Breathe on one of those every two bars at first, then every four as the tune settles.

Sleepy Maggie

Sleepy Maggie is the shortest of the three: two parts of four bars, each played twice. It also sits higher than the other two. More than half its notes are in the second octave, and it never goes below the bottom G, so the bottom D and E never come up.

The first bar holds its one real challenge: after a held E in the second octave, the tune jumps from low A straight up to A in the second octave. Both notes use the same fingering, so the change is all in your air. Blow a little faster for the top A without pinching your lips or changing fingers. The second part leans on repeated low As (E, A, A, A). Separate each one with your tongue so they do not blur into one long note.

The held Es and Gs at the start of the first part's bars are the only long notes in the tune. Take your breath just before one of them by shortening the note in front.

The breathing and air control guide goes deeper on taking a breath without dropping the beat, which matters more in a reel than in any other tune type.

The step up: The Maid Behind the Bar

The Maid Behind the Bar is tagged intermediate, but it works in Play Mode, so it makes a good bridge between the easy reels and Cooley's. It is in D and runs from bottom D to B in the second octave. The first part opens on F#, A, A, B and stays mostly in the bottom octave. The second part starts in the second octave and reaches that top B.

Every part ends on a long bottom D, two full beats, which is the most comfortable breathing point of any tune in this post. If you can play this one at a slow, steady tempo in Play Mode, you are ready for Cooley's.

Two other intermediate reels are worth having on the list, though both are tab-only without Play Mode. Silver Spear opens on F# and repeated As and climbs to B in the second octave. Drowsy Maggie circles low E and B in its first part and reaches A in the second octave in its second.

Cooley's Reel

Cooley's Reel runs from bottom D to A in the second octave and uses C#, never C natural. After a single lead-in D, the first part is built on a figure you will recognise as soon as you play it: E, B, B, A, B, repeated with small changes. Both parts include a straight run up the second octave from D to A (D, E, F#, G, A), which is the passage to practise on its own until it is even. The second part starts high, on G, F# and E in the second octave, before dropping back to B.

The tab gives the notes without their lengths, so the rhythm has to come from your ear. Listen to a recording a few times before you start, and play along slowly. Without the long notes to guide you, plan to breathe at the end of each part and halfway through it, dropping a single note to make room. That is general session practice rather than something marked in the tab.

Questions players ask

Is the easy "Cooley's" tab the same tune as Cooley's Reel?

No. The easy tab called Cooley's is a hornpipe in G, and Seamus Cooley's is a 6/8 jig. Cooley's Reel is its own intermediate tab.

What key is Cooley's Reel in?

It is usually described as E minor, more exactly E dorian, which keeps the C#. On a D whistle that means you never need a C natural: the tab uses C# only.

Who is Cooley's Reel named after?

It is named after the East Galway button accordion player Joe Cooley, who made it popular.

How fast should a beginner play a reel?

Only as fast as you can keep every note even and still breathe on time. A slow reel with a steady pulse is closer to right than a fast one that rushes and drags.