Tin Whistle Games

The Minstrel Boy on the tin whistle

An Irish air for a D whistle, 20 notes. Press play to hear it on Penny's whistle, then learn it one note at a time.

20 notes. Press play, or Next note to go one at a time.

D

All six holes covered.

The notes

Each box is one bar. A + means the high octave: same fingers, blow a little harder. A longer line under a note means hold it longer.

    1. D
    1. G
    2. A
    3. C natural
    4. B
    5. A
    6. G
    1. B
    2. high D
    3. high G
    4. high F sharp
    5. high G
    1. high E
    2. high D
    3. B
    4. C natural
    5. high D
    6. B
    1. A
    2. G

Fingers for each note

  • D

  • G

  • A

  • B

  • C natural

  • high D

  • high E

  • high F sharp

  • high G

About the tune

The Minstrel Boy is an Irish air. It is tune 203 in O'Neill's Music of Ireland (1903), a book of 1,850 pieces collected by Francis O'Neill, then head of the Chicago police. The notes here are the first part of the tune as it is printed there (a scan of the book), set for a D whistle, with the ornaments left out.

Thomas Moore published his song The Minstrel Boy to this air in 1813, in his Irish Melodies. The air is called The Moreen, and there is no record of it before Moore printed it. Source: Wikipedia

How hard is it

Level
Harder
Notes
20
Range
D to G+
High notes
7 of 20
C natural
2 times. Cover only the second and third holes.

Keep going

All 18 tunesThe full finger chart

Every tune here also plays in Typing Meadow, our free typing music game for kids.