Tin Whistle Games

Off to California on the tin whistle

An Irish hornpipe for a D whistle, 64 notes. Press play to hear it on Penny's whistle, then learn it one note at a time.

64 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
    2. E
    3. F sharp
    1. G
    2. F sharp
    3. G
    4. B
    5. A
    6. G
    7. E
    8. D
    1. G
    2. B
    3. high D
    4. high G
    5. high E
    6. high D
    7. high E
    8. high F sharp
    1. high G
    2. high F sharp
    3. high G
    4. high D
    5. high E
    6. high D
    7. B
    8. G
    1. A
    2. B
    3. A
    4. G
    5. E
    6. D
    7. E
    8. F sharp
    1. G
    2. F sharp
    3. G
    4. B
    5. A
    6. G
    7. E
    8. D
    1. G
    2. B
    3. high D
    4. high G
    5. high E
    6. high D
    7. high E
    8. high F sharp
    1. high G
    2. high F sharp
    3. high G
    4. high D
    5. high E
    6. high D
    7. B
    8. G
    1. A
    2. B
    3. A
    4. F sharp
    5. G

Fingers for each note

  • D

  • E

  • F sharp

  • G

  • A

  • B

  • high D

  • high E

  • high F sharp

  • high G

About the tune

Off to California is an Irish hornpipe. It is tune 1628 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.

Francis O'Neill learned it in the San Joaquin Valley of California when he was 19. Source: The Traditional Tune Archive

How hard is it

Level
Harder
Notes
64
Range
D to G+
High notes
24 of 64

Keep going

All 18 tunesThe full finger chart

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