Tin Whistle Games

The Rakes of Mallow on the tin whistle

An Irish polka for a D whistle, 39 notes. Press play to hear it on Penny's whistle, then learn it one note at a time.

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

G

Top three 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. G
    2. B
    3. G
    4. B
    1. G
    2. B
    3. C natural
    4. B
    5. A
    6. G
    1. F sharp
    2. A
    3. F sharp
    4. A
    1. F sharp
    2. A
    3. high D
    4. C natural
    5. B
    6. A
    1. G
    2. B
    3. G
    4. B
    1. G
    2. B
    3. high D
    4. B
    1. C natural
    2. B
    3. A
    4. G
    5. F sharp
    6. G
    7. A
    8. C natural
    1. B
    2. G
    3. G

Fingers for each note

  • F sharp

  • G

  • A

  • B

  • C natural

  • high D

About the tune

The Rakes of Mallow is an Irish polka. It is tune 1814 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.

Its earliest known printing is in Walsh's Caledonian Country Dances, published in London in 1733. Source: The Traditional Tune Archive

How hard is it

Level
Easier
Notes
39
Range
F♯ to D+
High notes
2 of 39
C natural
4 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.