View source for Tin whistle

{{Short description|Six-holed woodwind instrument}}
{{Infobox Instrument
|name=Tin whistle
|image=Tin Whistles.jpg
|image_capt=Several high D tin whistles<br /> from left to right: Clarke Sweetone; Shaw (customised); O'Brien; Reyburn; Generation (customised); Copeland; Overton
|background=woodwind
|names=Penny whistle
|classification=
* [[Woodwind]]
* [[Wind instrument]]
* [[Aerophone]]
* [[Simple system flute]]
|range=Two octaves
|hornbostel_sachs=421.221.12
|hornbostel_sachs_desc=Open flute with internal duct and fingerholes
|related=
* [[Irish flute]]
* [[Pipe and tabor]]
* [[Fife (musical instrument)|Fife]]
* [[Flageolet]]
* [[Recorder (musical instrument)|Recorder]]
}}

The '''tin whistle''', also known as the '''penny whistle''',<ref>''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''</ref> is a simple six-holed [[woodwind]] instrument. It is a type of [[fipple flute]], a class of instrument which also includes the [[recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]] and [[Native American flute]]. A tin whistle player is called a whistler. The tin whistle is closely associated with [[Irish traditional music]] and [[Celtic music]]. Other names for the instrument are the '''flageolet''', '''English flageolet''', '''Scottish penny whistle''', '''tin flageolet''', or '''Irish whistle''' (also {{langx|ga|'''feadóg stáin''' or '''feadóg'''}}).

== History ==
The tin whistle in its modern form is from a wider family of [[fipple flute]]s which have been seen in many forms and cultures throughout the world.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.historicalfolktoys.com/catcont/5301.html|title=Historical Folk Toys – Catalog Continuation Page: Penny Whistle in D|website=Historicalfolktoys.com|access-date=2017-09-18}}</ref> In Europe, such instruments have a long and distinguished history and take various forms, of which the most widely known are the [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]], tin whistle, [[Flabiol]], [[Txistu]] and [[Pipe and tabor|tabor pipe]].

=== Predecessors ===

Almost all early cultures had a type of fipple flute, and it is most likely the first pitched flute-type instrument in existence.<ref>The tin whistle tutor Edition: 3 – 1991 By Michael Raven</ref> Examples found to date include a [[Divje Babe Flute|possible Neanderthal fipple flute]] from [[Slovenia]], which according to some scientists may date from 81,000 to 53,000 BC;<ref name="ReferenceA">The Clarke Tin Whistle By Bill Ochs</ref><ref name="ReferenceB">The Essential Guide to Irish Flute and Tin Whistle By Grey Larsen</ref><ref>The Neanderthal Flute, Crosscurrents #183 1997 Greenwich Publishing Canada</ref> a German flute from 35,000 years ago; and a flute, known as the Malham Pipe, made from sheep's bone in [[West Yorkshire]] dating to the [[Iron Age]].<ref>The Malham Iron-Age Pipe, by A. Raistrick, Professor Spaul and Eric Todd © 1952</ref> (A revised dating of the Malham Pipe now places it within the early medieval period.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Sermon|first1=Richard|last2=Todd|first2=John F.J.|date=2018-01-02|title=The Malham Pipe: A Reassessment of Its Context, Dating and Significance|journal=Northern History|language=en|volume=55|issue=1|pages=5–43|doi=10.1080/0078172X.2018.1426178|s2cid=165674780|issn=0078-172X}}</ref>) Written sources that describe a fipple-type flute include the [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] tibia and [[Greece|Greek]] aulos. In the early Middle Ages, peoples of northern Europe were playing the instrument as seen in 3rd-century [[United Kingdom|British]] bone flutes,<ref>English Medieval Bone Flutes c. 450 – c.1550 AD. By Helen Leaf</ref> and Irish [[Brehon Law]] describes a flute-like instrument. By the 12th century, Italian flutes came in a variety of sizes,<ref>''[[Cambridge Companions to Music|The Cambridge Companion to the Recorder]]'' [[John M Thomson|John Mansfield, Thomson]] et al, 1995 Cambridge</ref><ref>Performance practice: a dictionary-guide for musicians By Roland John Jackson</ref> and fragments of 12th-century Norman bone whistles have been found in [[Ireland]], as well as an intact 14&nbsp;cm Tusculum clay whistle from the 14th century in [[Scotland]]. In the 17th century, whistles were called flageolets, a term to describe a whistle with a French-made fipple headpiece (common to the modern penny whistle); and such instruments are linked to the development of the English flageolet, French flageolet and recorders of the [[renaissance]] and [[baroque]] period.<ref>''Whistler's Pocket Companion'' By Dona Gilliam, Mizzy McCaskill</ref> The term flageolet is still preferred by some modern tin whistlers, who feel that this better describes the instrument, as the term characterises a wide variety of fipple flutes, including penny whistles.<ref name="ReferenceC">Mel Bays Complete Irish Tin Whistle Book By Mizzy McCaskill, Dona Gilliam</ref><ref>The tin whistle tutor the best – 1991 By Michael Raven</ref>

=== 19th century ===
The modern penny whistle is indigenous to [[Great Britain]] and [[Ireland]],<ref name="ReferenceC"/> in particular to England,<ref name="ReferenceC"/> when factory-made "tin whistles" were produced by Robert Clarke from 1840 to 1889 in [[Manchester]], and later New Moston, England. Down to 1900, they were also marketed as "Clarke London Flageolets" or "Clarke Flageolets".<ref name="Dannatt">Dannatt</ref> The whistle's [[Fingering (music)|fingering]] system is similar to that of the six-hole, "[[Irish flute|simple system Irish flutes]]" ("simple" in comparison to [[Boehm system]] flutes). The six-hole, diatonic system is also used on [[baroque music|baroque]] flutes, and was of course well-known before Robert Clarke began producing his tin whistles. Clarke's first whistle, the Meg, was pitched in high A, and was later made in other keys suitable for Victorian parlour music. The company showed the whistles in [[The Great Exhibition]] of 1851.<ref name="DannattCollection">{{cite web
 |author      = Dannatt, Norman
 |title       = Antique Clarke whistle collection
 |url         = http://www.chiffandfipple.com/normanscollection.htm
 |access-date  = 10 July 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060511084259/http://www.chiffandfipple.com/normanscollection.htm
 |archive-date = 11 May 2006
}}</ref> The Clarke tin whistle is voiced somewhat on an organ-pipe with a flattened tube forming the lip of the fipple mouthpiece,<ref>The Oxford companion to musical instruments By Anthony Baines</ref> and is usually made from rolled tin sheet or brass. They were mass-produced and widespread due to their relative affordability.

As the penny whistle was generally considered a toy,<ref name="ReferenceA"/> it has been suggested that children or street musicians were paid a penny by those who heard them playing the whistle. However, in reality, the instrument was so called because it could be purchased for a penny.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> The name "tin-whistle" was also coined as early as 1825<ref name="OED">{{Cite web|title=Home : Oxford English Dictionary|url=https://www.oed.com/|access-date=2023-02-07|website=www.oed.com|language=en}}</ref> but neither the tin whistle nor the penny whistle name seems to have been common until the 20th century.{{efn|The words "tin whistle" and "pennywhistle" in any [[English compound|compound form]] do not generally appear in early-20th-century dictionaries, encyclopedias, or thesauri.}} The instrument became popular in several musical traditions, namely: [[Folk music of England|English]],<ref name="ReferenceB"/> [[Music of Scotland|Scottish]],<ref name="ReferenceA"/> [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish]] and<ref name="ReferenceB"/> [[American folk music|American]] traditional music.<ref name="ReferenceB"/><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.yourirish.com/culture/music/tin-whistle|title=Traditional Tin Whistle - Irish Musical Instruments - YourIrish|last=Anraí|first=Róisín|date=2014-08-27|website=Yourirish.com|access-date=2017-09-18|language=en-US}}</ref>

Due to its affordability, the tin whistle was a popular household instrument, as ubiquitous as the harmonica.<ref name="ReferenceA"/> In the second half of the 19th century, some flute manufacturers such as Barnett Samuel and Joseph Wallis also sold whistles. These had cylindrical brass tubes. Like many old whistles, they had [[lead]] fipple plugs, and since lead is [[lead poisoning|poisonous]], caution should be exercised before playing an old whistle.

==== Low whistle ====

While whistles have most often been produced in higher pitches, the "low" whistle has historically been produced. The Museum of Fine Arts, [[Boston]], in the United States, has in its collection an example of a 19th-century low whistle from the [[Galpin collection]].<ref name="TinWhistlePage">{{cite web | title=Tin Whistle Page – History of The Irish Penny Whistle | url=https://www.celticmusicinstruments.com/tin-whistle-page/|website=Celticmusicinstruments.com | date=3 October 2015|access-date=8 June 2016 }}</ref>

=== Modern tin whistle ===
[[Image:Tinwhistles.jpg|right|thumb|Contemporary tin whistles in several keys]]
{{listen
 | filename     = AllPlasticTinWhistle.ogg
 | title        = All Plastic Tin Whistle
 | description  = Sample of music played on all plastic tin whistle in the key of D.
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
 | filename2    = MetalTinWhistleWoodenStop.ogg
 | title2       = Metal Tin Whistle with Wooden Stop
 | description2 = Sample of music played on key of D metal tin whistle with wooden stop.
 | format2      = [[Ogg]]
 | filename3    = MetalTinWhistlePlastic Fipple.ogg
 | title3       = Metal Tin Whistle with Plastic Fipple
 | description3 = Sample of music played on key of D metal tin whistle with plastic fipple.
 | format3      = [[Ogg]]
}}

The most common whistles today are made of [[brass]] or [[electroplating|nickel-plated]] brass, with a [[plastic]] mouthpiece, which contains the [[fipple]]. Generation, Feadóg, Oak, Acorn, Soodlum's (now Walton's), and other brands fall in this category.

The Generation Whistle was introduced in 1966, and featured a brass tube with a lead fipple. Founded by businessman and engineer Alfred Brown in Oswestry, Shropshire, their most popular whistle, the Generation Flageolet, was introduced in 1968.<ref name="Generation Whistles">{{cite web | title=Generation Whistles | url=https://bigwhistle.co.uk/generation-whistles/|website=Big Whistle |access-date=28 November 2022}}</ref> The design was updated somewhat over the years, most notably the substitution of a plastic fipple for the lead fipple.

Although most whistles have a cylindrical bore, other designs exist, for example a conical sheet metal whistle with a wooden stop in the wide end to form the fipple, the Clarke's brand being the most prevalent. Other less common variants are the all-metal whistle, the [[Polyvinyl chloride|PVC]] whistle, the Flanna square holed whistle, and the wooden whistle.

Gaining popularity as a folk instrument in the early 19th-century Celtic music revivals, penny whistles now play an integral part in several folk traditions. Whistles are a prevalent starting instrument in [[Folk music of England|English traditional music]], [[Music of Scotland|Scottish traditional music]] and [[Folk music of Ireland|Irish traditional music]], since they are usually inexpensive; relatively easy to play, free of tricky [[embouchure]] such as found with the [[transverse flute]]; and use fingerings are nearly identical to those on traditional six-holed flutes, such as the [[Irish flute]] and the [[Baroque flute]]. The tin whistle is a good starting instrument to learn the [[uilleann pipes]], which has similar finger technique, range of notes and repertoire. The tin whistle is the most popular instrument in Irish traditional music today.<ref name="VallelyCompanion">Vallely et al., p. 397</ref>

In recent years, a number of instrument builders have started lines of "high-end" hand-made whistles, which can cost dozens of times more than cheap whistles, but nevertheless are cheaper than most other instruments. These companies are typically either a single individual or a very small group of craftsmen who work closely together. The instruments are distinguished from the inexpensive whistles in that each whistle is individually manufactured and "voiced" by a skilled person rather than made in a factory.

== Tuning ==
=== Whistle keys ===
The whistle is [[musical tuning|tuned]] [[diatonic]]ally, which allows it to be used to easily play music in every standard mode. The whistle is identified by its lowest note, which is the [[Tonic (music)|tonic]] of the [[Major scale|major key]]. This method of determining the key of the instrument is different from the method used to determine the key of a [[Chromatic scale|chromatic]] instrument, which is based on the relationship between notes on a score and sounded pitch.<ref name="CFDeciphersKeys">Wisely</ref>

Whistles are available in all 12 chromatic keys; however, the most common whistles are pitched in D, followed by whistles in C and F, G, and then B{{music|flat}} and E{{music|flat}}, with other keys being somewhat rarer.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.burkewhistles.com/Whistles-By-Key_c_16.html|title=Whistles By Key|website=Burkewhistles.com|access-date=12 January 2021}}</ref> The D whistle can easily play notes in the keys of D and G major. Since the D major key is lower these whistles are identified as ''D whistles''. The next most common whistle tuning is a ''C whistle'', which can easily play notes in the keys of C and F major. The D whistle is by far the most common choice for Irish and Scottish music.

Although the whistle is essentially a [[diatonic]] instrument, it is possible to get notes outside the principal major key of the whistle, either by ''half-holing'' (partially covering the highest open finger hole) or by ''cross-fingering'' (covering some holes while leaving some higher ones open). However, half-holing is somewhat more difficult to do correctly, and whistles are available in all keys, so for other keys a whistler will typically use a different whistle instead, reserving half-holing for [[Accidental (music)|accidentals]]. Some whistle designs allow a single mouthpiece to be used on differently keyed bodies.

==== Low whistle ====
{{Main|Low whistle}}
During the 1960s revival of traditional Irish music, the low whistle was "recreated" by Bernard Overton at the request of [[Finbar Furey]].<ref name="LowWhistleBook">Hannigan and Ledsam</ref>

There are larger whistles which, by virtue of being longer and wider, produce tones an octave (or in rare cases two octaves) lower. Whistles in this category are likely to be made of metal or plastic tubing, sometimes with a tuning-slide head, and are almost always referred to as ''low whistles'' but sometimes called ''concert whistles''. The low whistle operates on identical principles to the standard whistles, but musicians in the tradition may consider it a separate instrument.

The term ''soprano whistle'' is sometimes used for higher-pitched whistles when it is necessary to distinguish them from low whistles.

== Playing technique ==
=== Fingering and range ===
[[File:Young man demonstrating a tin whistle.jpg|thumb|right|upright|Young man demonstrating the use of a tin whistle]]
[[File:Tin whistle fingering chart in D.png|thumb|Fingering for the [[diatonic scale]] on a D tin whistle: I, II, III, IV, V, VI, {{music|b}}VII, {{music|natural}}VII, I' {{audio|Tin whistle fingering chart.mid|Play on D}}]]

The notes are selected by opening or closing holes with the fingers. Holes are typically covered with the pads of the fingers, but some players, particularly when negotiating the larger holes and spacing in [[low whistle]]s, may employ the "piper's grip". With all the holes closed, the whistle generates its lowest note. This lowest available note is commonly referred to as the whistle’s “bell tone”. Successively opening holes from the bottom upward produces the rest of the notes of the scale in sequence: with the lowest hole open it generates the second, with the lowest two holes open, it produces the third and so on. With all six holes open, it produces the seventh.

As with a number of woodwind instruments, the tin whistle's second and higher registers are achieved by increasing the air velocity into the ducted flue windway.<ref>{{cite book
| last = Benade
| first = Arthur H.
| title = Fundamentals of Musical Acoustics
| location = New York
| publisher = Dover
| year = 1990
| page = 492}}</ref>
On a transverse flute this is generally done by narrowing the lip/embouchure.<ref name="FluteAcoustics">Wolfe</ref> Since the size and direction of the tin whistle's windway is fixed, like that of the [[Recorder (musical instrument)|recorder]] or [[fipple]] flute, it is necessary to increase the velocity of the air stream. (See [[overblowing]]).

Fingering in the second register is generally the same as in the first/fundamental, though alternate fingerings are sometimes employed in the higher end of the registers to correct a flattening effect caused by higher air column velocity.<ref name="FingeringChart">Gross</ref> Also, the tonic note of the second register is usually played with the top hole of the whistle partially uncovered instead of covering all holes as with the tonic note of the first register; this makes it harder to accidentally drop into the first register and helps to correct pitch. Recorders perform this by "pinching" open the dorsal thumb hole.

Various other notes (relatively flat or sharp with respect to those of the major scale) can be accessed by ''cross fingering'' techniques, and all the notes (except the lowest of each octave/register) can be flattened by ''half holing''. Perhaps the most effective and most used cross fingering is that which produces a flattened form of the seventh note (B{{music|flat}} instead of B on a C whistle, for example, or C{{music|natural}} instead of C{{music|sharp}} on a D whistle). This makes available another major scale (F on a C whistle, G on a D whistle).

The standard range of the whistle is two octaves. For a D whistle, this includes notes from D<sub>5</sub> to D<sub>7</sub>; that is, from the second D above [[middle C]] to the fourth D above middle C. It is possible to make sounds above this range, by blowing with sufficient force, but, in most musical contexts, the result will be loud and out of tune due to a cylindrical bore.

=== Ornamentation ===
Traditional whistle playing uses a number of [[ornament (music)|ornaments]] to embellish the music, including cuts, strikes and rolls. Most playing is [[legato]] with ornaments to create breaks between notes, rather than tongued. The traditional music concept of the word "ornamentation" differs somewhat from that of [[European classical music]] in that ornaments are more commonly changes in how a note is articulated rather than the addition of separately-perceived notes to the piece.<ref name="LarsenOrnamentation">Larsen</ref> Common ornaments and articulations include:

;Cuts: ''Cuts'' are very briefly lifting a finger above the note being sounded without interrupting airflow into the whistle. For example, a player playing a low D on a D whistle can cut the note by very briefly lifting the first finger of their lower hand. This causes the pitch to briefly shift upward. The cut can be performed either at the very start of the note or after the note has begun to sound; some people call the latter a "''double cut''" or a "''mid-note cut''."
;Strikes: ''Strikes'' or ''taps'' are similar to cuts except that a finger below the sounded note is briefly lowered to the whistle. For example, if a player is playing a low E on a D whistle the player could tap by quickly lowering and raising their bottom finger. Both cuts and taps are essentially instantaneous; the listener should not perceive them as separate notes.
;Rolls: A ''roll'' is a note with first a cut and then a strike. Alternatively, a roll can be considered as a group of notes of identical pitch and duration with different articulations.<ref name="LarsenOrnamentation"/> There are two common types of rolls:
:* The ''long roll'' is a group of three slurred notes of equal pitch and duration, the first sounded without a cut or strike, the second sounded with a cut, and the third sounded with a strike.
:* The ''short roll'' is a group of two slurred notes of equal pitch and duration, the first sounded with a cut and the second sounded with a strike.
;Cranns: ''Cranns'' (or ''crans'') are ornaments borrowed from the [[Uilleann pipes|Uilleann piping]] tradition. They are similar to rolls except that only cuts are used, not taps or strikes. On the tin whistle they are generally only used for notes where a roll is impossible, such as the lowest note of the instrument.
;Slides: ''Slides'' are similar to [[portamento]]s in classical music; a note below or above (usually below) the intended note is fingered, and then the fingering is gradually shifted in order to smoothly raise or lower the pitch to the intended note. The slide is generally a longer duration ornament than, for example, the cut or the tap and the listener should perceive the pitch changing.
;Tonguing: ''Tonguing'' is used as a means of emphasizing certain notes, such as the first note in a tune. Some tin whistle players usually do not tongue most notes, but this varies depending on the player and their background. To tongue a note a player briefly touches their tongue to the front of the roof of the mouth at the start of the note (as if articulating a 't'), creating a percussive [[ADSR envelope|attack]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://learntinwhistle.com/lessons/tin-whistle-tonguing/|title=Tin Whistle Tonguing Techniques|date=10 May 2020}}</ref>
;Vibrato: ''[[Vibrato]]'' can be achieved on most notes by opening and closing one of the open holes, or by variation of breath pressure (this last is actually both vibrato (pitch modulation), and tremolo (amplitude modulation)). Of the two, fingered (i.e., true) vibrato is much more common than diaphragmatic (breath) vibrato (i.e., tremolo), except on notes like the lowest note on the whistle where fingered vibrato is much more difficult.  A common method of achieving vibrato is to finger a note, and then quickly flick a finger on and off, not the hole below the fingered note, but the hole two below the fingered note, leaving an open hole in between.  This technique can be heard on [[The Chieftains]]' iconic air, Women of Ireland (Chieftains IV).

=== Some tricks ===
;Leading tone: ''Leading tones'' are the seventh just before the tonic, so named because melodic styling often uses the seventh to lead into the tonic at the end of a phrase. On most tin whistles the leading tone to the lowest tonic can be played by using the little finger of the lower hand to partially cover the very end opening of the whistle, while keeping all other holes covered as usual for the tonic.
;Tone: The tone of the tin whistle is largely determined by its manufacturing. Clarke style rolled metal whistles tend to have an airy "impure" sound, while Generation style cylindrical instruments tend to have clear or "pure" whistle sounds. Inexpensive rolled metal whistles, such as those from Cooperman Fife and Drum (which also produces high-end instruments) may be very airy in sound, and may be difficult to play in the upper register (second octave). Often placing a piece of tape over one edge of the fipple slot (just below the mouthpiece) to narrow the fipple will improve the instrument's tone and playability significantly. Another method of tone improvement on some molded plastic mouthpieces is to lengthen the block with a small piece of poster-putty inserted on the downstream side of the mouthpiece, to lengthen the block and maintain a narrow airstream prior to the fipple's edge.
;Scales: While, as mentioned under Fingering, a player will usually play a given instrument only in its tonic key and the key beginning on the fourth (e.g. G on a D whistle), nearly any key is possible, becoming progressively more difficult to keep in tune as the player moves away from the whistle's tonic, according to the [[circle of fifths]]. Thus a D whistle is fairly apt for playing both G and A, and a C instrument can be used fairly easily for F and G.

== Repertoire ==
A number of [[music genre]]s commonly feature the tin whistle.

=== Irish and Scottish music ===
{{listen
 | filename     = Dancing Willow - Demo-CD 2007 03 - The old grey goose.ogg
 | title        = The Old Grey Goose
 | description  = A jig featuring the tin whistle, performed by Dancing Willow
 | format       = [[Ogg]]
 | filename2    = Dancing Willow - Demo-CD 2007 02 - The foggy dew.ogg
 | title2       = The Foggy Dew
 | description2 = Instrumental version, featuring low whistle and [[viola da gamba]], performed by Dancing Willow
 | format2      = [[Ogg]]
}}

Traditional music from [[Irish traditional music|Ireland]] and [[Music of Scotland|Scotland]] is by far the most common music to play on the tin whistle, and comprises the vast majority of published scores suitable for whistle players. The tin whistle is very common in Irish music to the point that it could be called characteristic of the genre and fairly common in Scottish music.

=== Kwela ===
{{Main|Kwela}}
[[Kwela]] is a genre of [[Music of South Africa|music created in South Africa]] in the 1950s, and is characterized by an upbeat, [[jazz]]y tin whistle lead. Kwela is the only [[music genre]] created around the sound of the tin whistle. The low cost of the tin whistle, or '''jive flute''', made it an attractive instrument in the impoverished, [[Apartheid|apartheid-era]] townships; the [[Hohner]] tin whistle was especially popular in kwela performance. The kwela craze accounted for the sale of more than one million tin whistles.<ref name="Schaldach">Schaldach</ref>

In the late 1950s, [[mbaqanga]] music largely superseded kwela in South Africa, and so it followed that the [[saxophone]] surpassed the tin whistle as the township people's wind instrument of choice. Kwela master [[Jack Lerole|Aaron "Big Voice Jack" Lerole]] continued to perform into the 1990s; a few bands, such as [[The Positively Testcard]] of [[London]], continue to record kwela music.

Kwela [[sheet music]] is rarely published, and many of the recordings of founding kwela artists are [[out of print]]. One representative compilation is ''Drum: South African Jazz and Jive''.<ref>{{cite AV media
 | date = 1991
 | title = Drum: South African Jazz And Jive
 | type = CD
 | publisher = Monsun Records/Line Music GmbH
 | publication-place = Germany
}}</ref>

=== Other music ===
The tin whistle is used in many other types of music, including the [[Tuk band]] tradition of [[Barbados]]. In some Irish music composed for symphonic ensembles, it is often replaced with [[piccolo]]. It is not unusual to hear the tin whistle used in [[praise song|praise music]] and [[film soundtrack]]s, notably the [[Music of Lord of the Rings Trilogy|soundtrack to Lord of the Rings]] and [[Titanic: Music from the Motion Picture|Titanic]]. Published scores suitable for tin whistle performance are available in both of these genres. The tin whistle also appears in "crossover" genres like [[world music]], [[folk rock]], [[folk metal]] and [[folk punk]].

== Notation ==
Tin whistle music collections are generally notated in one of three different formats.

=== Standard musical notation ===
It is common to score music for the whistle using standard [[musical notation]]. The tin whistle is not a [[transposing instrument]] - for example, music for the D tin whistle is written in concert pitch, not transposed down a tone as would be normal for transposing instruments. Nevertheless, there is no real consensus on how tin whistle music should be written, or on how reading music onto the whistle should be taught. However, when music is scored for a soprano whistle it will be written an octave lower than it sounds, to spare [[ledger lines]] and make it much easier to read.

The traditional music of Ireland and Scotland constitutes the majority of published scores for the whistle.{{efn|See, for example, the Open Directory's [http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Instruments/Winds/Tin_Whistle/Tune_Collections/ Tin whistle tune collections] or the books published by [http://www.dmoz.org/Shopping/Music/Instruments/Winds/Tin_Whistle/ online stores catering to tin whistle players].}} Since the majority of that music is written in D major, G major, or one of the corresponding musical modes, use of the D major or G major key signatures is a ''[[de facto]]'' standard. For example, the "C whistle" edition of Bill Ochs's popular ''The Clarke Tin Whistle Handbook'' is scored in D and differs from the D edition only in that the accompanying audio CD is played on a C whistle.<ref name="OchsTutor">Ochs</ref>

Reading directly onto the C whistle is popular for the obvious reason that its ''home key'' or ''name key'' is the ''all-natural'' major key ([[C major]]). Some musicians are encouraged to learn to read directly onto one whistle, while others are taught to read directly onto another.

The whistle player who wants music to read on to all whistles will need to learn the mechanics of written [[transposition (music)|transposition]], taking music with one [[key signature]] and rewriting it with another.

[[Tablature]] notation for the tin whistle is a graphical representation of which tone holes the player should cover. The most common format is a vertical column of six circles, with holes to be covered for a given note shown filled with black, and a plus sign (+) at the top for notes in the second octave. Tablature is most commonly found in tutorial books for beginners.

=== ABC notation ===
Since the majority of popular tin whistle music is traditional and out of copyright, it is common to share tune collections on the [[Internet]].<ref name="DmozTunes">Open Directory</ref> [[ABC notation]] is the most common means of electronic exchange of tunes. It is also designed to be easy to read by people, and many musicians learn to read it directly instead of using a computer program to transform it into a standard musical notation score.

== Well-known performers ==
; In Irish traditional music
{{See also|List of All-Ireland Champions}}

During the 1960s, [[Tommy Makem]] played the tin whistle as a member of [[The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem]], one of the most influential Irish folk groups, especially popular during the [[American folk music revival]].<ref>{{cite news | title=Tommy Makem, 74, hero of Irish folk music, dies | work=Obituary | date=3 August 2007 | agency=International Herald Tribune }}</ref>

In 1973, [[Paddy Moloney]] (of [[The Chieftains]]) and [[Sean Potts]] released the album ''Tin Whistles'', which helped to popularise the tin whistle in particular, and [[Irish music]] in general. [[Mary Bergin]]'s ''[[Feadóga Stáin]]'' (1979) and ''[[Feadóga Stáin 2]]'' (1993) were similarly influential.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/feadoga-stain-vol-1-mw0000620341|title=Feadoga Stain, Vol. 1 - Mary Bergin &#124; Songs, Reviews, Credits &#124; AllMusic|access-date=12 January 2021|website=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> Other notable players include [[Carmel Gunning]], [[Micho Russell]], [[Joanie Madden]], [[Flook (band)|Brian Finnegan]], [[Cathal McConnell]], and [[Seán Ryan (Irish fiddler)|Seán Ryan]]. Many traditional pipers and flute players also play the whistle to a high standard. [[Festy Conlon]] is considered by some to be the best slow air player.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.thedigitalfolklife.org/Mick.htm | title=Mick Moloney | publisher=Folk Life | date=1977 | access-date=8 March 2015}}</ref>

; In Scottish traditional music
Award-winning singer and musician [[Julie Fowlis]] recorded several tracks on the tin whistle, both in her solo work and with the band [[Dòchas]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.juliefowlis.com/ | title=Julie Fowlis | access-date=8 March 2015}}</ref>

; In kwela
[[Jack Lerole|Aaron "Big Voice Jack" Lerole]] and his band recorded a single called "[[Tom Hark]]", which sold five million copies worldwide, and which [[Associated Television]] used as the theme song for the 1958 television series ''The Killing Stones''. But the most famous star of the kwela era was [[Spokes Mashiyane]].<ref name="Schaldach" /> [[Paul Simon]]'s 1986 album ''[[Graceland (album)|Graceland]]'' draws heavily on South African music, and includes pennywhistle solos in the traditional style, played by [[Morris Goldberg]].

; In popular music
As a traditional Irish musical instrument, the [[Irish rock]] bands [[The Cranberries]] and [[The Pogues]] (with [[Spider Stacy]] as whistler) incorporate the tin whistle in some of their songs, as do such American [[Celtic punk]] bands as [[The Tossers]], [[Dropkick Murphys]], and [[Flogging Molly]] (in which [[Bridget Regan (musician)|Bridget Regan]] plays the instrument). [[Andrea Corr]] of Irish [[folk rock]] band [[The Corrs]] also plays the tin whistle.

Legendary music producer [[Daniel Lanois]] credits his musical beginnings on the penny whistle at age nine as a major influence on his melody-first approach to production.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Daniel Lanois: Live From On Air Fest {{!}} Broken Record |url=https://www.pushkin.fm/podcasts/broken-record/daniel-lanois-live-from-on-air-fest |access-date= |website=Pushkin Industries |language=en}}</ref> 

[[Saxophonist]] [[LeRoi Moore]], founding member of the American [[jam band]] [[Dave Matthews Band]], plays the tin whistle in a few of the band's songs.

[[Bob Hallett]] of the Canadian folk rock group [[Great Big Sea]] is also a renowned performer of the tin whistle, playing it in arrangements of both traditional and original material.

Icelandic [[post rock]] band [[Sigur Rós]] concludes their song "Hafsól" with a tin whistle solo.

[[Barry Privett]] of the American Celtic rock band [[Carbon Leaf]] performs several songs using the tin whistle.

[[Lambchop (band)|Lambchop]] uses the tin whistle in the song "The Scary Caroler."

[[The Unicorns]] use the tin whistle in the song "Sea Ghost".

The [[Paul Simon]] song [[You Can Call Me Al]] features a penny whistle solo, played by jazz musician [[Morris Goldberg]].

Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull plays a tin whistle on "The Whistler" from the ''[[Songs from the Wood]]'' album (1977).

[[Mike Oldfield]] plays the tin whistle in the first part of "[[Tubular Bells]]" (1973).

[[Rusted Root]] features the tin whistle, played by band member John Buynak, in its 1994 cult classic hit "[[Send Me on My Way|Send Me On My Way]]".

; In jazz
[[Steve Buckley (musician)|Steve Buckley]], a British [[jazz]] musician is renowned for using the penny whistle as a serious instrument. His whistle playing can be heard on recordings with [[Loose Tubes]], [[Django Bates]] and his album with [[Chris Batchelor]] Life As We Know It.

Les Lieber is a celebrated American Jazz Tin whistle player. Lieber has played with [[Paul Whiteman]]'s Band and also with the [[Benny Goodman]] Sextet. Lieber made a record with [[Django Reinhardt]] in the AFN Studios in [[Paris]] in the post Second World War era and started an event called "Jazz at Noon" every Friday in a [[New York City]] restaurant playing with a nucleus of advertising men, doctors, lawyers, and business executives who had been or could have been jazz musicians.

Howard Johnson has also been known to play this instrument. Musical polymath Howard Levy introduces the tune True North with a jazz and very traditionally Celtic-inspired whistle piece on [[Béla Fleck and the Flecktones|Bela Fleck and the Flecktones]]' UFO TOFU.

Musician and producer Tyler Duncan (Millish, the olllam, [[Darren Criss|Daren Criss]], [[Vulfpeck]], [[Ella Riot]], [[Lake Street Dive]]) is known for his incorporation of jazz into traditional Celtic melodies on tin whistle. He was the first Low Whistle player to be accepted into the jazz studies major at the [[University of Michigan]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=About |url=https://tylerduncan.work/about |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Tyler Duncan |language=en-US}}</ref> He plays a custom made [[Diatonic and chromatic|chromatic]] low whistle designed for Jazz. Duncan's modern big band arrangement of ''The May Morning Dew'' was featured on [[NPR|NPR's]] ''Jazz Set'' and showcases him on tin whistle as lead instrumentalist.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-11-06 |title=Tyler Duncan and Michael Shimmin - The May Morning Dew |url=https://tylerduncan.work/videowarehouse/2017/11/6/the-olllam-songs-from-studio-east |access-date=2024-01-30 |website=Tyler Duncan |language=en-US}}</ref>

; In film and video game music
[[Howard Shore]] called for a tin whistle in D for a passage in his "[[Concerning Hobbits]]" from [[The Lord of the Rings (film series)|''The Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy]]. The tin whistle symbolizes the [[Shire (Middle-earth)|Shire]], together with other instruments such as the [[guitar]], the [[double bass]], and the [[bodhrán]]. The tin whistle also plays a passage in the [[main theme]] in the same trilogy.

The tin whistle is featured prominently in the song "[[My Heart Will Go On]]" by [[Celine Dion]] in the movie [[Titanic (1997 film)|''Titanic'']]. The song's introduction consists of a tin whistle solo which has become iconic.

The tin whistle also features prominently in the soundtrack of the film [[How to Train Your Dragon (2010 film)|''How to Train Your Dragon'']], and is connected to the main character, Hiccup.

The tin whistle is heard at the start of the 1984 short film ''[[The Adventures of Andre and Wally B]]''

The tin whistle is featured in the winning song of the [[2013 Eurovision Song Contest]] [[Only Teardrops]] by [[Emmelie de Forest]].

The tin whistle is featured in ''[[Mario Kart 8]]'''s track Wild Woods of the DLC Pack, ''Animal Crossing × Mario Kart 8''.

== See also ==
* {{annotated link|Fife (musical instrument)|Fife}}
* {{annotated link|List of tin whistle players}}

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

== References ==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

=== General ===
* {{cite book | author=Dannatt, Norman | year=1993 | title=The Penny Whistle|publisher=The Clarke Tinwhistle Co. }}
* Dannatt, Norman (2005)  ''The History of the Tinwhistle.''   The Clarke Tinwhistle Co. {{ISBN|0-9549693-2-4}}
* {{cite web | author=Gatherer, Nigel | title=History | work=The Scottish Whistle | url=http://www.nigelgatherer.com/whistle/hist.html | access-date=30 January 2006 }}
* {{cite web | author=Gross, Richard | title=Tinwhistle fingering chart | work=Tinwhistle Fingering Research Center | url=http://fullbodyburn.com/?page_id=108 | access-date=16 January 2006 | archive-date=19 July 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110719162739/http://fullbodyburn.com/?page_id=108 | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite book | author=Hannigan, Steáfán | author2=Ledsam, David | year=2000 | chapter=Whistory: A Low Whistle History | title=The Low Whistle Book | url=http://www.soarmusic.demon.co.uk/whistle.htm | isbn=0-9525305-1-1 | publisher=Sin É Publications | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060721113006/http://www.soarmusic.demon.co.uk/whistle.htm | archive-date=2006-07-21 }}
* {{cite web | author=Larsen, Grey | title=A Guide to Grey Larsen's Notation System for Irish Ornamentation | url=http://www.greylarsen.com/services/tunebank/notationsystem.pdf | access-date=24 January 2006 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060218232120/http://www.greylarsen.com/services/tunebank/notationsystem.pdf | archive-date=18 February 2006 }}
* {{cite book | author=McCullough, L.E. | year=1976 | chapter=Historical Notes on the Tinwhistle | title=The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor | url=http://www.chiffandfipple.com/lehistory.html | isbn=0-8256-0340-4 | publisher=Oak Publications | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070607120215/http://www.chiffandfipple.com/lehistory.html | archive-date=2007-06-07 }}
* {{cite book | author=Ochs, Bill | year=2001 | title=The Clarke Tin Whistle: Deluxe Edition | url=http://www.pennywhistle.com/clarkepage.html | publisher=The Pennywhistler's Press | access-date=2006-01-25 | archive-date=2018-07-01 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180701100410/http://www.pennywhistle.com/clarkepage.html | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web | title=Tin Whistle Tune Collections | work=Open Directory | url=http://www.dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Instruments/Winds/Tin_Whistle/Tune_Collections/ | access-date=25 January 2006 | archive-date=25 April 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060425123655/http://dmoz.org/Arts/Music/Instruments/Winds/Tin_Whistle/Tune_Collections/ | url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web
 |author      = Wisely, Dale
 |title       = Deciphering Whistle Keys
 |year        = 2000
 |work        = Chiff and Fipple
 |url         = http://www.chiffandfipple.com/whistlekeys.html
 |access-date  = 22 March 2006
 |url-status     = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20060406003057/http://www.chiffandfipple.com/whistlekeys.html
 |archive-date = 6 April 2006
}}
* {{cite web | author=Wolfe, Joe | title=Introduction to flute acoustics | work=UNSW Music Acoustics | url=http://www.phys.unsw.edu.au/~jw/fluteacoustics.html#airjet  | access-date=16 January 2006 }}
* {{cite book
 | editor = Vallely, Fintan
 | title = The Companion to Irish Traditional Music
 | year = 1999
 | publisher = New York University Press
 | location = New York, NY
 | isbn = 0-8147-8802-5
}}

== External links ==
{{Wikibooks | How to Play the Irish Pennywhistle}}

{{Music of Ireland}}
{{Scottish folk music}}
{{English folk music}}
{{Flutes}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tin Whistle}}
[[Category:Welsh musical instruments]]
[[Category:English musical instruments]]
[[Category:Celtic musical instruments]]
[[Category:Internal fipple flutes]]
[[Category:Irish musical instruments]]
[[Category:Scottish musical instruments]]
[[Category:Folk music instruments]]