How to play a D Pennywhistle

By Kim Fulton-Bennett

		Hold the pennywhistle in your right hand with the fipple (mouthpiece) facing up.
		Place the index, middle, and ring fingers on your left hand over the top three holes of the whistle. You do not need to press hard, but it is very important to cover all three holes completely.
		Place the fipple between your lips, but not between your teeth. Take a deep breath, shape your lips as if saying the letter P, and blow softly into the fipple. Try to blow with an even pressure so that the tone and volume stays relatively constant. The note you are playing is low G.
		Keeping your fingers on the same holes, take a second breath and blow harder. If you blow hard enough (but not too hard) you will get a note that is exactly one octave above the first note. This is high G. When playing notes in the second (high) octave, it may help to partially uncover the top hole on the whistle.
		Take a third breath and blow softly again to get the low G. While blowing, slowly lift your ring finger off the third hole on the whistle. Now you are playing the next higher note in the low octave (A). Take another breath (if you need to) and play A again, then lift your middle finger to get the next higher note (B).
		Take a breath and play low G again (top three holes covered). Now place the index finger of your right hand on the fourth hole to make the next lower note (F sharp). Take another breath if necessary, blow softly, and place the right middle finger on the fifth hole to get low E. Then place the right ring finger on the sixth hole, so that all six holes are covered. Now you are playing the lowest note on the whistle, which is D. If any of these notes do not come out clearly, make sure that all the appropriate holes are covered completely.
		Take another deep breath, make sure all the holes are covered, and play low D again. Starting with the right-hand ring finger, lift your fingers off each of the holes, one at a time. When you have lifted all the fingers of your right hand (and are playing G), continue to lift the fingers of your left hand, one at a time.
		Eventually you will reach the point where only one hole is covered. At this point, lift of the one remaining finger so no holes are covered. Support the whistle using both thumbs and the little finger of your right hand. This tricky note is C sharp, the highest note of the first octave.
		To get the next higher note in the scale (middle D), place all your fingers back on the holes again, but blow harder. You may have to partially uncover the top finger to get this note. Now stop and take a few moments to catch your breath and congratulate yourself. You have just played a complete eight-note diatonic scale in the key of D!
		Now, take another breath and start with middle D (all holes covered except the top), then lift each finger off in turn, blowing harder than before, to play a scale in the upper octave. As you get to higher and higher notes you will probably have to blow harder and harder. The important thing is to make each note as steady as possible using your breath and lips. You have now played all the primary notes on the pennywhistle.

Playing a song

Once you figure out all the notes listed above, try playing the song shown below. It's a (grossly) simplified version of a traditional English tune, "Scarborough Fair." If you know the song already, try whistling the song to yourself first, then play the song on the whistle, referring to the notes and fingerings below if necessary.

Even if you have never read music before, you can probably figure out this song. Here are some tips.

The 3/4 at the beginning of the song means that the rhythm of the song is counted in groups of three, like a waltz. While you are playing, count to yourself "1-2-3, 1-2-3" over and over (if it helps, think of the Oom-pa-pa Oom-pa-pa of a tuba). Each group of three beats is called a "measure." Each measure is separated by a vertical line.
There are several types of notes here. The solid notes (quarter notes) count as one beat each. The hollow ones (half notes) count as two beats. So, for example, in the first measure, you hold the first (hollow) note for two beats (as you say "1-2-" to yourself). Then play the second note as you count "3." The hollow notes with dots after them are held for three beats (a whole measure). Rests () indicate silent beats, which you count silently but don't play.
Once you can find most of the notes, work on keeping your rhythm even. This song is designed to be played slowly and smoothly. I have simplified this melody to make it easier to play. If you know how it is "suppose to go," play it that way...
When you first start out, you will find yourself starting a new breath for practically every note. This makes each note sound separate and disjointed. You can emphasize notes even more by "tonguing" them (saying the letter "T" as you blow). However, this is a soft, romantic song, which is better played by "slurring" the notes. This means that you do not stop blowing between notes, but just change the position of your fingers to play the next note. To get an idea of how slurring works, try playing the song by taking a breath only at the beginning of each measure (every three beats). Ideally, you would take a breath only about once every four measures. Eventually you will learn how to breath and still keep the song flowing.

Where to go from here

This brief introduction can only cover the most basic aspects of playing the pennywhistle. To really discover the potential of this wonderful instrument, you need to listen to live or recorded pennywhistle players. You can also learn a lot from the many pennywhistle instruction books. Two of my favorites are:

"Geraldine Cotter's Traditional Irish Tin Whistle Tutor" by Geraldine Cotter, Ossian Publications, Cork, 1983 (revised. 1989) ISBN 0.946005.12.5

"The Complete Irish Tin Whistle Tutor" by L. E. McCullough, Oak Publications, New York, 1987 ISBN 0.8256.0311.0

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