Hole diagrams: read from the mouthpiece down
The most common whistle tab is a column of six circles. The top circle is the hole nearest the mouthpiece, covered by your top hand; the bottom circle is the hole nearest the end. A filled circle means covered and an empty circle means open.
So ●●●○○○ on a D whistle is the top three holes covered: the note G. ●●●●●● is every hole covered: bottom D. A half-filled circle (◐) means half-cover that hole, the usual way to reach some notes outside the whistle’s scale.
Our D-whistle finger chart uses the same symbols for every note in both octaves.
Second-octave marks vary
The second octave uses the same shapes with faster air. Tab writers mark it in different ways: a + under or beside the diagram, an apostrophe, a lowercase letter, or a number. Check the legend at the top of any tab before you start.
If the high notes squeak, the problem is usually air and finger seal, not the tab. The second-octave guide has a three-minute drill.
Letter tab: note names under the tune
Letter tab writes the note name for each note: E B E D E B E. It is compact and fast to read once the shapes are in your fingers, but it drops the rhythm. Use it with a recording or with staff notation, not instead of listening.
Sharps are usually written as F# or C#. On a D whistle, a plain F or C in a letter tab normally means you are reading tab written for another instrument, or the tune needs a half-hole.
ABC: how session tunes travel
Many traditional tunes are shared as ABC, a plain-text notation. A short header comes first:
- T: the tune title, often with other names below it.
- R: the tune type, such as reel, jig or hornpipe.
- M: the metre, for example 4/4 for a reel or 6/8 for a jig.
- L: the default note length, often 1/8.
- K: the key or mode, such as D, G or Edor.
In the tune itself, capital letters are the lower octave and lowercase letters the octave above. In tunes written for the whistle, D is its bottom note and d the D one octave up. A number after a note makes it longer, | is a bar line, |: and :| mark repeats, and ~ is the usual sign for a roll.
A reading routine that ends away from the page
- Read the header: tune type, metre and key tell you how it should feel before you play a note.
- Finger the first phrase silently while reading the tab.
- Play it slowly, then listen to a recording or slowed playback and fix what the tab did not tell you.
- Look away and play the phrase from memory. Read the next phrase only when that one holds.
Tab is a map. The tune is learned when you no longer need it.
Tab in Session Whistle
Each tune in Session Whistle’s free 3,000-tune book shows staff notation, note-letter tab and the fingering diagram for the current note together, with slow playback and looping for the passage you are learning.
Questions
How do you read tin whistle tab?
Each diagram shows the six holes from the mouthpiece down. Filled circles are covered holes, empty circles are open, and a half-filled circle is a half-hole.
What does + mean in tin whistle tab?
In most tab it marks the second octave: use the same finger shape with faster, more focused air. Check each tab’s legend, because some writers use apostrophes or lowercase letters instead.
What is ABC notation?
A plain-text way to write tunes. A header gives the title, tune type, metre, note length and key, then letters give the notes: capitals for the lower octave and lowercase for the octave above.
Should I learn to read staff notation instead of tab?
Tab is enough to start. Staff notation adds rhythm, which tab often leaves out, so it is worth learning alongside listening.