Wexford Carol

[joeryan]

Does anyone have a version that works nicely on a whistle?

[Mr.Gumby]

Will this do?

[joeryan]

That looks pretty doable. Thanks.

You just half-hole those F nats and B flats as per below -- right?

F nat: XXX XVO
B flat: XVO OOO

[Mr.Gumby]

Yes.

[benhall.1]

I don't know the thing, so ... but it looks from that to be more like 6/8 than 3/4 to me ...

[Peter Duggan]

Definitely 3/4, Ben.

[pancelticpiper]

Funny, I just played that on whistle at church yesterday!

But I much prefer playing it in A rather than G.

Yes in A there's a G#, but it's a quick note in between two A's and not a note that's dwelled on. Sometimes I leave out the G# by taking a breath there.

In the key of A all the notes are under your fingers, easy to hit precisely, which is important if you're needing to have every note in tune with the musicians and singers.

BTW I play it on a C whistle so it comes out in G, the key they sing it in at our church.

I've played it both in the G position and the A position over the years, and I've come to prefer the A position, on the whistle. On keyed flute and on keyed uilleann chanter no, I prefer the G position.

I have the same thing with What Child Is This, having played it in the A position and the G position, each having it advantages and disadvantages. Once again it's easier on keyed flute or chanter.

[benhall.1]

Definitely 3/4, Ben.

Oh. OK.

[joeryan]

Thanks, Richard. I don't have any formal musical training. To transpose the tune from G to A, do I just shift everything up by one note?

So instead of starting with EGGFG, it would be FAAGA?

If that's right, where does the G# fall?

Thanks again for the help.

[Peter Duggan]

So instead of starting with EGGFG

DGGF#G

it would be FAAGA?

EAAG#A