Your favorite non-celtic tune to play on whistle

I’m sure every whistler has in his tunebook a few tunes which are not Irish, Scottish or somehow else celtic. Let’s share?

Mine are:

  1. Greensleeves
  2. Saltarello](http://medvedya.net.ru/_fr/0/59482898.gif%22%3ESaltarello) #2
  3. Hymn](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/de/RussischeHymneVer1.png%22%3EHymn) of USSR (sounds really funny on a whistle :)) )

Upd: Give links to abc/midi/sheetmusic when possible, pls :slight_smile:

(1) Sleepwalk

(2) Any spaghetti-western theme

(3) The human-whistle parts of the Scorpions’ Winds of Change

(4) Lucky Man (even though Emerald Rose has that on their Bending Tradition album, complete with whistles).

The battle hymn of the republic, its a simple fast tune that sounds good on a whistle.

X: 1
T:Battle Hymn of the Republic
C:Julia Ward Howe/Air: “John Brown’s Body”
M:4/4
L:1/8
Q:1/8=168
F:http://everythingdulcimer.com/tab/battlehymnd.abc 2007-08-24 13:52:10 UT
K:D
V:1 clef=treble
"^Allegretto"A/2- A/2 |"D"A > A A > G F > A d > e | f > f f > e d2 d > c |
w:1.~Mine* eyes have seen the glo-ry of the com-ing of the Lord; He is
w:2.~I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hun-dred cir-cling camps; They have
w:3.~I have read a fier-y gos-pel writ in bur-nished rows of steel: "As ye
w:4.~He has sound-ed forth the trump-et that shall nev-er call re-treat; He is
w:5.~In the beau-ty of the lil-ies Christ was born a-cross the sea, With a
V:1
"G"B > B B > c d > c d > B |“D"A > B A > F A2 A > A |
w:tram-pling out the vint-age where the grapes of wrath are stored; He hath
w:build-ed Him an al-tar in the eve-ning dews and damp; I can
w:deal with My con-tem-ners, so with you My grace shall deal.” Let the
w:sift-ing out the hearts of men be-fore His judg-ment-seat; Oh, be
w:glo-ry in His bos-om that trans-fig-ures you and me; As He
V:1
A > A A > G F > A d > e | f > f f > e d2 d2 |"G"e2 "E7"e2 "D"d2 "A7"c2 |"D"d4 z4 |
w:loosed the fate-ful light-ning of His ter-ri-ble swift sword, His truth is march-ing on.
w:read His right-eous sen-tence by the dim and flar-ing lamps, His day is march-ing on.
w:He-ro, born of wom-an crush the ser-pent with His heel, Since God is march-ing on.
w:swift, my soul, to an-swer Him! be ju-bi-lant, my feet! Our God is march-ing on.
w:died to make men ho-ly, let us die to make men free, While God is march-ing on.
V:1
“^CHORUS.”"D"A3 G F > A d > e | f4 d2 z2 |"G"B3 c d > c d > B |"D"A4 F4 |
w:
w:
w:Glo-ry! glo-ry! Hal-le-lu-jah! Glo-ry, glo-ry! Hal-le-lu-jah!
V:1
A3 G F > A d > e |"F#7"f4 "Bm"d2 "Bm/A"d2 |"G"e2 "E7"e2 "D/A"d2 "A7"c2 |"D"d6 z2 |]
w:
w:
w:Glo-ry! glo-ry! Hal-le-lu-jah! His truth is march-ing on. </small>

Just copy and paste it here http://www.concertina.net/tunes_convert.html

I play lots of old-time Dutch/Belgian/French/German folk, and even some klezmer-type tunes. All of this requiring lots of half-holing, but I find tunes in Am to be quite managable on the regular D whistle and flute.

My favourite is actually a tune composed by one of the Gonnagles, a folkband which I (used to) play with from time to time. It’s called “Waltz by Accident”, but I don’t think I’m allowed to just post the tune here :wink:

The Star Spangled Banner

Sorry, double post. Does anyone know how to delete this?

Seasonal music to amuse friends and relatives (so, yeah, it varies, mostly xmas songs, though because they are the easiest to find)
The well known theme from New World Symphany
sheet music that’s really for my saxophone

I prefer to play the others on my flute, but sometimes on whistle:
Battle Hymn of the Republic
Battle Cry of Freedom (I think it’s called that…)
La Marseillaise (and, yes, there was origionally a reason for that)

Colored Aristocracy
Redwing
Bonaparte’s Retreat
Cold Frosty Morning
June Apple
Sugar Hill
I Will (Beatles)
The Blacksmith (Steeleye Span)
…whatever comes to mind and can find its way through the fingers…

“Chariots of Fire” - easy to learn, sounds great on the whistle.
“My Heart Will Go On” - don’t know if this qualifies since a whistle was used (I think) in the original score but still a neat tune.
“Seven Bridges Road”

Tree of Life (Shaker hymns work quite well on whistle.)

Life! Life! living zeal, freedoms holy power
come, come, come to me in the present hour…

:slight_smile:

I used to be in a dance ensemble. We did a suite of “dances” depicting a Shakers ceremony.

Anyway… I’m dull. I play Bulgarian music on my kaval and Irish music on my whistle and flute.

For whatever reason, I have never had any inclination to do otherwise.

…john

I never actually learned the words to any of the Shaker hymns I play. I had to learn the tunes for a piano and whistle duet in my sister’s wedding a few years ago, and enjoyed them enough to keep playing them. :slight_smile:

I often play a medley of Civil War tunes(I used to be a reenactor). I also play parts of the various movements from Star Wars. I’m often prone to picking up popular music(mostly rock) as well.

I love playing the opening Aria from Bach’s Goldberg Variations. You need to half hole a couple of notes, but it’s not really hard and works terrificly well on a whistle.

There’s a wealth of non-Celtic stuff to play,
from American fiddle tunes (see Crooked Tunes’s
post, above) to Israeli dances to classical music
played as folk tunes to show tunes (e.g. Favorite
Things) to blues to…

The spine of the whistle repertoire is ITM,
but the spine is just the beginning of the body.

Last nt I was playing Joanie M’s song ‘Woodstock’
with two singers and a guitar, I was playing flute
but whistle wood have served. Gee…

the only stuff i play on whistles and flutes is non-itm. at the moment, a few songs by the moody blues, simon and garfunkel, and recently “fever” that jazz standard. christmas carols too.

I play a lot of Christian music on whistle.

For EZ listening, and EZ playing, I like Summertime. (and the livin’s easy…) It’s just an intro to long and pleasant bluesy rambling, that can go slow or fast, and is great for inventive musing.

I play these busking:


Both sides now Endearing young charms Dark Island Hector the Hero Off to CA

Fisher’s Hornpipe Brown Coffin Rodney’s Glory St. Ann’s Reel Soldier’s Joy

New South Waltz The Osprey Banish Misfortune Peacock’s Feather

Mikey Mahoney’s Road to Lisdavorna, The Fort of the Fairy Queen

Star of the County Down A Week in January Loch Lomond

Favorite Things I Will Unknown Reel Morrison’s Jig

Three Sea Captains The Orphan Yankee Doodle

Shady Grove When I Am 64 Minuet in G Sheep May Safely Graze

The Troubled Child Coilsfield House Lament of the lost Generation

Genevieve’s Waltz Bachelor’s Farewell Moran’s Return

Desperado Her Long Black Hair Yesterday

Easter Oratorio Israeli Tunes Do You Love An Apple,

When Pretty Polly Someday Soon, O’Carrolyn’s Quarrel

Other O’Carrolyn, Silver Spear Sargent Early’s Dream

The Ashgrove, Simple Gifts, Shaker Tune Oh Susannah

Turkey in the Straw 8th of January Welsh Lullaby

Danny Boy, Come to me, Bend to me, Planxty Irwin

They didn’t believe me, Someone to Watch Over me

Morrison’s Jig Whistle Rag, St. Louie Tickle, Magic Flute

Blackberry Blossom Cherokee Shuffle Silver Spear

Black Orpheus, Long Lonely Summer, Her Long Black Hair

Come all you Young and Tender Girls, Maho Snaps, Irish Washerwoman

Toodle Sac, Whiskey Before Breakfast, How are things in Gloccamora?


Greensleeves, When Christ was of a Virgin Born, Down by the Brazos,

Rosin the Bow, Morris Dance The Magic Flute, Red Haired Boy

Long lonely summer, Black Orpheus, Tennessee Waltz

Swallow tail Jig, The First Time Ever, Cuckoo’s Nest, Off She Goes

Silent Night, God rest ye Merry Gentlemen, Frosty the Snowman,

Santa is comin to town, Angels We Have Heard on High,

Way haul away, Gary Owen, Israeli tunes, The Girl I Left Behind Me

Tenessee Waltz, Turkey in the Straw, Arkansas Traveller

Her Long Black Hair, Flowers of Edinburgh, Bag of Spuds,

Star of Munster, Connaughtman’s rambles,

Ain’t no Sunshine, Ramone he drives a four wheeled cart

Lucy Farr’s

Here’s a duet from the classical side on B-flat whistles for ya:

http://flutesite.com/samples/serpduet.mp3

This is from Telemann’s Sonata No. 2, and it’s a “canonic” sonata…it’s a round, in other words, both parts are identical.

–James