Tin whistle: learn the Irish whistle, free
The tin whistle — the Irish whistle, the flute of Ireland's pub sessions — has six holes, a fipple mouthpiece and centuries of jigs and reels played by ear. On RetroX1 you learn the whistle in D with the holes to cover drawn under every note, a 3D whistle that lights up its holes while the tune plays, and practice through the microphone. Free, no sign-up, on your phone or computer.
Play the whistle now
The whistle has its own world on the site, with the Irish landscape, its history, the fingering of every note, the scales and the tunes.
The fingering of the D whistle
- All six holes covered: D. Lift the fingers from the bottom up: E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯.
- Blow a little harder with the same fingers for the second octave.
- Sharps and flats with a half-hole; the site shows the half-covered hole.
- C natural: Irish players use the cross-fingering ○●● ○○○ — the history page explains it.
Everything RetroX1 does
- Play in real time with the microphone — In Practice, the score waits for you to play the right note on your flute; it turns green when you hit it.
- Sheet music with fingering — Every note with the holes to cover, the note name (letter) and the 3D flute lighting up the holes.
- In your flute's key or the original — The song adapts to your flute's holes; a note outside the range shows in red.
- Score editor — Create and edit your own score with your own flute's notes: click the staff, drag notes, keys 1 to 6 for length, copy and paste, listen, save and download as MusicXML. Full screen.
- Exercises — From the first breath to advanced: long notes, scales, thirds, arpeggios, rhythm, articulation, chromatic and leaps.
- Scales and Greek modes — Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian, harmonic and melodic minor, pentatonics, blues, whole-tone and Asian scales.
- Songs by category — Basic, intermediate, advanced, exercises, games, Asia and meditation, forró, choro and samba.
- Metronome, tempo and repeat — Slower or faster, with the beat click, and repeat a passage as many times as you like.
- Full screen — The score fills the whole screen, on computer and phone.
- Switch flutes without stopping — Switch to another fife or to the recorder and the same song carries on from the same place.
- Hear each flute — The real sound of each flute, note by note.
- 3D flutes — Rotate, take apart and look inside each 3D flute, in many colors.
- Tutorial — A one-minute tour shows every button, up to playing your first song.
- Free, in three languages — Portuguese, Spanish and English, on computer and phone, with no sign-up.
Tunes to start with
Londonderry Air (Danny Boy), the traditional Irish air, is in the library with the whistle fingering under every note. The whistle in D plays the whole song library of the site: the fingering is the same as the D fife's, so every score shows the right holes.
Other flutes
The same school teaches the recorder and the fife, and has flute exercises and sheet music and letter notes.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. Learning on RetroX1 is free, with no sign-up, on a phone or a computer.
What key is the whistle on the site?
D, the most common tin whistle — the key of most Irish session tunes. Any D whistle (Feadóg, Clarke, Generation, Waltons…) plays with the same fingering.
Do I need to read music?
No. The holes to cover are drawn under every note, and the note name too: you can play by the holes and learn to read little by little.
Does the microphone check my notes?
Yes. In Practice the score waits for the right note: the site listens to your whistle and moves on when it hears it.