How to Play Galway Bay on the Tin Whistle

G dorian · 4/4 · 170 BPM · Hornpipe · Advanced

Galway Bay is a hornpipe you can learn on the tin whistle, set in G dorian (4/4, around 170 beats per minute). It uses 8 distinct notes, ranging from D5 up to A6 — all within the D whistle’s range.

Hornpipe in g dorian (232 notes after repeat-expansion).

The tin whistle notes for Galway Bay start G A A# C D C D F G A G A… Full sequence below.

The interactive sheet music shows a fingering chart under every note. Press Play this tune to play along while the app listens to your microphone and grades every note, or print a clean copy of the score.

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Tin whistle notes

On a D tin whistle, play Galway Bay with these notes in order. Same letter in a higher octave uses the same fingering — overblow for the second register.

G A A# C D C D F G A G A A# G F D A# G F D C D A# A G F G F D F G F D F G A A# G G F D F D A# G A A# C D C D E F C D C A# A G F D A# F D A# C F C A A# F D A# A C D D# D F G A A# A G F D G G

Sheet music

ABC notation

X:3453
T:Galway Bay
R:hornpipe
M:4/4
L:1/8
K:Gdorian
GA|:~B3 c dcdf|~g3 a gabg|fdbg fdcd|B{c}AGF GFDF|! GFGA BABG|~F3 G AGFD|GABc dcBA|(3BcB G2 G2 z2:|! |:g{a}fdf gabg|gfdf dBGA|~B3 c dcde|fc (3dcB AGFD|! BFdB cFcA|BFdB Acd_e|dfga bagf|d2 g2 g2 z2:|
% Source: https://thesession.org/tunes/3453 setting 3453

Fingering chart

Galway Bay uses these notes on the D tin whistle: D5, G5, A5, C6, D6, E6, G6, A6.

Tin whistle notes

Sheet music

ABC notation

Fingering chart

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