How to Play I Saw Three Ships on the Tin Whistle
D major · 6/8 · 120 BPM · Carol · Beginner
I Saw Three Ships is a carol you can learn on the tin whistle, set in D major (6/8, around 120 beats per minute). It uses 7 distinct notes, ranging from A5 up to A6 — all within the D whistle’s range.
Lively 6/8 carol in D; reaches up to A6.
The tin whistle notes for I Saw Three Ships start A D D E F# A F# E G F# D D… 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.
Tin whistle notes
On a D tin whistle, play I Saw Three Ships with these notes in order. Same letter in a higher octave uses the same fingering — overblow for the second register.
A D D E F# A F# E G F# D D F# E C# A F# D D E F# E D
Sheet music
ABC notation
X:1 T:I Saw Three Ships M:6/8 L:1/8 K:D A | d2d e2f | a2f e2g |1 f2d d2f | e2c A2 :|2 f2d def | e3 d2 |]
Fingering chart
I Saw Three Ships uses these notes on the D tin whistle: A5, C#6, D6, E6, F#6, G6, A6.
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