How to Play James McMahon's on the Tin Whistle

D major · 6/8 · 180 BPM · Jig · Beginner

James McMahon's is a jig you can learn on the tin whistle, set in D major (6/8, around 180 beats per minute). It uses 11 distinct notes, ranging from D5 up to B6 — all within the D whistle’s range.

Jig in d major (174 notes after repeat-expansion).

The tin whistle notes for James McMahon's start A F# E D E D B A D B A F# 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 James McMahon's with these notes in order. Same letter in a higher octave uses the same fingering — overblow for the second register.

A F# E D E D B A D B A F# A B A F# D E F# A B D E D E E D E F# A B A F# E D E F# D E D B A B D E D B D E F# A B A F# E D B D E F# E D B A D C# D

Sheet music

ABC notation

X:6138
T:James McMahon's
R:jig
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Dmajor
|:a|fed edB|AdB AFA|BAF DEF|ABd ede|! ~f3 edB|AdB AFA|BAF DEF|Adc d2:|! |:e|def ~a3|baf ede|f2d edB|ABd edB|! def ~a3|baf edB|def edB|Adc d2:|
% Source: https://thesession.org/tunes/6138 setting 6138

Fingering chart

James McMahon's uses these notes on the D tin whistle: D5, E5, F#5, A5, B5, C#6, D6, E6, F#6, A6, B6.

D5
E5
F#5
A5
B5
C#6
D6
E6
F#6
A6
B6

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