How to Play Paddy Whack on the Tin Whistle

G major · 6/8 · 180 BPM · Jig · Intermediate

Paddy Whack is a jig you can learn on the tin whistle, set in G major (6/8, around 180 beats per minute). It uses 12 distinct notes, ranging from D5 up to A6 — all within the D whistle’s range.

Jig in G major — 174 notes, difficulty 3/5.

The tin whistle notes for Paddy Whack start G A B C E D B G A F# D G 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 Paddy Whack with these notes in order. Same letter in a higher octave uses the same fingering — overblow for the second register.

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

Sheet music

ABC notation

X:317
T:Paddy Whack
R:jig
M:6/8
L:1/8
K:Gmajor
|:GAB c2e|dBG AFD|GBd efg|fd^c def|! ~g3 afd|cde dBG|GAB ced|BGG G2D:|! |:GBd ~g3|edc BcA|GBd efg|fd^c def|! ~g3 afd|cde dBG|GAB ced|BGG G2D:|
% Source: https://thesession.org/tunes/317 setting 317 (traditional, public domain)

Fingering chart

Paddy Whack uses these notes on the D tin whistle: D5, F#5, G5, A5, B5, C6, C#6, D6, E6, F#6, G6, A6.

D5
F#5
G5
A5
B5
C6
C#6
D6
E6
F#6
G6
A6

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