Hello whistlers!
I have just recently started playing whistle seriously. But I feel like youtube lessons isn’t enough and I would like to get a book that will cover the essentials to tin whistle playing.
I know some tunes already. The Silver Spear, The Boys of Blue Hill and Morrison’s jig for example. So I’m not a TOTAL beginner, but almost.
Thanks in advance, Johan
ps. sorry if the thread is in the wrong section or if this already has been asked before!
Johan,
There are a ton of whistle tutor books available, some really good ones, a few that are really terrible, and lots that fall in between.
Grey Larson (Tin Whistle Tool Box) and L.E. McCullogh (The Complete Tin Whistle Tutor) have published two of the best that I have seen, but as I said there are many others that would serve you well.
Try Amazon.com or a similar site where you can look at a few pages so you can see a sample lesson or two. Either of the authors I mentioned would be a good start plus they both have published separate collections of session tunes to help you become part of the session scene if that’s your goal. If you haven’t thought about it, sharing a pint and a tune or two is great fun.
I’m sure others will have good suggestions so take your time and you’ll be able to find a book that’ll keep you challenged for a long while.
BTW, tune/tutor books are like whistles, everyone seems to wind up with a collection after a while. 
JD
Welcome!
Oh, but please don’t play too seriously and have fun.
Welcome to the forum!!
Bill Och’s tin whistle tutor is my fav but if you already know
some reels and jigs you maybe well past it.
Grey Larsen’s books get rave reviews or lots of hate,depending on how you like
his style. It may be your best starting point. But be sure to do a search on this forum
to learn what to expect of it. Hint, did you ever read encyclopedias for pleasure?
Another option is learning from video.
Lots of free resources out there, Ryan Dun’s on Youtube,
Tradlesson.com, and others.
I’ve been subscribing to payed video lesson with Blayne Chastain.
Been a member for over a year, I really like it, but YMMV.
OAIM is another pay to learn video tutor, I haven’t tried it yet
but it gets great reviews.
The best way to learn might be face to face, or Skyping, with
a pro, but this option is $$$ .
I’ll throw in my two cents and also recommend Bill Ochs’ The Clarke Tin Whistle: A Handbook. It’s not just for use with Clarke whistles 
It starts out simple, but gets into ornamentation and includes a lot of tunes - Scottish and English as well as Irish. There’s a good CD. I have taught from this book; it also has some funky old illustrations.
Also, as I’m sure you’re doing already, listen to plenty of recordings of whistle players. Mary Bergin is a classic, and she has 2 solo CDs; there are many others. It’s the best way to learn what’s possible on the instrument, and give you some ideas of what you like. Then you can figure out your own style. The Irish tradition is an oral one, so in a way a book is almost a contradiction.
Above all, enjoy, and welcome! This board is useful but we like to have fun 
Another thumbs up 
for Bill Ochs, Clarke Tin Whistle tutorial it comes highly recommended by the Original Whistle Guru from the forum here Mr Dale W Btw, there are two versions of the tutorial, the yellow covered book is possibly a simpler version but how much difference there is in contents I’m not sure. If anyone has both books perhaps they could enlighten us.
For more information Click Here
It’s funny how some people say learn to play pennywhistle by ear… by ear! And other people buy every pennywhistle book available trying to figure out how to play by ear. Either way… welcome to the pennywhistle forum. 
The problem I have had with most beginners whistle books is that they pretty much assume that you already know how to read sheet music. I have L.E. McCullough’s The Compete Irish Tinwhistle Tutor, and music wise its only good to me up to page 30 because thats where the tablature stops. Not even ABC’s at least. And with Larsen’s Tin Whistle Toolbox as far as reading material, its great! But for the music, theres no tab or ABC’s, so im forced to learn the songs by ear, or watching youtube videos of the song (if available), or going to The Session to find the ABC’s.
That doesn’t make any of those books any less great at all. They have helped me a lot. I think my main point here is that however you learn, be it by book’s, youtube videos, tablature, ABC’s, sheet music or by ear, there is no one way or wrong way. Just look at everything available, sight or sound, and absorb it all in and use it in your practices.
