Can anyone tell me what key of whistle is being played in ‘she moves through the fair’ from the album ‘Voyager’ by Mike Oldfield? That if there are any Mike Oldfield fans out there!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJ4dwlcbZu0
If this is the track, I don’t hear any whistles at all. The melodic intro is a hummed vocal.
The key is B Mixolydian. To play along on whistle you could use
- E whistle in A Mixolydian fingering.
- D whistle in D Mixolydian fingering - if you don’t mind dropping the bottom note, or playing up into the 3rd octave.
Or pitch-shift it down to A Mix, and use a D whistle.
Hi thanks for the info, however this is not the track, it is the instrumental version which is track 6 on the album (Voyager). The whistle is played by Matt Molloy.
Regards Sally
Oh sorry, guess I’m confused. I don’t have the album. But that YT clip is supposed to be Track 6 of the album, and I don’t see any other in the track listing.
There’s another YT clip which is supposed to be Oldfield: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54fiSQxZuZY
That’s in D Mixolydian, and is played as per my #2 above. Or you could use a high G whistle in A Mixolydian fingering.
Grrr! tried to look at the YT link you provided but it wont work even having downloaded flashplayer. Anyway I appreciate your replies. I really need to ‘swot up’ and understand all the different modes/keys. I am new to playing the whistle and although I am enjoying it I am finding it frustrating especially when I hear something I would like to play (probably because I am no ‘spring chicken’.) Music should be taught when you are young!
Thanks again, I will continue in my search and try to decipher your advice.
Sally
if ya ever get it sorted, looks like Mike brought in the whole crowd
Yeh, he did!
The wistle come in about half way through if you have not listened to it. My D whistle doesn’t seem to go that high although it sounds ok.
Yep, Denny’s clip is the same as the second one I posted. DMix on a D whistle, starting in the 2nd octave.
Sure it does. 
c-nat = OXX XXO or half-holed
d’ = 0XX OOO or OXX XXX
I wonder what/who that first clip is then? 
And if I were a Voyager, I wouldn’t dress like Oldfield. It gets chilly in economy class. Ouch, my eyes …
just thought I’d chuck this in for those wanting to play it on a D whistle
and not along with the slightly under dressed Mike Oldfield 
X:1
P: She moved through the fair
R:Air
L:1/8
M:3/4
K:Amix
(3ABc | "G"d2"Fm"c2"G"d2 | "A"e2e4- | e4dB | "G"G2>A2A2 | "A"A6- | A4 ef |
"A"g2a2>e2 | "Fm"f2e2>c2 | "G"d2c2d2 | "A"e6- | e4 ef |
"A"g2a2>e2 | "Fm"f2e2>c2 | "G"d2c2d2 | "A"e2e4- | e4 (3ABc |
"G"d2"Fm"c2"G"d2 | "A"e2e4- | e4 dB | "G"G2A2A2 | "A"A6- | A4 |]
Edit: 
Just noting … That ABC setting is in A Mixolydian, not D Major as implied by “K:D”. To play along with Naked Mike, you’d want to transpose it up a 4th.