There’s a whistle tune in D Major that I want in F major…
How does one go about transposing the music? At the moment it seems like a process of trial and error, just seeing what sounds ‘right’… but I’m sure there is a better way!
Can anyone help me?
PS: Is there a fingering for “F natural” on the D whistle? Half-holing produces a shrill unpleasant tone…
It helps to write the scales out until you are familiar with them, so you get used to what notes equal what.
Ex.
D E Fsharp G A B Csharp D
F G A Bb C D E F
Get used to seeing the difference between the notes on the staff, if that makes any sense. Like, if you are playing something written in C in D, imagine everything one note up (of course with the correct sharps for D).
Use an F whistle? 
When I want to transpose music, I write it out in the original key in my Finale PrintMusic program (there is a free version called Finale Notepad) and then use the transpose button to get to the key I want. Everything is done automatically by Finale and I can print out a nice, neat copy.
Ahh that seems to be exactly what I was after. Thanks - I’ll try it out!
Do you want to play the tune so that it sounds in the concert key of F Major? Or do you want to play the tune using the F Major scale fingering? Those are the same thing only on a D whistle.
If the first, then Congratulations’ answer is definitely the easiest solution! Just let the whistle do the transposing for you automagically.
If the second, then PallasAthena has the right idea. You can write out the two scales and match them up. Or note that the difference between D and F is 3 half-steps. So just move each note of the tune up 3 half-steps, and the tune will be transposed from D to F. Showing these 3 half-steps for each scale note:
D → D# → E → F
E → F → F# → G
F# → G → G# → A
G → G# → A → Bb
A → A# → B → c
B → c → c# → d
c# → d → d# → e
d → d# → e → f
For example, Silver Spear:
D: |FA~A2 BAFA|dfed BdAG| etc. (key sig = F# C#)
F: |Ac~c2 dcAc|fagf dfcB| etc. (key sig = Bb)
If you’re reading from written music, here’s a visual trick. You can mentally move each note in a space up one space, and each note on a line up one line, and change the key signature to 1 flat (Bb). Even better … If you can read both treble and bass clefs, just pretend that your treble clef melody is really written in bass clef, and read it like that with the changed key signature. Voilà!
As for your P.S. - There’s no reason a half-holed F-nat should sound shrill and unpleasant, though it can be a bit awkward and weak-sounding. Experiment with different B2 finger angles, and different partial coverings toward the bottom and side of the B2 hole. In the upper octave, the F-nat fingering xxx oxx also works on many whistles. F-nat occurs often enough in trad tunes that it’s worth being able to play.
Of course, to play in the key/fingering of F Major, you also need a good cross-fingered or half-holed Bb.
And, hey, the software solution is kind of cheating. 
Good luck!
Hmm.. thanks Guru! I think I will get the F whistle tho. I’ve realised the tune I wanted to play in F has slurs from “Cnat” to “D” (which on the F whistle would be a A to B fingering) and sounds dull without them. So yeah.. I think the whistle is the solution.
I did find a lovely Bb fingering on my Reviol D - xox xxx
Johnnyboi: I think that if you want to transpose stuff more often, some MIDI editor will do it.
Whistles are transposing instruments.
If you use said F whistle and play it as if you are on a d whistle the whistle will do ALL of the work for you. No need to mess with the written music at all.
For example;
On a D whistle the written D is played XXX XXX.
If you play XXX XXX on an F whistle just like magic it will be an F.