Piper's SongbookHow to play Whiskey in the Jar on recorder
Whiskey in the Jar uses 7 notes on the soprano recorder: B, A, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. The first line goes F♯ A A A B A F♯ A B B B C♯′ B F♯.
- Notes
- 7: B, A, high D, F♯, low E, low D, high C♯
- Level
- Both hands
- Time
- 4/4, about 120 beats a minute
- Source
- Irish traditional song
Whiskey in the Jar recorder notes with letters
Each box is one note, with its fingering underneath: filled holes are covered, a half-filled hole is half covered or pinched. Wider boxes are longer notes. A ′ mark means the higher octave, so D′ is high D. Bar lines are drawn as thin rules.
Line 1
Line 2
Line 3
Line 4
Line 5
Line 6
Letters only, for printing or copying
- F♯ | A A A B | A F♯ A | B B B C♯′ | B F♯
- A | B B B C♯′ | D′ D′ C♯′ B | A B D′ C♯′ | B F♯
- F♯ | A A A B | A F♯ F♯ | B B B C♯′ | B F♯
- A | B B B C♯′ | D′ D′ C♯′ B | A B D′ C♯′ | B A F♯
- D | E E E E F♯ | E F♯ F♯ E
- F♯ A A B B A | B C♯′ D′ B | A F♯ E F♯ | D
Sheet music
Written pitch for soprano recorder, which sounds an octave higher. Press play to hear it on a recorder sound; the slow setting plays at 60% speed.
Fingerings for the notes in Whiskey in the Jar
Hole 0 is the thumb hole on the back. Holes 1 to 3 are for the left hand, 4 to 7 for the right. These are Baroque (English) fingerings.
How to practise it
The chorus drops to low E and holds it for more than a bar. Cover the thumb, all three left fingers and the right index and middle fingers, then keep the air slow and steady so the long E does not jump up an octave.
Learn one line at a time. Play it slowly until every note is clean, then join it to the next line.
About the tune
An Irish song about a highwayman who robs an officer and is then betrayed by his sweetheart. Its plot is close to a broadside ballad about Patrick Fleming, a highwayman executed in 1650. The Dubliners made it famous in the 1960s.
Questions
Is Whiskey in the Jar easy on recorder?
It is a good second or third tune. Both hands play, and the low notes need gentle air.
What notes do you need for Whiskey in the Jar on recorder?
B, A, high D, F♯, low E, low D and high C♯. Tap a note to see its fingering on its own page.
Do these fingerings work on a German recorder?
Mostly. F♯ is fingered differently on a German recorder; the diagrams above are Baroque, and the linked note pages show both. A recorder whose hole 4 is smaller than hole 5 is Baroque.
More recorder songs
Notes checked against two versions transcribed by Thornton Rose (The Wandering Whistler and Soodlum's Tin Whistle Book), compared with the setting on The Session; in D. Last checked 6 October 2026.