Digital Tradition Mirror

This notation is pretty simple; dark circles mean covered holes; empty circles mean uncovered holes; a '+' below means to blow harder to get the upper octave; a '#' below means this note is too low for the whistle chosen and you'll have to fake it :) The author of this program always plays accidentals by closing holes, so you'll never see half-covered holes.

When I was starting, I found notation like this to be very helpful, and I know plenty of people who have trouble reading music who find this notation easier. Good luck!

The Bonnie Hoose o' Airlie

(C whistle)

(This score available as ABC, SongWright, PostScript, PNG, or PMW, or a MIDI file)
(Choose a whistle key: A B C D E F G Ab Bb Cb Db Eb Fb Gb A# B# C# D# E# F# G#)
Dulcimer tab for this song is also available

The Bonnie Hoose o' Airlie

It fell on a day, on a bonnie summer's day,
When the sun shone bright and clearly,
That there fell oot a great dispute
Atween Argyll and Airlie.

Argyll he has mustered a thousand o'his men,
He as marched them oot richt early;
He has marched them in by the back  o' Dunkeld,
To plunder the bonnie hoose o'  Airlie.

Lady Ogilvie she looked frae her window sae high,
And O but she grat sairly,
To see Argyll and a' his men
Gome to plunder the bonnie hoose o' Airlie.

"Come doon, come doon, Lady Ogilvie" he cried:
"Come doon and kiss me fairly,
Or I swear by the hilt o'my guid braidsword
That I winna leave a stan'in' stane in Airlie."


"l winna come doon, ye cruel Argyll,
I winna kiss ye fairly;
I wadna kiss ye, fause Argyll,
Though ye sudna leave a stan'in' stane in Airlie."

"Gome tell me whaur your dowry is hid,
Gome doon and tell me fairly."
"l winna tell ye whaur my dowry is hid,
Though ye sudna leave a stan'in' stane in Airlie."

They socht it up and they socht it doon,
I wat they socht it early;
And it was below yon bowling green
They found the dowrie o' Airlie.

"Eleven bairns I hae born
And the twelfth ne'er saw his daddie,
But though I had gotten as mony again,
They sud a' gang to fecht for Charlie.

"Gin my guid lord had been at hame,
As he's awa' for Charlie,
There dursna a Campbell o' a' Argyll
Set a fit on the bonnie hoose o' Airlie."

He's ta'en her by the milk-white hand,
But he didna lead her fairly;
He led her up to the tap o' the hill,
Whaur she saw the burnin' o' Airlie.

The smoke and flame they rose so high
The walls they were blackened fairly;'
And the lady laid her doon on the green to dee
When she saw the burnin' o' Airlie. '

From Folksongs and Ballads of Scotland, MacColl
Child #199
RG

Thanks to Mudcat for the Digital Tradition!