Learning the Tenpenny Bit Jig (Three Little Drummers) on D Whistle

In our time together today I’ll introduce the jig The Tenpenny Bit.

When it appeared in O’Neill’s collection it was named Three Little Drummers. You’ll find the tune with a few other names. I had a crazy time selecting a setting for this tune. I found more than a dozen variations.

There doesn’t seem to be one dominant version that folks play. So I chose one I like and that felt consistent with itself. I’ll walk through the tune. It has an A part and a B part. They each repeat. I’ll introduce each of those once, and then play the entire tune, standing so you can see my fingers.

We talk about any difficulties you may experience, ornamentation, and the history of the tune.

Select the video on the right to view my expression of the tune.

Select Download to access a pdf of the music and tabs.