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2torial #0876:
Learn2 Whistle
Whistling is a funny skill: folks who can
whistle, wonder how anyone could have a problem
with it. Folks who can't, wonder how anyone could
ever produce such a sound. For those of you who
can't, consider learning--a quick, loud,
penetrating whistle has many useful applications
and can be mastered with relative ease.
(Note: there's nothing here on whistling
Dixie or any other tuneful amusement.)
You'll be shown two techniques for whistling:
one that uses your fingers, and another that
doesn't. Say it's raining, your arms are full of
shopping bags, and you need to flag a taxi. This
no-hands whistle will allow you to emerge
victorious in this situation and others. But the
fingerless whistle is a little trickier to master,
so you should practice the fingered whistle first.
Just practice a little bit every day; soon pets and
taxis alike will be at your beck and call.
Study the diagrams, familiarize yourself with
the different parts of your mouth, and get a feel
for how they work together. It's mostly a matter of
practicing whenever you get the chance: for
example, walking a dog, applauding a live
performance, or...flagging down a taxi.
If you can't produce any sort of whistle at
present, maybe just loud wheezing sounds, you may
want to try the fingered whistle first. Some say
it's easier than the "no-hands" technique; others
say they are equally easy (with practice.)
If you've set aside time to practice (highly
recommended) then wash your hands first. It's a
good to be picky about what you put inside your
mouth.
Method 1: Fingered
Whistle
 Tuck away your lips
First, your upper and lower lips must reach over
to cover your teeth and be tucked into your mouth.
Only the outer edges of your lips are visible, if
at all.
 Choose your finger combination
The role of fingers is to keep the lips in place
over the teeth. Experiment with the following
combinations to discover which works best for you,
depending on the size of your fingers and mouth.
Regardless of your choice of fingers, their
placement is the same: each are placed roughly
halfway between the corners and center of lips,
inserted to the first knuckle. (Again, this will
vary depending on the size of your fingers and
mouth.)
Your options are:
- a U-shape created with thumb and
middle finger, or thumb and index finger, of
either hand.
- right and left index fingers.
- right and left middle fingers.
- right and left pinkie fingers.
Now that your fingers are in place, be very
clear on these two matters of form:
1.) Your fingernails should be angled
inwards, towards the center of the tongue, and not
pointed straight in and towards the back of your
mouth; and 2.) your fingers should pull the
lower lip fairly taut.
 Draw back the tongue
Now comes the crucial part of the whistle.
- The tongue must be drawn back so that
its front tip almost touches the bottom of the
mouth a short distance behind the lower gums
(about 1/2 inch/1 cm). This action also broadens
and flattens the front edge of the tongue,
allowing it to cover a wider portion of the
lower back teeth.
- The sound is produced by air flowing over a
bevel, or a sharply angled edge. In this
case, the sound is created by the upper teeth
and tongue directing air onto the lower lip and
teeth.
 Blow
Steps 3 and 4 follow each other
very closely, if not simultaneously. Inhale deeply,
and exhale over the top side of the tongue and
lower lip, and out of your mouth. Some extra
downward and outward pressure by the fingers onto
the lips and teeth may be helpful. Experiment with
the position of the fingers, the draw of the
tongue, the angle of the jaw, and the strength of
your exhalation. Adjusting with these will bring
success.
- Start off with a fairly gentle blow.
You'll produce a whistle of lower volume at
first, but you'll also have more breath to
practice with if you don't spend it all in the
first three seconds. As you blow, adjust your
fingers, tongue and jaws to find the bevel's
sweet spot. This is the area of maximum
efficiency, where the air is blown directly over
the sharpest part of the bevel. Once you locate
the sweet spot, your whistle will have a strong,
clear tone, as opposed to a breathy, low-volume
sound.
- Listen for these sounds: as you
practice, your mouth will learn to focus the air
onto the bevel's sweet spot with increasing
accuracy. You'll probably hear the following: a
breathy, low-volume tone that suddenly, as you
adjust your fingers, mouth, or jaw, will switch
to a clear, full, high-volume tone. Success!
You're on the right track--your task now is to
reproduce the mouth and hand position that led
to the better whistle.
Method 2: Fingerless
Whistle
The fingerless whistle is a natural outgrowth of
the fingered whistle. In the first method, you use
your fingers to keep the lip taut and in place.
With the next method, you remove your fingers and
don't use them at all (except to cross them for
good luck). Instead of using your fingers, you rely
on your muscles in your lips, cheeks, and jaw.
Since this technique requires greater control of
those muscles, it may be easier to master the
fingered whistle first, and then move on to the
fingerless method.
Draw back lips
- Begin by extending the lower jaw
slightly, and pulling the corners of your mouth
back a bit, towards your ears. Your bottom teeth
should not be visible, but it's fine if your
upper teeth are.
- Your bottom lip should be quite taut
against the lower teeth; if you have need
help with this movement, press an index and
middle fingertip on either side of the mouth to
draw the lip slightly out to the corners.
Note: this action is not an insertion of
the fingers into the mouth, as the first method
indicated. In this instance, you're simply
stretching the lower lip a bit, and the
fingertips aren't in the airstream.
Draw back the tongue
Now comes the crucial part of the whistle.
- The tongue must be drawn back so that
it sort of floats in the mouth at the level of
the lower front teeth. This action also broadens
and flattens the front edge of the tongue, yet
there's still a space between the tongue and the
lower front teeth.
- The sound of the whistle comes from
air that is blown over a bevel, or a sharply
angled edge. In this case, the sound is created
by the upper teeth and tongue forcing air on to
the lower lip and teeth.
Blow
Steps 2 and 3 follow each other
very closely, if not simultaneously.
- Inhale deeply and exhale--the air
should flow under your tongue, up through the
space between the tongue and teeth, and out of
the mouth. Experiment with the position of the
fingers, the draw of the tongue, the angle of
the jaw, and the strength of your exhalation.
- Start off with a fairly gentle blow.
You'll produce a whistle of lower volume,
but you'll also have more breath to practice
with if you don't spend it all in the first
three seconds.
- Using your upper lip and teeth, direct
the air downwards and towards your lower
teeth. The focus of the air is crucial for
this technique--you should be able to feel the
air on the underside of your tongue. And if your
hold your finger below your lower lip, you
should feel the downward thrust of air when you
exhale.
- As you blow, adjust your tongue and jaws to
find the sweet spot. This is the area of
maximum efficiency, where the air is blown
directly over the sharpest part of the bevel.
This results in a strong, clear tone that's
constant, as opposed to a breathy, lower-volume
sound that fades in and out.
- Listen for the following: the sound
you'll start with will sound as if you're
letting air out of a tire. Every now and then,
the clear and full tone will come through, and
you'll know that it's only a matter of time
before you're hailing every pet and taxi in your
community.
-end-
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