There is a memory that resonates from my childhood. It is a sound so delightful in its simplicity and one that I personally strived for hours to produce. It is a magical sound that could turn heads with its type of call. This sound could trigger a reaction instantaneously. It is precariously on the edge of extinction and yet no one seems to notice or care. Please! I beg you to do something about the fate of the whistle before it’s forever silenced.
Oh sure you can still hear it at sporting events, concerts, and an occasional graduation; meaning – “Thank the Lord! Whew, that was close!”
We used to rely on the whistle’s intonations for communication long before the invention of the cell phone or telephone for that matter. It could mean, “Hey! I’m over here!” or “Honey, you are one hot smokin’ babe!” or “EVERYBODY, SHUT UP!”
Its imminent demise is obvious when looking up the “meaning of whistleblowing.” The Free Dictionary states, and I quote: Whistleblower n. One who reveals wrongdoing within an organization to the public or to those in positions of authority.
What? I was looking up the nuances in whistles. Soon no one will know the difference between a “Hey! How are yah!” and a “cat call.”
Long before the I-pod, whistling was the fastest way to reproduce the latest hit tune. I noticed the first signs of discontent when my children were living at home. I would happily whistle in my kitchen and could feel their glaring eyes since the shrill sound interfered with the tonal quality of their headsets. They would storm off to their rooms to switch out their earbuds for noise cancelling headphones.
I grew up in simpler times, when the only television programs worth watching started at 7:00 in the evening. When we were bored during a long hot summer afternoon, my friends and I would whistle to call to a confused bird who hoped for a mid-day quickie. This nasty trick worked best on cardinals. They seemed to fall prey to our adolescent hijinks more often than the other birds. I often wondered if they just didn’t hear as well or if they were the horniest species around. They would call back in response flying closer and closer, only to realize it was a stupid human producing the intoxicating siren call and not a voluptuous feathered friend.
There are many ways to produce the sound. The most common way to whistle is to purse your lips making a little “o”, suck in your cheeks, and blow. Pressing your thumb and forefinger together and putting them in your mouth has been known to produce a piercing whistle that could leave an unsuspecting listener with hearing damage. See warnings below. There is also the two fisted approach where the whistler takes their index fingers and hooks them into the corners of their mouth creating a wind tunnel effect, but operator misuse has also been known to misfire a saliva ball.
I found these warnings in Wikipedia:
If you find you can whistle really loud, refrain from doing so in someone’s ear. It generally is not appreciated, because it tends to hurt.
Sometimes you may find yourself short of breath after whistling loudly or for a long time.
You may feel wheezy after whistling/practicing for too long.
When your lips are chapped/dry, whistling might cause them to split further. That hurts like a… witch, so you’re advised to not try it when this is the case (chapstick will help).
Learning to whistle when I was growing up was a rite of passage along with tying my shoes and riding a bike. Now it has been replaced by learning to text and tweet on a multicolored and sometimes bedazzled cell phone. When children are trying to get each other’s attention, now all they have to do is dig their cell phone out from under the juice box in their Harry Potter backpack and text the kid in front of them, “Dude, slow down! : P”
When trying to get a teenager to come out of their slovenly bedroom for dinner the whistle has been replaced by a text from mom or dad.
The family dog may be the only stronghold to the whistle’s complete demise. Only they seem unphased by recent technological advancements. By using any of the above techniques, not only will one find the results quite favorable, but you may also obtain a positive response from the neighbor’s dog.
Soon no one will remember what a whistle was used for. It will become an ancient artifact along with the VCR, cassette tapes, and the rotary telephone.
I beg of you please consider this request. Set your phone down, put your lips together, and blow!
Do you still whistle?
Hello,
many thanks for your comment om my blog… I like you skiing picture….I hope there will follow much more.
greetings from Austria
LikeLike
Thanks for coming to read and for following! There will be!!
LikeLike
Pulitzer prize material there.
LikeLike
I’m sad to say, I can’t whistle. I’ve tried ever since I was a kid but I could never get it. Occasionally a little whistle would come out, but that’s about it. Thanks for bringing it up and ruining my day! No, I’m kidding, about ruining my day, not about not being able to whistle. I really can’t do it.
LikeLike
I whistle all the time and drive everyone crazy!!
How did you even find this??? I was just working on linking it to tomorrow’s post so you freaked me out! I thought I posted it accidentally! Hahaha!
LikeLike
I must have put some JUJU on it! 🙂
LikeLike
haha! I follow people using google reader. Guess I just happened to look at it at the right time.
LikeLike
Bahaha the whole bird confusion thing had me LOL at work. Terrible. Sadly I cannot whistle but I agree that the nuances are slowly going away. Any whistle could be offensive. Oh the Future….
LikeLike
You could try calling to a bird on your lunch break. They are all kind of dumb! Hahaha!
Thanks for coming by JJ!
LikeLike
I learned to whistle early on and, my specialty, I could whistle blowing in and out…so, I could breathe while I continued whistling!
Take a look at this one. My very first blog post. This was several years ago. Since then, I have restarted and put it all back together differently. I just thought I would let you see how it all started:
http://wp.me/pIYiO-1
LikeLike
I just tried that technique and it is fun!
I will check out your blog post. Be sure to put post it on my Use Me and Abuse Me Day post as well!
LikeLike
I have never been a good whistler. I can make a little tiny tweet out of the side of my mouth. One of my daughter’s is a really good whistler… that annoys me. I used to work with a guy who whistled the same Jethro Tull tune all the time… I wanted to strangle him! I am now practicing Boggie’s whistle… if only Lauren were here.
LikeLike
Boggie has the best whistle! I love whistling and my dad can still do all kinds of bird whistles. I never got that dexterous, but still have fun with a bird once in a while.
Thanks for stopping by to read Ted!
LikeLike
This is one of the most interesting posts I’ve read…because it brought to mind something I wasn’t even aware of. You’re right, you don’t hear whistling much anymore. I never could whistle. Just tried again right now, using Lori’s technique. Almost got a sustained sound. Scared the cat. I’ll stick to clapping in the audience.
LikeLike
That sucking in whistle can be reeeeeeeally loud! Just make sure that the room is clear when you practice! 🙂
Thanks so much for coming by to read this old post Chaz!
LikeLike
I can barely whistle. I tried a few times while reading this post. I still suck at whistling. You’re right, though, Susie, we can’t let the art of whistling become a thing of the past. Yay for you writing this post! LOL!
LikeLike
Thanks Lynn! It is beginning to be a lost art! It took me a while as I remember, but my dad kept on encouraging me! He has quite a trill!
LikeLike
Susie! I read the comments and laughed. Why? Because I was doing what everyone else suggests they did while reading your blog. Whistling. Or, in my case, attempting to whistle.
I thought I had a chance. I thought I could cross this one off my bucket list. But, no.
I’ll live to whistle another day. Great way to celebrate your one year anniversary! Congratulations! I’m going to offer up one of my early offerings on my blog. It’s from back-in-the-day when writing a blog article filled me with dread similar to the word “synopsis.” And, I am a confirmed synopsiphobic. Ask any of my friends who’ve heard me whine about it.
LikeLike
Thanks for whistling while you read! We must keep it from extinction! Hahaha!
Thanks for participating today! I will do another on June 6th!
LikeLike
This is an awesome post and I love that video, what a husky voice.
LikeLike
The video is still amazing! I love seeing them together!
Thanks Catherine!
LikeLike
You might be pleased to know that a whistle appears in the “litely” read post I’ll link on your party post page. I used to have an assistant (a young woman well under 30) that was a whistler. It was an anemic warble that drove me crazy — nothing like Bogey’s tribute to Bacall — more like a tone-deaf robin.
LikeLike
My husband whistled all weekend! It is like singing in the shower. We all think we rock at it! Hahaha!
Thanks for coming by to read!
LikeLike
Ha! I used to avoid certain streets when I was younger because there were those older pervs whistling at the high school girls. It would totally gross me out. Now with two kids the only whistling I hear is during a ball game. Sometimes I get a stare or the double-take, no whistle. But I’m o.k. with that. 🙂
LikeLike
Me too! I am reeeeeeally happy when no one bumps right into me now! Hahaha!
I remember those good old days and know that I turned red, but loved every minute of it!
Thanks Guat~
LikeLike
Oh, I’m with The Guat! I was a shy teenager, so, when I got whistled at, it embarrassed me and made me run away! Icky, creepy grown up men!
LikeLike
What a great post! Wow! Your writing leaves me a little breathless, Susie… otherwise, I’d give you a little whistle! 🙂
You do know how to whistle, don’t you honey? *wink*
LikeLike
Thank you so much Veronica!
Aren’t they the best together! That video still gives me shivers!
Thanks for dropping by to read and party!
LikeLike
Amazing how sometimes really great post are underappreciated…this was great. I can’t whistle…at least not well but I may start practising now.
LikeLike
Wow! Thank you so much Jo! I really appreciate that you took the time to read it!
You should practice! We don’t want the whistle to go silent………………………..
I hope you clicked on a few links on the Use Me and Abuse Me post. There is a lot of fun to be had over there!
LikeLike
I will do my best to improve…hehehe
I shall be checking some of them out…what a great idea !!!
LikeLike
Awesome! Thanks!
LikeLike
It saddens me. The demise of the whistle. I spent years practicing as a child but am still an amature at best. I will never forget the first time I got whistled at . . . . Still makes me smile.
LikeLike
Me too! Not great, but I can whistle loud and on pitch (at least the birds think so…. 🙂 )
Thanks for reading~
LikeLike
LOL. Ok, I was thinking about all sorts of non-obvious content for this title but I had even got to whistling. I remember playing soccer with this guy that want us all to whistle and not call for the ball. Thankfully half the team couldn’t whistle so we dumped the idea. I mean, have you ever seen footballers whistling to each other? It’s not a pretty sight.
Good laugh.
Cheers!
LikeLike
I thought this was a great post! Can’t see why it wouldn’t have gotten a good response the first time. I love whistling! I’m not good at it, but it doesn’t stop me. I remember when I was little, and I got all my friends to teach me how to whistle. And it hasn’t gone too extinct! It featured in a film that I love: August Rush! Check it out some time; it’ll make you smile. 🙂
LikeLike
I haven’t seen that film and will check it out. I am glad to here that you are stilling hearing the sound of whistling! It used to be so common back in the day, but by a lot of responses, many never learned!
Thanks so much for coming by today!
LikeLike
I never could whistle! I tried and tried and tried as a kid, but I just couldn’t get it! (I can only snap my fingers on my left hand, as well, and then not using the “correct” fingers, so I guess I’m just weird that way!) My Dad, however, was a whistling ACE! We kids could hear him from 3 blocks away, after we had ignored Mom’s dinner bell! We knew then we better get home NOW or there would be trouble!
Love the blog party concept, and I can’t wait to “meet” a bunch of new and fabulous blogsters!
LikeLike
Whistling isn’t easy! I learned through hours of pursing my lips and trying hard to make any sound. It took a long time. My dad was an amazing whistler as well.
Thanks so much for coming by! I will look forward to reading your link on June 6th!
LikeLike