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Whistling is the production of sound by means of a constant breath of air from the mouth. The air is moderated by the tongue, lips, teeth, or fingers to create turbulence, and the mouth acts as a resonant chamber to enhance the resulting sound, thus acting as a type of Helmholtz resonator. Whistling can also be produced by hands, or using an instrument (see whistle), some as simple as a blade of grass.
Non-instrumental whistling from the mouth can be accomplished in several ways:
Pucker whistling, in which the air is expelled or inhaled through pursed lips, producing turbulence
Roof or palatal whistling, in which the turbulence is produced by air being pushed between the tongue and the roof (palate or alveolar ridge) of the mouth
Finger whistling or wolf-whistling, in which one or more fingers are inserted into the mouth to shape the opening, allowing a much more forceful stream of air to be blown through. A variation entails pinching at the center of the bottom lip, and sucking in, rather than blowing out, resulting in a very loud and piercing whistle.
Hand whistling, in which air is blown from the mouth into a resonant chamber formed by cupped hands
Throat whistling, in which air is blown through the throat with the mouth closed
A whistled tone is a simple oscillation (or sine wave) produced in the resonant chamber, and thus timbral variations are impossible. The pitch of a whistle can be altered by changing the volume and shape of the resonant chamber (most typically by using the tongue).
It is also possible to whistle and hum at the same time. An easy way of doing this is to shape the throat and lips as if one was going to whistle and softly sing "oooowwww". As you are doing this, slowly start to focus the air towards the front of your mouth and tighten your lips so that you are whistling. With enough practice, it is possible for one to hum and whistle two separate melodies at the same time.
Some languages and code languages use whistles as a part of their communication; this is referred to as whistled speech.
Hand whistling is used to indicate both satisfaction and displeasure, usually at, but not limited to, sporting events, political rallies, social gatherings, and movies.
One specific type of whistling (a pitch-bend up, a brief stop, and then a quick pitch-bend up and back down in a continuous manner) can also be used to denote physical attractiveness in the one being whistled at. This is considered very poor manners in the Western world, and can even be considered a form of harrassment in a professional setting. The usual setting is a man whistling at an attractive woman, but it can happen between virtually anyone. It may also be used jokingly as a compliment between closer individuals (in a romantic relationship, for example).
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Musical whistling
Whistling can be musical: many performers on the music hall and Vaudeville circuits were professional whistlers, and several notable songs feature whistling in some capacity. The term puccalo refers to jazz whistling.
Examples of whistling include:
The theme tune to The Great Escape was whistled in the film and the tune is frequently sung at English national team football matches
Elmo Tanner, who appeared with the Ted Weems Orchestra, had a major hit whistling on the song "Heartaches"
Pat Boone does his own whistling on his hit "Love Letters in the Sand". He sometimes teases audiences with the aside, "You didn't think it was me, did you?"
Meade Lux Lewis whistles a melody and several solos in his "Whistlin' Blues"
Bobby McFerrin used whistling for nearly all of the music in his hit "Don't Worry, Be Happy."
Bobbejaan Schoepen, Belgian singer-composer-entertainer and one the most influencial virtuoso whistlers in Europe. Legendary songs are "Le ragtime de l'homme orchestre" and "Le petit oiseau dans le foret" ("Little bird in the forest"), both live 1955. Also: "Der mund voll tricks" (1954), "Chinese whistler" (1962); "Der pfeifer und sein schatten" ("The Whistler and his Shadow") and "Der verliebte pfeifer" ("Beloved Whistler").
John Lennon is whistling at the end of the song "Two of Us" from the Beatles album Let It Be. Lennon also whistles on Beatles song "Real Love" and on the song "Jealous Guy" from his solo album Imagine.
Harry Nilsson, singer was a virtuoso whistler who incorporated the technique on a handful of his songs, notably, "Wasting my time", "I never thought I'd be this lonely", "she sits down on me" and the outro to "the most beautiful world in the world."
Otis Redding whistled the last lines of "Dock of the Bay", allegedly because, at the end of a long recording day, he couldn't remember the rest of the text.
Professor Longhair remade some of hits, including "Big Chief", replacing his vocals with whistling.
The Meat Puppets include whistling in the aptly-titled "The Whistling Song".
Scorpions also whistle on the song called "Wind of Change".
Billy Joel whistles at the beginning and at the end of the song called "The Stranger".
Juelz Santana features a whistle in the hook of "There It Go (The Whistle Song)"
Whistling is incorporated in the song "Wouldn't It Be Loverly?", in the Broadway play and film, My Fair Lady.
Much whistling is featured in the song "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life", in the Monty Python film The Life of Brian
The song "The Whistler and His Dog" by composer Arthur Pryor has a significant whisting sequence, and dog barking.
Swedish pop combo Peter Bjorn and John feature whistling in the track "Young Folk" from their album Writer's Block.
Claude Debussy was going to write the role of the Devil for a whistler in his opera The Devil in the Belfry, but the work was left unfinished.
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Whistling and Superstition
Whistling in theatre, particularly on-stage, is considered extremely unlucky. Before the invention of electronic means of communication, oftentimes sailors were used as stage technicians, working with the complicated rope systems associated with flying. Coded whistles would be used to call cues, so it is thought that whistling on-stage may cause, for example, a cue to come early, a "sailor's ghost" to drop a batton or flat on top of you, or general bad luck in the performance.
In Russian culture, whistling indoors is superstitiously believed to bring bad luck, whereas whistling outdoors is considered normal.
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See also
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