How To Whistle: A Complete Step by Step Guide For Beginners

Whistling is a skill that serves many purposes.

It is a skill that you acquire through practice rather than being born with it. While some people can naturally whistle with only a little bit of practice, others are not able to do it even after rigorous practice.

A whistle is a sound produced when air leaves your mouth in a particular manner. Blowing air in different ways can produce different sounds and notes.

According to an article in the New Yorker, there is a population in a town in North Turkey where whistling is a language. Instead of using words, people in this town whistle in a similar way to the whistling of bird calls.

It is considered to be a talent if people can successfully whistle without using a whistling device. It is found to be an attractive ability, as portrayed through the media over the years. Both women and men can gain this talent by practicing hard. Although, some can easily acquire it.

The different sounds produced through whistling can be used in varied situations. For instance, a particular whistling tone can be used by soldiers to alert other members of their team about any approaching danger.

Or, in a simpler situation, it can be used to catch a cab. Whatever the reason is, whistling can merely be learned as a pastime too.

Many people have a tendency to hum or whistle the tune of their favorite song when they are working. But some people can only dream of being able to do so. People often find it difficult to whistle even after they keep practicing for a long time.

Doctors relate this to a medical problem. In order to produce a whistling sound, there is a muscular sphincter called the velopharynx in your throat that must be closed completely. You cannot whistle if this muscular sphincter doesn't close properly.

The velopharynx can become dysfunctional due to reasons such as adenoid surgery, cleft palate, large space between throat and palate, motor speech disorder, and weak muscles of the throat. Whistling is difficult, and not many people are able to learn this skill.

If you are interested in learning this skill and are looking for various techniques to utilize for this purpose, then read on and try to practice the steps listed in the rest of the article.

If you find this article interesting, then you might also enjoy reading our articles about how to use hair oil and how to use an abacus here at Kidadl.

How To Whistle With Fingers

A simple method you can use to whistle is to whistle with your fingers. In order to whistle with your fingers, there are certain steps involved that you need to follow.

There are three things to focus on when you whistle with your fingers, and these are the amount of air leaving your mouth, the shape and position of your fingers, and your tongue. For learning this whistling technique, a person should first decide which fingers he or she is going to use.

The correct combination of the fingers can be a significant point in learning this skill.

After choosing the fingers, say the index fingers of both your hands, you should then focus on your lips and mouth. Your lips should cover your upper and lower teeth completely.

You should look similar to babies who do not have teeth. After that, your tongue should be pushed deep inside your mouth. Each finger can be used to push your tongue back until the first knuckles of each finger are on your curled lips.

Then, make sure that your mouth is closed, and the only opening is the gap formed by your fingers. After this, blow the air through this gap, and it will produce a sound.

The sound can become louder if you blow more forcefully. Moreover, if you are not able to whistle by using your index fingers, you can also try with your pinkie or middle fingers.

Another way could be to use an index finger and a thumb on one hand. The function of the fingers is to create the gap between the upper lip and the lower lip while simultaneously pushing the tongue to the back of the mouth.

How To Whistle Without Your Fingers

A different way of whistling is without your fingers. While many people find it easy to learn this skill with the use of fingers, it can also be performed with just your lips.

This type of whistling is slightly different from the previous one and requires different steps. The very first thing a person has to do is to lick their lips. When your lips are moistened, you should slightly pucker them.

The pucker shape of your lips should look as if you are kissing someone. Then, the tip of the tongue should curl upwards behind the two front teeth. After the position of the tongue is settled, blow the air through the hole in order to produce a sound.

One can produce different notes by adjusting and experimenting with the position of the tip of the tongue. You should keep practicing it until you can produce the whistling sound easily and smoothly. The sound can be loud if you blow more air out of the mouth with more force.

Still, a different way of whistling without using even a single finger is through the suction of air. Instead of blowing the air out, it can be sucked in. Again after moistening the lips, you should form a pucker.

The position of the tip of your tongue doesn't matter here. The air should be sucked in through the hole formed by the pucker of the lips.

Although the note can be quite weak at first, if you use more force, it can be loud. The air should be sucked until you hear the note of a whistle. Here, there is a possibility for jaws to drop slightly.

You can practice whistling by both blowing and sucking air through your mouth. This way of whistling can be used to whistle a tune.

Moreover, practicing the sound of a whistle by changing the position of the tip of your tongue, or changing the shape of your mouth along with the force of air, can create different notes each time. Each varied note can thus help to form a tune.

How To Whistle With Two Fingers

The method of whistling with fingers can prove to be useful when you want to hail a cab as it can be pretty loud. You can also use it to grab the attention of your friends.

You can use many fingers to whistle; however, two fingers can be more effective. There are people who use three or four fingers to produce a whistling sound. Yet, you can make use of only two fingers. It can be either or just one hand or two hands. One index finger and one thumb are also quite good.

The index finger and the thumb should form an 'OK' sign, while any other two fingers should be in the shape of an 'A'.

Then after licking your lips and pulling the upper lip and the lower lip over each row of teeth, you should place the fingers in the gap of the mouth formed by the lips and the teeth.

The fingers in your mouth should push the tongue back. Then, blow the air between the teeth and the lips.

The tone of the whistle can be adjusted to make it louder. Practice the shape of the lips over the teeth and the position of the tongue at the back of the mouth in order to learn this art properly. The amount of air you blow through your lips can make the tone level vary.

How To Whistle For Kids

Every kid is curious by nature. Children are always eager to learn new things, and whistling can be one of them.

It can be hard for them to understand the various steps involved in whistling, as even adults find it difficult. Moreover, they might find it hard to shape their mouth in the correct way or to even push their tongue back.

You can search for various related media, such as a video that provides easy tips for learning how to make a whistling noise.

A video with easily understandable tips and steps along with visual instructions can help them to understand the techniques better. Moreover, the audio part of the media can help them to hear the whistles that each different method produces.

Since children are naturally fast learners, they can soon master this ability and use it as a sign to communicate with each other.

However, it is not so easy for the majority of adults. Even after watching a video or reading several articles, it might take time for a person to get it right and become a whistler.

Yet, it is a joy to finally gain this talent and show it to others. Whistling can be beautiful when performed well and can attract a lot of attention.

It can also be noisy for some people who don't like the sound. Overall, there is no harm in learning the art of whistling, and hopefully, the tips and techniques mentioned here can be helpful.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our article about how to whistle, then why not take a look at our articles about how to make a waterfall or how to tell if silver is real.