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How can I Learn to Whistle?
Nicole Madison
Nicole Madison
Whistling can be a fun past time. Some people whistle a tune to help pass the time, while others consider it serious business, even entering whistling competitions. If you don’t know how to whistle, getting the knack for it may seem difficult. With just a little patience and time, however, you can easily learn to whistle a note or two.
Start by finding a mirror. While watching yourself, arrange your lips to form a small "O." You want to have a small gap left through which air can travel. Next, position your tongue in back of your lower teeth. Maintaining this position, begin to blow air out through the circle you created with your mouth. Repeat these steps; it may take a while before you are able to produce a whistle.
Don’t expect to learn to whistle perfectly on the first try. You’ll probably have to spend some time adjusting your lips and tongue until you are able to produce a whistled note. You may need to purse your lips tighter or change the position of your tongue. Some people find more success with placing their tongues right up against their bottom gums. While you learn, avoid blowing too hard; small amounts of air tend to work best.
Some people suggest keeping your lips moist as you learn to whistle as wet lips may help you to produce a stronger note. Once you’ve accomplished a decent note, move on, adjusting your lips, tongue, and the force with which you blow to obtain produce different sounds. You may even want to try curling your tongue and positioning it near, but not touching, the roof of your mouth. Some people are able to produce different notes in this manner as well.
When you initially learn to whistle, the notes you produce are likely to be breathy and low-volume. Your whistles may fade in and out. Eventually you may hear sounds that resemble those heard when air is allowed to escape a tire. When you hear such sounds, don’t get discouraged, it means you are on the right track. Keep trying and soon you will develop the right mouth positioning for producing strong, melodious notes.
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a MusicalExpert writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
Learn more...
Nicole Madison
Nicole’s thirst for knowledge inspired her to become a MusicalExpert writer, and she focuses primarily on topics such as homeschooling, parenting, health, science, and business. When not writing or spending time with her four children, Nicole enjoys reading, camping, and going to the beach.
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![Lips should be arranged to form a small "O" when whistling.]()
By: fuchsphotographyLips should be arranged to form a small "O" when whistling.
Discussion Comments
I sound like a tea kettle.
I could never whistle until just recently (within the last six months. I just tried it and then I could whistle! It was weird, but now i do it all the time without any trouble. I whistle while exhaling and while inhaling.
I cannot whistle at all and I've tried everything!
All I managed to do was spew out spit.
this is kind of hard to do! I can whistle a little but that's it! I guess my lips are awkward.
I’ve never been able to whistle by inhaling klore. I always thought this was much harder to do because you have to let out a lot of air. I guess it’s just different for everyone.
I learned to whistle by sucking air in first. For some people, this method of whistling is a little easier to initially make a decent sound with. If you’re whistling a tune though, it’s a little more difficult to transition smoothly between notes because you have to exhale for a long period of time once you’ve taken as much air in as you can. If you learn to whistle by exhaling, it becomes much easier to take short breaths, which interrupt the melody less noticeably. However, if you can learn to do both, you can whistle songs very smoothly and maintain normal respiratory functions without having to interrupt the song at all. If you really want to learn to whistle the right way, this is probably the best way to do it. Like with anything, practice makes perfect.
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