The slide whistle is an unusual metal woodwind instrument that was first developed in the early 20th century. You’ve probably heard the sliding sound of the slide whistle, especially as a sound effect in cartoons. Some of the other names of the slide whistle include swanee whistle, piston flute, or bicycle pump whistle.

The name bicycle pump whistle gives a good clue to the appearance of the whistle. It does resemble a metal bicycle pump, with a fipple, alternately called a mouthpiece, which looks very similar to the song flute or recorder mouthpiece. The slide whistle is hollow but has a metal piston, sometimes called a plunger, that can be hand lengthened or shortened to produce a sliding sound.

There are a people who can actually play sustained single notes on the slide whistle and may be able to carry off whole tunes with the instrument. In this case, playing the slide whistle is somewhat comparable to playing a trombone, at least a very small one. You have to know precisely how much to pull out the piston in order to produce different notes. One renowned slide whistle player of the past was Paul Trietsch. He is considered probably the most adept player to ever play the instrument, though other well-known musicians like Louis Armstrong also could play a good “slide.”

There have been a few symphonic composers who made use of the slide whistle. Maurice Ravel, best known for his work Bolero, used the slide whistle in an opera L’enfant et les Sortilèges (The Child and the Spells). Though the slide whistle has been used in a few jazz and orchestral pieces, most commonly it was used in jug bands of the 1920s.

Jug bands featured a variety of hand made instruments, and the unique nature of the slide whistle fit right in. Another composer who has made much of the slide whistle is Spike Jones, who is best known for his parodied interpretations of music from the 30s and onward. Jones used the slide whistle frequently, interjecting it into various points of his “arrangements” to provoke humor.

Slide whistles are inexpensive. You can buy one of professional quality for about 15-20 US dollars (USD). They can make for a fun instrument, a marvelous way to add sound effects, or merely be a cool noisemaker for kids. You can buy instruction books for the slide whistle that can teach you to play actual notes and songs. Armed with a slide whistle and instructions you just might be the next slide whistle virtuoso.