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Can you whistle?

Can you whistle?

  • Yes, I can whistle a tune.

    Votes: 51 71.8%

  • Yes, but only a random note, not a tune.

    Votes: 10 14.1%

  • No, I cannot whistle.

    Votes: 10 14.1%
  • Total voters
    71
andalusia

andalusia

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Apr 10, 2009
2,945
8
Manchester, UK
Random question I know, but I've been able to whistle for as long as I can remember, and I was just thinking about it. I don't recall anybody teaching me how to do so, and I find it quite remarkable that people just learn or figure out how to whistle without any advice or instructions necessary.

This led me to wonder how many people can and can't whistle, and what the general percentage of people who can whistle is.

So, simply, can you whistle?
 
I can whistle, however my other half cannot. Have tried teaching, but it seems she cannot quite get it.
 
I couldn't whistle until I was in ... 8th grade, I think. It used to drive me crazy, and I was so excited when I finally figured it out. :eek:

I never did manage the kind of really loud whistle that uses one's fingers.
 
I couldn't help but click when I saw this thread!

In short, yes, I can whistle, but it wasn't until about 15 months ago that I was finally able to make some horrendous sound that technically counts as a whistle. Man, was I excited. Finally, after a 29 years of watching everyone else do it, I, too, was "one of them". These days, I just make my horrendous sounds at random moments and it seems to annoy the **** out of everyone. :D

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mkrishnan said:
I couldn't whistle until I was in ... 8th grade, I think. It used to drive me crazy, and I was so excited when I finally figured it out. :eek:

I never did manage the kind of really loud whistle that uses one's fingers.
Click to expand...

LOL, I'm right there with you...it drove me insane!! Only difference is that it took me 29 years to figure it out.
 
Caliber26 said:
These days, I just make my horrendous sounds at random moments and it seems to annoy the **** out of everyone. :D
Click to expand...

<Needs work.> Try the shower, that's where people learn to "sing".

I learned by trying to imitate a whistling kettle in my Grand-Mother's kitchen.

Can you whistle breathing in? ;) I can, but in much shorter bursts.

:D
 
Yes I can and my life goals were learning to whistle the Devil Went Down to Georgia and the Lone Ranger Theme. Finally, after a couple years of practice, I pulled it off.
 
Yes, I can whistle. My father grew up on a farm and whistling was actually a form of communication while out in the field. Growing up he used whistling to get our attention when outside or in a crowded place. When I was growing up people would let their children play out in the neighborhood and if he needed me to come home he would simply whistle. Yes, he has the ability to whistle very loud. :D

I guess since that is how I was raised I see nothing wrong with whistling to get people's attention. My wife hates it and says it's rude. She says you whistle to call a dog, not other people. I don't know, maybe it's just me, but I don't find it disrespectful at all. I think it's much more rude to shout or yell at someone as opposed to just giving a quick whistle. I also think it's quite effective as no one else generally does it. As a kid when I heard a whistle I knew that was my dad and he needed me to listen up. :)
 
I couldn't whistle until I was 11 or 12 because my sister is a very bad whistling teacher :p The way she places her lips is totally different from the way I place mine.

I can whistle both when inhaling and exhaling. Thus I can whistle long sequences of quick notes without having to stop to get more air.
 
What an extraordinarily interesting idea for a thread. Fascinated, intrigued, I had to click and see what the responses were.

Whistling is one of those skills - when you are a child - along with being able to nonchalantly click or snap your fingers - that seems both irresistible yet almost impossible to learn.

Anyway, OP, I can do both and learned (to my immense and gratified satisfaction) to do so as a child. Now, I never said that I did them particularly well; these days, I'm probably a better finger-snapper than whistler (as an adult in a classroom of almost adults the former skill - inexplicably - seems to be used that bit more........)

Cheers
 
Yes, and people are often like, "where did you learn to whistle?" I don't remember when or where, I just know I can do it, breath in or out and almost any tune I hear.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I can whistle only while inhaling.
 
SDub90 said:
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

I can whistle only while inhaling.
Click to expand...

That's how I used to be. I'm not sure at what age it changed (probably 14-15) but it does help do some cool whistles now since I can do it both ways.
 
No I can't. But then again, I've never tried to learn just like I never learned to swim or ski even though I live in Colorado. A few people have looked shocked when I said I never skied.
 
hexonxonx said:
No I can't. But then again, I've never tried to learn just like I never learned to swim or ski even though I live in Colorado. A few people have looked shocked when I said I never skied.
Click to expand...

People from out of the state are always shocked that I don't ski/snowboard either (although I have skied a couple times on school trips). Everyone seems to forget that half the state is flat.

As for whistling, I can whistle fairly well but not any of the super loud ones some people can do.
 
I can whistle and whistle a tune, but I can't whistle loudly by putting fingers in my mouth... Just like I can't make sounds with my armpit...
 
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