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Tips on Fingerless Whistles

One method of whistling involves puckering your lips.Whistling without using your fingers can be difficult to learn but is certainly possible with the proper technique. Learning to whistle without your fingers is a skill that is useful even in the concert setting. Charles Ives, a famous classical composer from the 1900s, included fingerless whistling in his compositions. Fingerless whistling also comes in handy when you need to get the attention of a group and need to use your hands for other tasks.

Lip Position


The bottom lip should curve around the bottom teeth. Make sure that the bottom lip stretches tightly across the bottom teeth. It helps to create a grin and stretch the corner of your lips outwards towards your ears. The upper lip should be tight against the teeth and make contact with the bottom lip. This will help to create the lip vibrations necessary to whistle effectively.

Tongue Position


The tongue should be placed in the center of the mouth and connect barely with the front teeth. Think of the tongue as a ramp for the air to travel along. If the ramp is too wide, the air will not travel in a short and fast line. The goal is to focus your air directly over your bottom lip. Make sure the tongue doesn’t hit the bottom of the mouth, it should hover just slightly.

Airflow


The airflow needs to be fast and narrowly focused on creating a proper whistle. To create proper airflow ensure that you are breathing and expelling the air with the diaphragm and not the chest. The chest is weaker than muscles in your diaphragm, so don’t create enough force to effectively whistle. When you blow, make sure you are tensing the muscles in your abdomen to help expel the air quickly.

Puckered Lip Whistle


It is also possible to create a whistle by puckering your lips. This is a less powerful type of whistle, but it makes it possible to whistle melodies. To do this, pucker your lips as if you were about to kiss someone. Curl your tongue back, out of the way, and then let out a consistent stream of air. This will help you to create a more delicate whistle with more control over the pitch.
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