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Comment by AlwaysRock | Hacker News Reader

Anyone learn to whistle, in any way or form, later in life? I've always wanted to but never been able to. I've tried a few types of whistles. The closest I've gotten is some quasi duck calls using my hands and whistling with the help of an acorn.

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I actually did, from a Reddit thread that guided me through the process step by step. I’m having trouble finding the exact link at the moment, but it starts with slowly breathing out the letter “Q”.

It’s not a loud, booming sound or anything, but I went from blowing soundless air for 20-odd years to actually whistling.

> I’m having trouble finding the exact link at the moment, but it starts with slowly breathing out the letter “Q”.

Thank you! That tip was all I needed to figure it out :)

Ha, glad to be of help!

Holy shit. I tried for about 5 minutes this morning by breathing out Q and I can whistle now. Damn thank you.

I tried to do that and I puffed out of two places in my body at once and got a questioning look from my wife. My advice is don't try this at home.

If you can't whistle, there's a way to use an acorn or a bottle cap to do so. I can whistle, but not that loud, and often use a bottle cap to whistle loudly at venues. https://youtu.be/tydJLavu8Fc

I can whistle 3 ways: the typical pucker you lips whistle, use your fingers whistle, and a third that I’ve only seen my brother and I do. For the third curl your upper lip towards your nose, bring the bottom lip up flat, move your tongue all the back and down, and try and direct the air into the split part of your inner upper lip. It’s a very loud piercing whistle that can be heard much farther than the typical finger whistle.

I can do the 3rd one too but it’s not very loud.

Curious, any reason why you think it might be different later in life?

I think it just takes a lot of practice and patience

Don't forget that you have to repeatedly do it so much you feel like you're going to faint from lack of oxygen! Remember that when learning to whistle as a youngin :)

Some things are harder to learn later in life.

I cannot. I did practice on my commute for two years and still cannot whistle. People tried to teach me and that failed. From time to time a get a note but not very loud and I cannot make it last.

I was never able to whistle well until I learned to do it while inhaling which came out much louder and helped me learn a better mouth shape for whistling while exhaling.

Like everything else, practice. When I learned it, first few days no sound would come out. Then the occasional "accidental" half-whistle. Now I can whistle songs.

Here's how I whistle. Suck in your cheeks, like you're puckering for a kiss. Make sure the lips are a tad moist. Blow through the lip hole. It helps if you keep a tightness, or ambiture (sp?) which is how a horns or winds player would describe lip/cheek tightness. Inside, the tongue is resting against front teeth and a very light stream of abdominal air is supplying the whistle. Any luck?

> It helps if you keep a tightness, or ambiture (sp?) which is how a horns or winds player would describe lip/cheek tightness.

Yea I went from being a mediocre whistler to crazy good at it when I played wind instrument seriously for a decade. But that was decades ago so now I'm back to mediocrity.

Also the word you are looking for is "embouchure"

I gradually lost the ability to whistle in my 30s. I never whistled very loud, but now it’s almost nothing.

I lost that ability in my 30s thanks to Bell's Palsy. I mostly recovered, but the nerves on the right side didn't completely recover enough for me to seal my lips well enough to do it anymore. After I wasted $35 on a chanter, my wife and neighbors were relieved to find out that I won't ever be able to play the bagpipes, either.

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