Where are all the whistlers?

It's also unlucky to whistle backstage at the theatre. I think this stems from the days when scenery changes were cued by whistles, so someone randomly whistling in the wings could cause a backcloth or other flat to be dropped / raised at the wrong time, possible causing an accident.

GeorgeKirrin

I'm a prolific whistler . My son who is 21 was taught by my Dad when he was about 6. He stayed with my Dad for the week and when we picked him up he was whistling away quite merrily and never stopped. One of his year 3 teachers got quite exasperated with him and complained he didn't even know when he was doing it.
He has quite a wide repertoire from Beethoven to Eminem but one of his favourites has always been "Bless your beautiful hide" 🤣

Oh I love that song!

Grandma70s

The last person I heard whistle was an old neighbour, in his 80s, and that was some years ago. It was a nice thing to hear because he was quite tuneful. I hadn’t noticed that whistling was dying out, but you’re right, it is, or has.

It sure has, growing up I’d hear lots of men whistling, tradesmen and just others walking down the street, all just about gone now.
I can’t whistle tho tried a lot when young😁 and apart from my school friends never heard a woman whistle.Mum and Nan always sang around the house.

Labradora

I can actually whistle but I never do. Don't know why. Used to whistle to summon the dog when he was shilly-shallying in the long grass.
Mostly he ignored it.
Have never whistled "musically", so to speak.
Humanity has greatly benefited from my NOT whistling musically.

And, talking of long grass, did anyone else like whistling through a piece of grass placed between both thumbs?
I doubt any of today’s children would do that.

I used to whistle as a child. My mother thought it terribly uncouth. She also said it was unlucky but never explained whether the bad luck applied to whistling men as well as women. I actually think it was a ploy to stop me.

Daddima, I too used to whistle through a blade of grass. It had to be just the right width and sometimes I'd cut my lip on it!

My 5yr old granddaughter has learnt to whistle and is rightly chuffed about it! I’ve never been very good at it but definitely used to do the blade of grass thing as a child. It’s a shame if it’s dying out, it’s a happy thing to hear in my opinion.

A whistling woman, a cackling hen, is neither good for God nor men.
My nan used to tell me. (She was probably right in my case)

My other nan would sing Yoho ho, and a bottle of rum, I fell over and I hurt my bum! While I whistled along.

I absolutely hate whistling and I've no idea why. I'm so sorry all you whistling fans.

My father had along career 'whistling', if imitating birds and other wildlife is whistling also gave voice to the Alien in the first Alien film.Ronnie Renald incorporated whistling during a very successful career as did Roger Whittaker. Strange seem to almost never heard now though there is whistling competition in the USA yearly I believe

Galaxy

Aaargh whistling makes my toes curl.

Me too. So annoying.

Mine too,especially inside for some reason .

My 38 year old son whistles to himself, so does my 10 year old grandson

I don’t like woman whistling, think it’s so un-lady like

My mums next door neighbour used to whistle constantly, and his wife hated it.
He never whistled an actual tune, just a series of notes.

I play classical music when I'm driving. At the moment it's the six Brandenburg Concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach. I whistle along the whole time.

And me !

Oh, I've never tried classical whistling.
I must give it a go!

Years ago, waiting in an airport lounge, a very old gentleman sitting next to me, away in a little corner, started whistling the tune "As Time Goes By" from Casablanca. He was note perfect and went completely through the song The sheer simple, haunting beauty of the song, and his performance,will stay with me forever.

I like listening to someone whistling a tune. My grandad never stopped even after an operation being given a blood transfusion was still whistling.
What I hate is the people who whistle at concerts with a sharp piercing whistle with fingers in their mouth. It really hurts my ears. Would an elbow jog be in order?

“A whistlin’ maid and a crawin’ hen is neither good for but nor Ben” is the one always quoted to me. I do whistle away and can’t remember how young I was when I started. DH has taken relatively recently to whistling but he’s the most tuneless person I’ve ever met. When he sings, every time he takes a breath, he changes key. He says it’s too difficult to keep in key! Annoying but I’ve lived with it for 50 years. I’ll put up with it for a wee while and then tell him to give it a rest! 😂

Milest0ne

I like listening to someone whistling a tune. My grandad never stopped even after an operation being given a blood transfusion was still whistling.
What I hate is the people who whistle at concerts with a sharp piercing whistle with fingers in their mouth. It really hurts my ears. Would an elbow jog be in order?

Shinamae

I’ve whistled since I was a little girl, I even get comments about it where I work in a care home, the residents will say,”was that you whistling”and I say yes,most times I don’t even know I’m doing it,sometimes they say it sounded good.
I’m 71 and I’ve been whistling since I was a little girl, but my aunt may used to say
A whistling woman
And a crowing hen
Is neither good to God nor men? 😜

Love it that you remember that line about a whistling girl. I remember whistling not very well when I was about 11 and Nanny (who was not my grandmother, but had been my mum’s nanny when she was a child and was like an extra grandmother to us) very tartly saying that rhyme. It made me think a whistling girl would be a thoroughly good thing and although I stopped then so as not to annoy Nanny, I practised and practised when she wasn’t around until I got good at it - and I still whistle!
Nanny was full of old-fashioned views and sayings - another favourite of hers was ‘joints on the table are meant to be carved!’ - in response to elbows on the table when we were having dinner. She was lovely and we loved her but didn’t grow up doing what she said! I still miss her home baking though - meringues and rock cakes especially.

Now read all the other comments and see that lots of us remember a version of the whistling girl saying. I think, c1971, it made me want to whistle precisely because it was unladylike 😀. An early expression of feminism!

And my partner has taught our grandchildren to do the blade of grass whistling.

One of the friendly drivers on our local bus whistles almost nonstop. It’s great to hear.