BIRD WHISTLE INSTRUCTIONS
What is a bird whistle?
The bird whistle is a miniature reed that is placed upon the tongue and held within the mouth. It comprises a specially treated membrane which is stretched to high tension and mounted on fibreglass paper, held tightly in position by a stainless steel clamp.
Instructions for use
Hold the whistle by the paper edge, careful not to damage the membrane. Place it onto the front of your tongue, curved edge facing inwards, membrane facing outwards. Wait for a minute or two until it is well soaked and the paper becomes somewhat pliable.
Then say ‘Hisss’, ‘sssit’, ‘sh’ or ‘zzz’; the whistle will ‘tweet’ when in the correct position. If you don’t get a sound straight away, make slight adjustments to the position and keep trying. It may help to gently bend the paper so that it curves slightly upwards when pressed by your tongue against your palate.
Most people can do this, but those with a particularly high palate may find it impossible.
Practice
Play around and experiment with the basic sound by altering the position of your lips and shape of your tongue, and by modulating your breath.
With a little practice one can make incredibly realistic bird sounds and even pitch musical notes and create melody, playing the whistle as a musical instrument.
Care of the whistle
After use, dry the whistle by gently blotting with tissue paper. Keep in the packaging provided to protect the membrane and keep it clean. The membrane is especially strong and the paper water-resistant, giving excellent durability. The whistle is re-usable but the membrane and paper wear out eventually (up to 20 hours whistling time).
Please note: the Bird Whistle may cause slight annoyance to those of a miserable disposition and sufferers of ear-worm intolerance. Not recommended for ornithophobes or misophoniacs.