# Whistle

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Instrument which produces sound from a stream of forced air

For whistling without the help of the instrument, see [Whistling](/source/Whistling). For other uses, see [Whistle (disambiguation)](/source/Whistle_(disambiguation)).

A metal pea whistle

A 3D-printable whistle

A **whistle** [Pronunciation](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/transcoded/3/36/En-us-whistle.ogg/En-us-whistle.ogg.mp3)[ⓘ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:En-us-whistle.ogg) is a [musical instrument](/source/Musical_instrument) which produces sound from a stream of gas, most commonly air. The whistle makes a high-pitched, piercing, and shrill sound. It is a type of [fipple flute](/source/Fipple), and may be mouth-operated, or powered by air pressure, steam, or other means. Whistles vary in size from a small slide whistle or [nose flute](/source/Nose_flute) type to a large multi-piped [church organ](/source/Organ_(music)).

Whistles have been around since early humans first carved out a gourd or branch and found they could make sound with it. In [prehistoric Egypt](/source/Prehistoric_Egypt), small shells were used as whistles.[1] Many present day [wind instruments](/source/Wind_instrument) are inheritors of these early whistles. With the rise of more mechanical power, other forms of whistles have been developed.[2]

A party whistle

One characteristic of a whistle is that it creates a pure, or nearly pure, [tone](/source/Musical_tone). The conversion of flow energy to sound comes from an interaction between a solid material and a fluid stream. The forces in some whistles are sufficient to set the solid material in motion. Classic examples are [Aeolian](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Aeolian) tones that result in [galloping power lines](/source/Conductor_gallop), or the [Tacoma Narrows Bridge](/source/Tacoma_Narrows_Bridge_(1940)) (the so-called "Galloping Gertie" of popular media). Other examples are circular disks set into vibration.[3]

## History

### Early whistles

Carved [whalebone](/source/Whalebone) whistle dated 1821. 8 cm long.

Quillacinga clay whistle, c. 1250–1500 AD, at the [Museum of Texas Tech University](/source/Museum_of_Texas_Tech_University).

Whistles made of bone or wood have been used for thousands of years.[2] Whistles were used by the Ancient Greeks to keep the stroke of [galley](/source/Galley) slaves. Archaeologists have found a terracotta whistle at the ruins of the ancient Greek city of [Assos](/source/Assos), most probably a child's toy placed in a child's grave as a burial gift.[4] The English used whistles during the [Crusades](/source/Crusades) to signal orders to archers. [Bosun's whistles](/source/Boatswain's_call) were also used in the [Age of Sail](/source/Age_of_Sail) aboard naval vessels to issue commands and salute dignitaries.

### Joseph Hudson

[Joseph Hudson](/source/Joseph_Hudson_(inventor)) set up [J Hudson & Co](/source/J_Hudson_%26_Co) in [Birmingham](/source/Birmingham) in 1870. With his younger brother James, he designed the "Acme City" [brass](/source/Brass) whistle. This became the first [referee](/source/Referee_(association_football)) whistle used at association [football](/source/Association_football) matches during the [1878–79 Football Association Cup](/source/1878%E2%80%9379_FA_Cup) match between Nottingham Forest and Sheffield. Prior to the introduction of the whistle, [handkerchiefs](/source/Handkerchief) were used by the umpires to signal to the players.[5]

A police whistle being blown

In 1883, he began experimenting with pea-whistle designs that could produce an intense sound that could grab attention from over a mile away. His invention was discovered by accident when he dropped his violin and it shattered on the floor.[*[dubious](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Accuracy_dispute#Disputed_statement) – [discuss](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Whistle#Dubious)*] Observing how the discordant sound of the breaking strings travelled ([trill effect](/source/Trill_(music))), Hudson had the idea to put a [pea](/source/Pea) in the whistle.[6] Prior to this, whistles were much quieter and were only thought of as musical instruments or toys for children. After observing the problems that local police were having with effectively communicating with [rattles](/source/Ratchet_(instrument)),[7][8] he realised that his whistle designs could be used as an effective aid to their work.[6][9]

Bird whistle

Hudson demonstrated his whistle to [Scotland Yard](/source/Scotland_Yard) and was awarded his first contract in 1884. Both rattles and whistles were used to call for back-up in areas where neighbourhood beats overlapped, and following their success in the [Metropolitan Police](/source/Metropolitan_Police) of [London](/source/London), the whistle was adopted by most police forces in the United Kingdom.[6]

### World War I

During [World War I](/source/World_War_I), [officers](/source/Officer_(armed_forces)) of the [British Army](/source/British_Army) and [United States Army](/source/United_States_Army) used whistles to communicate with troops, command [charges](/source/Charge_(warfare)) and warn when [artillery](/source/Artillery) pieces were going to fire.[10][11] Most whistles used by the British were manufactured by J & Hudson Co.[10]

## See also

- [Vessel flute](/source/Vessel_flute) (acoustics of whistles and tunable whistles)

- [Low whistle](/source/Low_whistle) (low-pitched [tinwhistle](/source/Tinwhistle) or [flageolet](/source/Flageolet))

- [Liquid whistle](/source/Liquid_whistle) (mixes fluids)

- [Physics of whistles](/source/Physics_of_whistles)

- [Firedamp whistle](/source/Firedamp_whistle) (for detecting [methane](/source/Methane) in mines)

- [Whistler (radio)](/source/Whistler_(radio)) (very low frequency radio feature caused by lightning and atmospheric effects)

- [Rossby whistle](/source/Rossby_whistle) (climate oscillation of the Caribbean)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Arroyos, Rafael Pérez (2003). *Egypt: Music in the Age of the Pyramids* (1st ed.). Madrid: Centro de Estudios Egipcios. p. 28. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-8493279615](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-8493279615).

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) ["An ancient whistle was crafted from a human thigh bone"](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fd41586-020-02509-9). *[Nature](/source/Nature_(journal))*. **585** (7824): 163. 1 September 2020. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/d41586-020-02509-9](https://doi.org/10.1038%2Fd41586-020-02509-9). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [221465463](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:221465463).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Chanaud, Robert C. (1970). "Observations of Oscillatory Radial Flow between a Fixed Disk and a Free Disk". *[The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America](/source/The_Journal_of_the_Acoustical_Society_of_America)*. **47** (5B): 1471–2. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1970ASAJ...47.1471C](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1970ASAJ...47.1471C). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1121/1.1912065](https://doi.org/10.1121%2F1.1912065).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Ancient whistle found in Assos"](https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-whistle-found-in-assos-177792). *Hürriyet Daily News*. 19 October 2022. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20221104202326/https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/ancient-whistle-found-in-assos-177792) from the original on 4 November 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2023.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["History of the Whistle"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170621012006/http://gdfra.org.au/history_of_the_whistle.htm). *Granville District Football Referees Association*. Archived from [the original](https://www.gdfra.org.au/history_of_the_whistle.htm) on 21 June 2017. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_6-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_6-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_6-2) Hernandez, Daisy (30 April 2020). ["Why We've Blown the Police Whistle for 150 Years"](https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a32316416/acme-whistles-made-here-video/). *[Popular Mechanics](/source/Popular_Mechanics)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20240311075215/https://www.popularmechanics.com/culture/a32316416/acme-whistles-made-here-video/) from the original on 11 March 2024. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Cross, David (17 February 2011). ["On the Beat in Birmingham - Rules and regulations"](https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/beat_01.shtml). *[BBC](/source/British_Broadcasting_Corporation)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20230415060815/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/victorians/beat_01.shtml) from the original on 15 April 2023. Retrieved 11 March 2014. Police whistles came much later; the early Victorian constable would have carried a small wooden rattle.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["The Victorian Police Rattle Mystery"](https://web.archive.org/web/20050218125210/http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm). *The Constabulary*. 2003. Archived from [the original](http://www.constabulary.com/mystery/rattle.htm) on 18 February 2005. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-acme_9-0)** ["The First Whistle"](https://www.acmewhistles.co.uk/the-first-whistle). *Acmewhistles.co.uk*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20231211125403/https://www.acmewhistles.co.uk/the-first-whistle) from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_10-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_10-1) ["Biscuits, puttees and ACME whistles"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25879184). *[BBC News](/source/BBC_News)*. 4 June 2014. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20220630203503/https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-25879184) from the original on 30 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Williamson, Lori (24 September 2017). ["US Army Trench Whistle"](https://www.mnhs.org/blog/collectionsupclose/9157). *[Minnesota Historical Society](/source/Minnesota_Historical_Society)*. Retrieved 30 June 2022.

## External links

- Media related to [whistles](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Whistles) at Wikimedia Commons

- The dictionary definition of [*whistle*](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Special:Search/whistle) at Wiktionary

- [Chisholm, Hugh](/source/Hugh_Chisholm), ed. (1911). ["Whistle"](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Whistle). *[Encyclopædia Britannica](/source/Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica_Eleventh_Edition)*. Vol. 28 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 595–596.

- [Whistle (*Polish folk musical instruments)*](http://ludowe.instrumenty.edu.pl/en/instruments/show/instrument/4697)

v t e Flutes and whistles Side- blown Bansuri Daegeum Dizi Fife Five-key flute Fue Kagurabue Komabue Minteki Nohkan Ryūteki Shinobue Yokobue Glass flute Irish flute Koudi Sáo Simple system flute Tambin Venu Xindi Concert Piccolo Treble Soprano Concert Flûte d'amour Alto Bass Contra-alto Contrabass Subcontrabass Double contrabass Hyperbass End- blown Anasazi flute Danso Fifă Floghera Fluier Frilka Fue Hotchiku Shakuhachi Gudi Kaval Kōauau Moldavian fluier Ney Nose flute Kalaleng Nose whistle Pinkillu Qina Quray Sodina Sopilka Šupelka Svirel Washint Xiao Pan Kuvytsi Larchemi Nai Miskal Paixiao Siku Soinari Wot Fipple Almpfeiferl Atenteben Dentsivka Diple Dvoyanka Flabiol Flageolet Fluier with fipple Frula Fujara Hydraulophone Khloy Khlui Kuisi Low whistle Native American flute Organ pipe Salamuri Shvi Sjøfløyte Slide whistle Souravli Spilåpipa Stabule Tarka Tabor pipe Tin whistle Txistu Whistle Xirula Zuffolo Recorders Garklein Sopranino Soprano (descant) Alto (treble) Voice flute Tenor Bass Great bass Contrabass Sub-great bass Sub-contrabass Overtone Fujara Kalyuka Koncovka Willow flute Vessel Gemshorn Pifana Hun Molinukai Ocarina Tonette Xun Shepherd's whistle Other Chinese folk flute music List of compositions Tone hole Uakti Vertical flute

v t e Whistles and whistling Apito Boatswain's call Dog Eagle-bone Hand flute Language Monopipe Pigeon Pyzhatka Shepherd's Steam Train Wolf Alfred De Courcy J Hudson & Co James Dixon & Sons W Dowler & Sons Henry Arthur Ward

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Whistle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whistle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.