Whistles are magic!

[Paul Wheeler]

No better topic for giving up my own "lurker" status!

I've had the same happen while playing mandolin on my "sitting rock" overlooking a meadow and some adjoining woods. Deer are very curious, and if you're sitting relatively still, doing something unusual, and you don't look like an upright biped carnivore -- I can fake it -- it can be surprising how close they will approach. Even when I'm on the riding mower they are relatively unconcerned.

My only relevant experience in a whistle context was a couple weeks ago, a woodchuck came almost to my foot and stood up to listen.

Beautiful moments when nature gives you a nudge. -- Paul

[Feadoggie]

My only relevant experience in a whistle context was a couple weeks ago, a woodchuck came almost to my foot and stood up to listen.

I had a similar experience with a woodchuck a couple of years ago. I was out in the farthest reaches of a local nature preserve and stopped to enjoy the surroundings. I had a Healy Bb fife with me and thought I would have a few tunes before moving on. Whenever I played up close to the third octave a woodchuck would come running out of a thicket, right up to my feet, look me in the eye and chatter as if to tell me off. When I stopped playing it would return to the thicket. I'd play again and if I stayed away from the top of the second octave the woodchuck would remain concealed. I fooled with this for a few minutes and narrowed it down to one or two notes that seemed to set the woodchuck off. If I hit those notes the chuck would come out and give me what for all over again. It occurred to me later that day that another name for the woodchuck is "whistle pig". How appropriate!

Feadoggie

[riverman]

I love these stories! To me, this is the best of the Chiff site.
MORE, MORE!!

[mutepointe]

I wondering now what was up that day two weeks ago we spent at the lake and the cranes and the ducks kept showing up. That never happened before.

[Feadoggie]

ok! Here's another example of what may be an entire genre of whistle interactions with nature. I have spent a lot of time riding bike on the canal towpaths alongside the Delaware and Lehigh rivers. I usually have a whistle in my kit. I prefer to ride in the early morning. During the spring migration there are a lot of interesting birds to be seen and heard. When you play the whistle you are speaking the language of the birds. It can be quite fun to try to emulate their vocal patterns. If you get close enough, you can have a nice call and response dialogue. I had a memorable "conversation" a few years back with a baltimore oriole which lasted nearly a half an hour. And I don't mean Cal Ripkin. Pretty neat.

Feadoggie

[Whistler Bard]

IT IS MAGIC!!! Everyone one that plays the whistle with his heart knows it.

Lovely experience.

[talasiga]

............
I've had the same happen while playing mandolin on my "sitting rock" overlooking a meadow and some adjoining woods. Deer are very curious,
..........

No no no no ....
that doesn't fit the hypothesis.
Grazers and browsers are only entranced by flutes and whistles!

Lutey things have no place in the magic of cross mammalian communication.
Prior to the advent of metal strings they used to require guts of poor critters.

Perhaps you are confused. Are you sure you were playing a mandolin?

(this post intends to welcome you to the mad magic of whistle forum discussions ....)

[chris_coreline]

hemmm, strange...

when i play the wistle things tend to *leave* my vacinity.

[blackhawk]

hemmm, strange...

when i play the wistle things tend to *leave* my vacinity.

Yeah, I was thinking that about my playing, too.

Great thread, though. Whistles ARE magic, that's what made me decide to learn to play to start with...the magic I heard in Ireland.

[Paul Wheeler]

Thank you, Talasiga, your observation goes directly to the reason why this (and probably many other transcendent things) never happened while I was playing banjo. -- Paul