do stringed instruments mess up your fingers for whistling?

[Jaime]

I think there are some multi-instrumentalists on the board, so I thought I'd ask for opinions. If you take up a stringed instrument, and start forming lovely calluses on your fingertips, does it interfere with your whistle playing?

It's only a ukulele I want to take up, which is reportedly easier on the fingers than most stringed things, but I would hate for it to make my whistle playing get worse than it already is...

Am I paranoid? Any guitarist/whistlers out there have thoughts?

[Feadoggie]

Am I paranoid? Any guitarist/whistlers out there have thoughts?

Yes, I'd say you have a case of David Crosby Syndrome.

" Well, must be because I had the flu this Christmas
Oh, yeah and I'm not feeling up to par
Oh, I tell you baby this increases my paranoia
Yeah, like looking in my mirror and seeing a police car "

I play whistles and flutes. I also, among others, play ukulele (1930's Martin S-0), mandolin, guitar, banjo, bass, dobro (as well as other lap guitars) and a little fiddle. I've played strings for going on 50 years and whistle/flute for approaching 40 years. The callouses on my fingertips are well developed (the mandolin can be a cruel mistress). I cover the holes on the whistle with the fleshy pads of the first digit of each finger, not the finger tips. There is absolutely no downside to playing both types of instruments and there shouldn't be.

Enjoy the uke. Every home should have at least one. It's one of those inherently happy instruments, as is the whistle.

Feadoggie

[jkrazy52]

Agree with Feadoggie, although I haven't been playing strings or whistles as long. I play mountain dulcimer, whistles and flute. In no way has the dulcimer playing bothered the whistle playing abilities.

Get the ukulele and enjoy the music!

[kokopelli]

The Ukulele is the only stringed instrument I play, and after about a year I still don't even have any calluses from it. The nylon strings of the uke are much more forgiving than the steel strings of most other stringed instruments. I must admit though, that I don't practice it as much as I probably ought to. That may have something to do with my lack of calluses.

[mutepointe]

This would have never crossed my mind. The callouses don't affect my whistle playing, I played guitar first, but they do annoy me. I file them down with an emory board every so often.

[Tommy]

do stringed instruments mess up your fingers for whistling?

No.

Get the ukulele and enjoy the music!

[brewerpaul]

Don't worry. I play as much mandolin and tenor banjo as I do whistle and neither suffers. Even if you get callouses, they're at the tips of your fingers, but you finger a whistle with the softer pads anyway. A uke is not likely to produce callouses.
Check out the Chiff and Fipple of Ukedom for instrument recommendations, advice, tunes, lessons, etc:

http://ukuleleunderground.com/

[Innocent Bystander]

Classical & Folk Guitar. Yes, I have thoughts. My guitar is improving and I'm improving on the Low D too. BrewerPaul said what I was going to say: you use the second joint of your fingers on the whistle, so callouses don't interfere. If you get callouses on the second joints of your fingers, I'd like to know how.

Don't worry about paranoia. It's a survival trait. Um, so they tell me.

[Raggle Taggle]

Taking up a stringed instrument will challenge your whistleling, the least problem being the shape of your fingers. There are only so many practice hours a day. And the cost of a new aqusition syndrome may compromise your early retirement plans. I just dropped $5G on yet another mandolin...they all sound so different...pant,pant...

[benhall.1]

I can't see that playing any kind of stringed instrument would interefere with playing whistle. However, and I know there are folks who disagree with me, I did give up mandolin and guitar years and years ago because the different types of calluses formed from playing them were affecting my fiddle playing. You need, and in fact develop, fairly thick, but flexible, calluses when you play fiddle. Guitar and mandolin give you hard, somewhat rigid calluses and it doesn't quite work for fiddle. IMO. No problem for whistle though.

[AvienMael]

Do stringed instruments mess up your fingers for whistling?

Yes - but just your pinky fingers.

[Flexismart]

No.

[hoopy mike]

Interesting question...

I've heard that guitar messes up fingers for fiddlers, but nothing about whistling. I guess the brass and woodwind players amongst us could have a similar discussion as to whether playing trumpet/tuba/oboe/sax messes up the embouchure.

[Jaime]

Thanks for all the replies. Sounds like I am good to go for ukulele + whistle. Yay!

I haven't played a string instrument at all, so the finger tips vs. finger pads thing hadn't occurred to me.

brewerpaul, thanks, I have already been hanging out at Ukulele Underground. Lots of great information there for when I start learning.

The number of practice hours being divided between two instruments, as Raggle Taggle said, that's a tough one. But on the other hand, I'll start learning more about chords, which are pretty much a mystery to me so far.

There is a uke-shaped box under the Christmas tree already! but our family has historically been opposed to opening presents before Christmas. I'm trying to think of a reason why I deserve a special exemption this year.