The so-called Penny Whistles are so affordable that I’ve got a few placed strategically… ^
Currently my car whistle is a vintage Generation D – it’s remarkable how much more relaxed I am at the end of an urban drive when I get to play a quick tune on each red traffic light instead of just staring at it while hoping for green
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I like to take it out once in a while on my everyday bike rides, especially with far distance view of the seven church towers of my home city while sitting on meadow on a hill.
I’m not a big fan of hotels (too dull), but on business trips that’s where I find myself… Then I like to bring along my Parks whistle with the tone ring (it can be played really quietly!) which enables me to play some tunes ‘as kind of sundowner’ in my room without being heard by my neighbors.
When I’m on vacation trips, I always bring a cheap whistle along, most of the time it’s my old Sweetone which has a number of dents by now... Mainly it gets played out in nature, often with good views – most memorable was a special rocky mountain in New Zealand. And I have great memories of playing “Tripping up the stairs” on a sailing boat on the Baltic Sea, far away from the shore somewhere between Gdansk and Kaliningrad…
When visiting the remains of a less famous abbey in remote Scotland, the man at the entrance mentioned that I should sing a song in the chapel, because of the great acoustics. Well, I’m not a singer, but I turned around, digged out my whistle out of the panniers – and wow, I’ll never forget these goose bumps – what a massive sound can come from a 6 EUR whistle!
But needless to say, the most ‘species-appropriate’ occasions for playing whistles (IMHO) are in company in sessions. – Before Covid these used to be either at one’s home or in pubs. With Covid we’ve discovered great places for outdoor sessions – ranging from gorgeous green gardens to in between historic harbor buildings…
Happy whistling!