rodfish wrote::roll:
I'm just a beginner, and my whistle collection's quite small,
but I was wondering if it is okay to use my teeth at all?
The books don't tell me, they don't even say,
If grasping the fipple with my teeth is okay.
Do you have an opinion? Can you tell me what to do?
For I'm gripping so hard, my lips are turning blue.
Obviously, I'm a rank amateur in more ways than one. (Sorry)
Rod
To avoid being rank, the answer's quite plain:
Go take a bath before playing again!
Why bite your whistle? If your lips turn blue,
it's a sign that you're trying, but don't know what to do!
Hold it firm with your lips, but no harder than you must,
Though it feels too loose you should learn to trust,
That "just enough"'s right. If it sounds, with no leaks,
the whistle's just fine. And it won't hurt your beak!
OK - enough of that rhyme! But really, hold it with your lips rather than your teeth. Try to make sure that you've got a good seal, but that's about all you need. As long as all the breath goes
through, not
around the fipple, it's firm enough. You're playing whistle here, not sax or trumpet - your mouth has (comparatively) little to do with the sound you get - it's mostly the fipple and your breath control.
And the looser grip makes a huge difference in how long you can comfortably practice.
Good luck!
