The Cool Poll

[BigDavy]

Whistling is definitely the bee's knees.

Oh my... I believe whistling's cool factor just took a hit...

Okay, I will rephrase: Whistling is definitely the cat's meow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J22js2139y8

David

[jiminos]

Whistling is definitely the bee's knees.

Oh my... I believe whistling's cool factor just took a hit...

Okay, I will rephrase: Whistling is definitely the cat's meow.

marc, repeat after me... "Whistling is definitely cool! Somebody jacked my keyboard and typed that other stuff."

got it? groovy.

exist in spiffiness,

jim

[Liam]

Cooler than not whistling.
Less cool than pipes or fiddle.
Cooler than French horn or triangle.
Less cool than piano or sax.
Cooler than opera.
Less cool than sean nos.

No offense.. but nonsense. Each of the above can be and indeed is cool. Each is what it is regardless of what other people think and to me that makes each infinitely cool in their own way. Mary Bergin, Micho Russell and all the other great Whistle players give up nothing to the many other fine and gifted musicians who play other instruments in the tradition. I will grant that there is something special about Sean Nos... but that doesn't necessarily make it cooler... just a special part of Irish Tradition.

--
Bill

[Steamwalker]

Hey, I voted "Yes!"

I simply felt rather archaic when typing. But, don't mind me, I'll be a good egg.

[Chuck_Clark]

Whistling is NOT cool!
You don't WANT whistling to be cool!


If whistling is cool, all of the uncool people will want to take up whistling.
If whistling is cool, millions of people will want to buy whistles, and whistle prices will go through the roof.
If whistling is cool, hundreds more people will be bidding against you on eBay.
If whistling is cool, waiting lists for the top whistles will be longer than those for Uillean Pipe sets.

Need I go on?

[chris_coreline]

Absolutely. That's why we call it "the Coolmaphone".

just to conferm i will now be refering to the whistle exclusivally as the Coolmaphone.

can i also suggest we retroactivally rename the saxaphone to the 'prog-horn'?

[mutepointe]

Whistling is NOT cool!
You don't WANT whistling to be cool!


If whistling is cool, all of the uncool people will want to take up whistling.
If whistling is cool, millions of people will want to buy whistles, and whistle prices will go through the roof.
If whistling is cool, hundreds more people will be bidding against you on eBay.
If whistling is cool, waiting lists for the top whistles will be longer than those for Uillean Pipe sets.

Need I go on?

You're thinking small. With increased demand will come increased supply. Factories will be built to meet the mass market. Craftsman will quit building whatever useless stuff they are now building and make whistles. We may even get gun manufactuers to bore whistle blanks. "They shall beat their swords into plows. They shall turn their pistols and rifles into whisltes and low whistles. Peace will reign." How cool is that?

[Mick Down Under]

Peace won't reign. Humankind being the sort of animal they are, would most certainly just use a hefty low whistle to beat another persons brains out, IF, they are inclined to perform brutal acts. The old saying, Guns don't kill, people do...Ploughs can be turned back into knives and swords with relatively little work too.


Mick

[LorenzoFlute]

Whistle is not as cool as flute (flute player here)

[DrPhill]

I voted other.

I don't think I know what cool is. I am not sure that I care. I enjoy whistling, and one day others might enjoy my whistling. That is enough for me at present.

Some people whistle really well and lots of people enjoy their whistling, me included. If I got that good sometime I would be delighted.

In between here and there I expect lots of fun learning. Is any of that cool? <shrug>

Its an entertaining thread though, so ignore this old curmudgeon.

[breqwas]

We may even get gun manufactuers to bore whistle blanks.

There actually is one gunsmith who makes whistles (and these are damn good ones!). His name is Steve Harper, from UK.

[Infernaltootler]

I voted no, this based on being told by my cool brother in-law that, "No one likes tin whistles,"

Also, my 13 year old rolls her eyes when I play.

Just because I have chosen this music doesn't mean others will like it or think it cool and I suspect they don't.

But I love playing my whistle and I do it all the time. When I can play really well I will make them all eat their bitter, bitter words.

[mutepointe]

I was getting ready to tell Mick Down Under that he sure must be cranky today. Then I read Infernaltooter's post and decided I wanted to knock his used-to-be-cool brother-in-law upside the head with a re-tooled Remington Low Whistle or at the very least an Alba. Teenage girls have to be forgiven for the lack of ocular-muscular control.

And I must admit, I agree with Othannen. I accidently taught myself to play left-handed, so even silver flute players think I'm playing some really obscure instrument.

[Liam]

I voted no, this based on being told by my cool brother in-law that, "No one likes tin whistles,"

Well I guess there are a lot of no ones here. Likewise, there are lots of no ones who listen to Irish Music every year around St. Patrick's day and don't seem to mind when one or more of the band members pull out whistles.

I think a more obvious conclusion here is that your "cool" brother in-law is wrong. Which calls into question whether he can be trusted as being an arbiter of coolness.

Also, my 13 year old rolls her eyes when I play.

13 year olds are not nearly cool as they think they are. Lets be honest, if we trusted the average 13 year old, we would believe that what is cool changes every 6 months. That might work for clothes and hair (Though frankly, I think anyone today would have a hard time believing that the hair and clothes from teenagers in the 1980s could be considered cool), but I think, ultimately, coolness must be defined as something different than the transient popularity that often elicits the word cool from teenagers.

Coolness is not necessarily what is currently in fad.
Coolness is not necessarily what is currently appreciated by the masses.
Coolness is what it is.
Whistles are cool.
Whistles played well are very cool.

Just because I have chosen this music doesn't mean others will like it or think it cool and I suspect they don't.

But I love playing my whistle and I do it all the time. When I can play really well I will make them all eat their bitter, bitter words.

Don't worry what other people think about your playing. When you worry about what others think, your whistling is not cool. When you whistle because you want to, without regard to what others think (Allowing for the fact that you shouldn't actually disturb others while you whistle), then your whistling is cool.

--
Bill

[fearfaoin]

If whistling is cool, all of the uncool people will want to take up whistling.
If whistling is cool, millions of people will want to buy whistles, and whistle prices will go through the roof.
If whistling is cool, hundreds more people will be bidding against you on eBay.
If whistling is cool, waiting lists for the top whistles will be longer than those for Uillean Pipe sets.

I think this could be said to have already
happened, if you compare the market to
that of 15-25 years ago.
Q.E.D. Whistles are cool.

Also, you have implied that Uillean Pipes
are cool because of their current supply
and demand curve, which I submit is
highly suspect.