Alway look on the bright side of life

[venta]

At the weekend, while out on a pub crawl with my rapper team, I wandered into the ladies.

"Hello, Lizzie", said the cubicle next door. I was mildly boggled how its occupant had identified me.

"Easy," continued the disembodied voice. "You were whistling Thrales' Beadnell tune."

Which I was. It's a nice tune. Thrales is a men's rapper team, based in Southwark. They dance a traditional dance called the Beadnell to a rather nice, unusual tune. I'm not sure if their musician, the amazing MJ, wrote it or whether it's also traditional. Either way it's very much "their" tune; no other team uses it (as far as I know).

Well, fine. Surely, though, the tune only really identified that the whistler was someone in, or associated with, the rapper team?

Apparently not, no. Because I'm the only one who walks round whistling.

On closer investigation, this isn't actually true. Disembodied Voice was wrong; at least one other Mabel habitually walks about whistling. However, I got the distinct impression that DV had reached her conclusion on the grounds that (a) I whistle and (b) it's a really weird and unusual thing to do, so I'm probably the only one.

I have been wondering, therefore, whether I have a completely skewed perception of the social acceptability of whistling. Despite being told when I was small that, along with barnyard fowl, whistling women were of no use to God or to man, I cheerfully whistle all over the show.

I also sing to myself, but I would never, for example, sing while walking through a crowd. I wouldn't talk to myself. I would, however, whistle. I can't justify why I think singing in the street makes you look like a nutter, but whistling doesn't.

I don't whistle - say - while at my office desk or while on a train. That is, however, more of a general prohibition on making unnecessary noise near people who can't get away than anything to do with the specifics of whistling.

Throughout this poll, I'm talking about whistling tunes using just your mouth. If you can whistle by putting your fingers in your mouth, that's not what I'm asking about. If I whistle in the street, it's a tune, not a wolf-whistle. I whistle to myself, not at others.

Although I don't have great pitch, so may offend musicians, I'm reliably informed the noise I produce is usually a recognisable thing, not tuneless warbling.

[Poll #1630269]

Comments

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

In the interval at Friday's Oysterband gig, I was forced to sing in the loos as the door had no lock and I can't really whistle. A verse and a chorus of Whiskey On A Sunday was apparently 'very melodious', according to one lady in the queue.

I do sing to myself in the street - I don't much care if it makes me look like a nutter.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I do constantly struggle with the idea that people who sing/talk to themselves in the street are nutters, because I do it myself (quiet at the back there). I just shut up when others are present. Mostly.

Basically, it means I regard anyone less hypocritical than myself as a nutter :(

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

Oh yes - there wasn't a 'the lock must be broken!' option, was there?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Interestingly, I don't whistle as a broken-lock solution, so I didn't think of it as an option.

I'm aware of the concept, but it's one of those things I vaguely consign to the world of panto, Carry On or suspicious sitcoms, I never think of real people actually doing it! Mostly because the issue tends to arise mostly in places with multiple cubicles, and I never expect the noise to be distinct enough to identify the door which should not be opened.

[emarkienna.livejournal.com]

I do constantly struggle with the idea that people who sing/talk to themselves in the street are nutters

Since the wide availability of mobile phones, I think it's a lot harder to distinguish people talking to themselves in the street. And if necessary, one can always wear a bluetooth earpiece to fool people...

[strange-complex.livejournal.com]

I'm obviously a rabid misanthrope, as I'm the only person so far to have selected the 'How annoying!' option for the last two questions. So I now feel that I have to temper that by pointing out that it does depend rather on my own mood - e.g. whether I am trying to concentrate on something and / or am humming a tune of my own in the privacy of my own head which they are interrupting or not. Sometimes I do manage to find other people's whistling cheerful and pleasant, but only when I am particularly relaxed and at one with the world myself.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

Making any kind of noise in a gents' loos (apart from eructations) is very much frowned upon. And as for talking to someone about the tune they were whistling, that would be adding insult to insult.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Yes, it did occur to me belatedly that perhaps I should have divided the toilet-related question by gender :)

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

I was never really conscious of the fact I whistle tunes a lot, but it became very apparent at the point at which Bea started doing it too. This repeatedly confused lathany, who was apparently by this point used to assuming that the sound of whistling from anywhere in the house indicated my presence.

Bea and I have now got into the habit of whilstling duets - albeit not all that competently. Eine kleine Nachtmusik being our favourite. Closely followed by Timmy Time.

[bopeepsheep.livejournal.com]

I don't mind people whistling tunes in public/loos; I dislike it intensely in the house. I think this is because the person who whistles in the house is (was) my late Grandad, and all other house-whistlers are naturally inferior. This is not exactly rational/logical, but it really does set my teeth on edge in the house, and not in public, so I can't think of another reason why that might be.

I would like to be able to whistle but I genuinely can't. Have tried many times.

[zotz]

It's been widely stated that whistling's been in serious decline in western societies for many years now, but I can't find any serious research into this important topic to confirm or refute the suggestion. Do let me know if you happen across any.

[hmmm-tea.livejournal.com]

Tobin's Favourite - I think it's traditional rather than one of MJ's own

[exspelunca.livejournal.com]

Not serious research, but a "think piece" in a newspaper some years ago: whistling in the street has declined owing to the unwhistleability of today's popular music, against that of the 1940s & 50s when whistling was common (in any sense of that word you choose).

[ar-boblad.livejournal.com]

I put other for the toilet's part. It would be beyond nutter to hear someone do it in the Gents. In fact I used to work with a guy who did, and it was deeply deeply disconcerting.

[beckyl.livejournal.com]

Other than not appending 'nice' automatically, I'm leaning towards the 'cheerful person' tickies. I tend to only whistle when I'm on my own. Never encountered it as 'the lock is broken' - my usual response is to try and hook a toe under the door to keep it shut, or a foot against it, depending on direction.

[undyingking.livejournal.com]

I would be interested to see their evidence for the claim that today's popular tunes are less whistleable than those of former times… it seems to me it would be a difficult thing to prove.

An alternative hypothesis might be the prevalence these days of personal stereos, MP3 players and the like. People have no need, now, to create their own soundtrack to their wanderings.

[cuthbertcross.livejournal.com]

I think the whistlers amongst us should take that as a challenge...

.... I suppose whistling Mumford and Sons does at least remove the dilemma of how to remove f-words when singing little lion man in the presence of small children.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I doubt Mumford and Sons really constitutes a good example of today's unwhistleable music. I mean, it's practically folk!

[floralaetifica.livejournal.com]

My dad is a virtuoso whistler. He can whistle as well as (and sometimes better than) really good folkie musicians. He has a vast repertoire of old morris tunes (being an old morriser) and other random folkie things.

As a result, I have a love/hate relationship with whistling. On the one hand, when I'm in the mood to hear it, I love his whistling. It's beautiful, and there can't be many people left who still have all those tunes in their heads. It should really be recorded for posterity. On the other, he whistles *constantly* - basically, any time he's moving from one place to another, even if it's just from the kitchen to the living room, also any time he's doing any kind of manual work. Being a sensitive flower who is easily affected by noise, and especially by music, this drove me absolutely up the wall growing up. If you're trying to, say, work, or think, having someone like dad around is like having someone tickle you or stick pins in you at frequent, random intervals.

I never (consciously) whistle in public, because I can only do a kind of teeth whistle. Nonetheless, I am my father's daughter, and I do often teeth-whistle without thinking as I move about.

I would be surprised to hear anyone whistling on a crowded street. I think I think of it as more of a on-your-own thing. I would not be surprised to hear it in the toilets.

[leathellin.livejournal.com]

In general I think whistling is fine and usually quite a cheerful thing... however there are definitely limits.
A certain someone who shall not be named... actually they shall metame whistles all the damn time and usually the same thing for significant periods of the day. It may be nicely done and in tune but still very annoying :-)

[metame.livejournal.com]

Lots of modern stuff is fun to whistle. I'm whistling Poker Face right now.

I defnitely whistle it (and lots of pop) more than I listen to it, probably because it means I can remix/distill it down to the bits I like and play around with variations or mashups.

With tunes that aren't designed to be sung or played with a wind instrument it definitely does help to be able to whistle on the inbreath as well as the outbreath. But once you can do that the only issues are where you've multiple parts to play.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Today's useless fact: I apparently can't whistle Poker Face without veering off seamlessly into Bad Romance.

I think there's plenty of stuff you can't easily whistle, just because its notable features don't really include melody. Just try whistling Kanye West's Golddigga :)