# Piping and Whistling **URL:** \ **Category:** Whistle\ **Created:** [December 2, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715 "2002-12-02T20:16:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isilwen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/isilwen/32/176_2.png) [@Isilwen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Isilwen)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/1 "2002-12-02T20:16:00Z")
Have any of you been referred to as pipers, or been told that your piping of a particular tune was good/bad/ect.? I was wondering, b/c I have been referred to as a piper more than once, and I don’t play the pipes- I play the whistle. Is this a common thing? I was always under the impression that people who played the PIPES were called PIPERS… Not us Irish whistlers…? ---
**Author:** ![Redwolf](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/redwolf/32/218_2.png) [@Redwolf](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Redwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:44pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/2 "2002-12-02T20:44:00Z")
I think a lot of people out there aren’t sure what to call our instrument…if they’re not into Irish music, they may never have heard of a whistle. I’ve had mine called both “pipes” and “flutes” (same with my recorders, but more people seem to be familiar with those, probably because they’re so commonly used in school music programs). Strictly speaking, both are correct…it is a type of pipe, and it is a type of flute. What it isn’t is a bagpipe or a transverse flute. If someone says “nice pipe!” or “I like the way you play the flute,” I just say “thank you.” 🙂 If they ask what it is, or “what kind of flute is that?” I’ll tell them it’s a whistle, but otherwise I don’t go into it much. Redwolf ---
**Author:** ![avanutria](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/avanutria/32/98_2.png) [@avanutria](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/avanutria)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:48pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/3 "2002-12-02T20:48:00Z")
When I play the whistle I am more likely to be referred to as playing a flute than pipes. It probably all depends on what the audience is most familiar with.. ---
**Author:** ![rossmpfc13](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/r/dfb087/32.png) [@rossmpfc13](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/rossmpfc13)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:49pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/4 "2002-12-02T20:49:00Z")
Yeah, if someone calls it a pipe/flute, it’s usually because he/she doesn’t know what to really call it. Like Redwolf said, unless someone asks, it’s not a great idea to tell what it really is because it will most likely increase the ignorance of the culture/tradition/music, etc. People usually take little non-offensive stuff as attacks. * * * -Ross [This Message was edited by: rossmpfc13 on 2002-12-02 15:49] ---
**Author:** ![Redwolf](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/redwolf/32/218_2.png) [@Redwolf](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Redwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 8:52pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/5 "2002-12-02T20:52:00Z")
Of course, if you really want to confuse the heck out of people, you can smile sweetly and say “it’s a feadog.” 😉 Redwolf ---
**Author:** ![Tony](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Tony](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Tony)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 9:30pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/6 "2002-12-02T21:30:00Z")
The pied piper drawings I’ve seen depicted a young man playing a whistle. Does anyone know of anything different? ---
**Author:** ![Tony](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/t/ee7513/32.png) [@Tony](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Tony)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2002, 10:01pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/7 "2002-12-02T22:01:00Z")
Here’s some research: It’s a whistle [http://www.kellscraft.com/mcmtwilight/twilight10.html](http://www.kellscraft.com/mcmtwilight/twilight10.html) It’s a flute played left-handed with BOTH hands under the thing! [http://195.14.149.63/pages/piedpiper/](http://195.14.149.63/pages/piedpiper/) It’s a whistle again [http://www.thepiedpipershop.com/](http://www.thepiedpipershop.com/) wait… it’s a Great Highland Bagpipe [http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5256/](http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Plains/5256/) It’s a whistle and leotards [http://www.movieflix.com/movie\_info.mfx?movie\_id=1729](http://www.movieflix.com/movie_info.mfx?movie_id=1729) another whistle [http://www.ims.uni-stuttgart.de/~jonas/piedpiper.html](http://www.ims.uni-stuttgart.de/~jonas/piedpiper.html) It’s a Tony Dixon polymer flute [http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/](http://www.tonydixonmusic.co.uk/) and more whistles [http://www.browninglibrary.org/rbpiedpiper.htm](http://www.browninglibrary.org/rbpiedpiper.htm) [http://www.belinus.co.uk/fairytales/Files4/JJMFPiedPiper.htm](http://www.belinus.co.uk/fairytales/Files4/JJMFPiedPiper.htm) [http://website.lineone.net/~oliviarayner/piper.htm](http://website.lineone.net/~oliviarayner/piper.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Isilwen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/isilwen/32/176_2.png) [@Isilwen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Isilwen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 2:19am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/8 "2002-12-03T02:19:00Z")
😆 lol! Well, I suppose, both terms are “politically correct”… ---
**Author:** ![Redwolf](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/redwolf/32/218_2.png) [@Redwolf](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Redwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 2:30am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/9 "2002-12-03T02:30:00Z")
> On 2002-12-02 21:19, The Whistling Elf wrote: > 😆 \> lol! > > Well, I suppose, both terms are “politically correct”… ARGGGHHH! 😲 Redwolf [This Message was edited by: Redwolf on 2002-12-02 21:31] ---
**Author:** ![Isilwen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/isilwen/32/176_2.png) [@Isilwen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Isilwen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:16am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/10 "2002-12-03T05:16:00Z")
😆 he he he! Well then, which do you prefer? ---
**Author:** ![Redwolf](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/redwolf/32/218_2.png) [@Redwolf](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Redwolf)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 5:59am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/11 "2002-12-03T05:59:00Z")
I prefer the term I heard a kid use once: “Mommy, why’s that lady blowing on that tube thing?” Redwolf (proud tube thing player 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![Wombat](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/wombat/32/281_2.png) [@Wombat](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Wombat)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 7:43am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/12 "2002-12-03T07:43:00Z")
> On 2002-12-03 00:59, Redwolf wrote: > I prefer the term I heard a kid use once: > > “Mommy, why’s that lady blowing on that tube thing?” > > Redwolf (proud tube thing player \> 😉 \> ) In California it’s the only safe course, Redwolf. I only just noticed that whistle isn’t really gender neutral. Why not wherstle, I ask? Perhaps wourstle would be OK, but it’s much more fun to play that funny looking tube thingy isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Isilwen](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/isilwen/32/176_2.png) [@Isilwen](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Isilwen)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/13 "2002-12-03T19:48:00Z")
😆 LOL!!! ---
**Author:** ![JamieHamilton](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JamieHamilton](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/JamieHamilton)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2002, 10:16pm UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/14 "2002-12-03T22:16:00Z")
I feel all your pain. But as primarily a wooden flute player, my personal favorite is when somebody walks to me after a gig, takes a look at my Lehart and asks, “So, how long have you been playing the clarinet?” I weep for the future. J.H. ---
**Author:** ![Zubivka](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/user_avatar/www.chiffandfipple.com/zubivka/32/284_2.png) [@Zubivka](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/Zubivka)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 12:02am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/15 "2002-12-04T00:02:00Z")
> On 2002-12-03 17:16, JamieHamilton wrote: > I weep for the future. Jamie, don’t bother as long as the comment comes after looking at your instrument, not after hearing it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![JamieHamilton](https://chiffandfipplewww.b-cdn.net/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JamieHamilton](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/u/JamieHamilton)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2002, 12:18am UTC](https://www.chiffandfipple.com/t/piping-and-whistling/7715/16 "2002-12-04T00:18:00Z")
> On 2002-12-03 19:02, Zubivka wrote: > Jamie, don’t bother as long as the comment comes after looking at your instrument, not after hearing it \> 😃 Well, see that’s the really disturbing part - this is _after_ the gig… Considering the fact that I play with “piper fingers” and shouldered up, either we’re dealing with a truly uncultured generation, or I need to talk to M. Lehart about the tone of this flute… JH. J.H.