How to make a willow whistle.
Just one note, though 
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/05/how-to_make_a_willow_whistle.html
That is pretty clever.
Thanks for posting that! I used to make those a lot, but I had forgotten how, and it bothered me that I couldn’t remember. Guess I haven’t lived near a convenient willow tree in years, so there’s an excuse for forgetting.
Still have a big scar on one finger from a willow whistle gone rogue in the making…
My Dad used to make these for me every spring, when I was a kid and when the sap flowed, I guess.
But I remember his willow whistles were like slide whistles…not just one note, I could slide the outer skin of bark up and down against the inner core of wood, and have loads of fun! Probably the start of my WHOA. Ah, yes, it all started, when I was a wee whistler, whistling on willow twigs…
Thanks so much, I had no idea anyone else even knew how to do this!
Good stuff. I remember reading about these in Jean George’s children’s novel “My Side of the Mountain” when I was a kid - there’s even a diagram of how to make them - the slide ones like a swanee whistle, that is…
(Yes, I still have my copy, my kids all read it…)
Although I’ve tried many times over several decades, I’ve never been able to make the bark-slipping trick work. Maybe it needs an American willow species? Anyone know which is best? I’ve tried many British ones - willows and sallows - (not, I hasten to add, scientifically by species, just by trying different looking ones…) and it is a) very difficult to find ones (species or specific branches) with a growing habit that has far enough apart leaf/branch nodes (which make the bark-slipping impossible especially for the slide type whistle) and b) on which the bark slipping will work at all, regardless of time of year, technique/force employed etc. British/European willows seem to have much thinner bark that won’t come loose/just shreds - or I’m just doing it all wrong.
Must have another go!
Ah! “My Side of the Mountain”! That brings back some great memories…
Here:
http://www.wyldman.com/www.wyldman.com/Veggie_Music.html
is an example of taking simple whistles carved out of plants to the absurd extreme. There is even a link (I think it takes a Quick Time Player) to a video of a VERY cheesy version of Danny Boy.
Mmmmm…cheese and potatoes…
I know we are talking about willow whistles, however the video reminded me of I page I found a few days ago. It’s about how to make an elder whistle.
But be careful: Reading and watching the information is likely to make you see elder trees everywhere even if there weren’t any…
Elder Whistle:
http://www.bushcraft.ridgeonnet.com/elderwhistle.htm (pictures + text only)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPXK2S_ljWw (video)
Checking for the elder whistle video I’ve found another tutorial for making willow whistles, too.
Willow Whistle:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zx7OXQLj4U4 (video)
Now I’m off on another walk to find an elder tree that is not standing in my grumpy “no one’s gonna get near my elder tree with a saw or knife!” neighbor’s front yard.
Wish me luck!
If any of you want to “expand” on the traditional Willow Whistle, here is the Euro-Scandinavian version that will play harmonic overtones.
http://www.norcalspelmanslag.org/ncsnlf2002/ncsnlf2002c.html
Here is Paul Marshall’s PVC version of a simple Overtone Flute on Youtube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXnAXsMyCFU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI3mzfbvEYw
This instrument can be mastered by very young players. It overblows on all of the harmonics of the keynote (based on 1/2 wavelength) and with the addition of three playing holes can also become a Tabor Pipe or Fujara. (I’ll get ya’ll hooked on making instruments yet!)
Thomas Hastay.
Don’t worry about that. Madness struck a long time ago when I first researched whistles on the net and found one could built them oneself and everything to do with plastic or wooden tubes became my new obsession. I see an elder tree? I can imagine whistles hanging in its branches. 
- There’s a reason why I’ve added the little warning about seeing them trees everywhere even if there weren’t any. 