Is There A Whistle Kazoo?

VegasGeorge

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Is there any kind of mouth held, hands free, instrument similar to a Kazoo, that allows variation in pitch (like a Kazoo) but produces a musical whistle type tone?
 
Nose flute would be my suggestion too. Problem is, they use up a lot of air. Playing mine always leaves me breathless. A slide whistle would be tricky but might be doable with a neck rack and a lot of head-jerking. Maybe panpipes on a neck rack? Or maybe fit a small whistle into a kazoo -- a ball-type whistle would be interesting. Or a thin plastic membrane held taut in a stiff frame; whistle across its edge for a kazoo+whistle effect.
 
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OK, I got the Acme 575 (why do I feel like I'm in a Roadrunner cartoon here?) and have been working on it for the last couple of hours. I can just barely get a weak whistle sound. But the amazing thing is the reaction of my dog. Seriously, Daisy has jumped up and stared right in my face as I've been trying out the whistle. Then, I saw her back away, turning in circles. Very strange! I can see how this whistle could control working dogs, as it has a definite effect even when not played properly.
 
I just got the plastic one (the 576 model). After about an hour I managed to start getting some sounds, but I can't yet control the pitch. But I think the sound is gonna be great, if I can ever master the technique!
 
I've been working on my 575. I'm now able to play 3 or 4 note phrases and repeat them more or less. Just now I was almost able to play a recognizable tune. I've noticed the whistle seems to have a low and high register. You can overblown the lower register to get a few higher notes, or underblow the upper register to get a few lower notes, but the trick really is to switch between the registers to get the full range of the instrument. The tongue thing is really tricky, and hard to describe. My tongue is somewhere under the whistle, and arched up so that the middle part of the tongue touches the straight backside of the whistle. I can't understand the fellow's instructions about tonguing with a "T" sound. The tip of my tongue isn't involved at all.
 
Hesitatingly, with starts and stops, even blowing the whistle out of my mouth at one point and catching it in my left hand, I managed to whistle through the entire tune, "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" this morning. The low note at the end was a challenge, I'll tell you. Drooling all over the place!
 
I'd never heard of the shepherd whistle before reading this thread. I just bought one on Amazon! It should keep me out of trouble for a while!
 
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