How to Whistle With Your Fingers to Grab Anyone's Attention

If you don't know how to whistle with your fingers, you're in good company. The famed finger whistle is an old-school skill like making the best paper airplane that seems to mystify and elude each new generation. Learning how to whistle loud with your hands is no less impressive and useful now than when every '80s high school football coach was doing it. 

Moreover, even though it might've seemed like an unattainably cool skill to have back then (reserved for only the most commanding adult authority figures) it turns out that whistling loud with your fingers—blasting out that “enough-is-enough” note with clarity and digital dexterity—is there for all of us. It's actually far easier than it looks, if you’re willing to put in the time and air.

Of all the skills that breed a sense of both nostalgia and perma-wonder, the finger whistle has to be right at the top. Maybe it was a coach or favorite great-aunt (the one who also taught you how to properly work-in your first baseball mitt) whose facility with this piercing two-fingered command wasn’t something you always looked forward to hearing back then, but now provides a sweet sonic memory of someone you loved and admired. The wonder of finger whistling is simply this: How can sticking two fingers in your mouth add that much volume to a human whistle—or enable you to whistle at all?

We won’t be getting into the acoustical science of it here. For that, we suggest getting back in touch with your old physics teacher, who no doubt had an awesome whistle at his fingertips. More importantly, we can assure you that if you go through the following steps of how to whistle with your fingers, it will work with the same charm and power that it always has.

Whether it’s at a ball game, in a crowded dog park, or on busy downtown streets, knowing how to finger whistle can cut through the clamor and turn heads in an instant. In today’s world of texting, headphones, and social media, the act of alerting someone with a loud finger whistle may seem antiquated, until you realize how instantly effective it is—when done well.

“It’s great for kids, dogs, and sporting events,” says Nicole Rainstrom, an expert finger whistler who, unlike the rest of us, may have just been born with this skill. “I don’t know when I learned how to do it or who I learned it from," she says. "I can’t remember not being able to do it." If you’re just picking it up now, she adds, patience is key.

So is the belief that those old-school skills—like finger-whistling and juggling—can be picked up at any time in life. And what better time than now? Who else is going to serve as a finger whistling mentor for your future great-grandchildren?

Finger whistling can be broken down into seven simple steps. Creating the desired sound will, of course, take some practice—just like when you were learning how to whistle regularly sans digits. “Once you do it, I promise it’ll seem easy,” says Rainstrom. Until then, keep at it, and follow this primer to learn how to finger whistle like an old pro.

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1. Extend Two Fingers

Settle on which fingers you'll be using for the whistle. “It’s a personal choice,” says Rainstrom, who tends to go with her two pointer fingers. Some like using their pointer fingers and middle fingers together. Others may prefer just using their middle fingers, or thumb and pointer fingers pressed together on one hand—or even their two pinkies. “It doesn’t make a difference in terms of the actual whistle sound,” says Rainstrom. “It's just about which finger arrangement feels most comfortable to you.”

2. Place Fingers Together in a “V”

Once you’ve settled on the finger combination that feels right, extend those digits straight out and upward, then place them together to form a point or “V.” If you use Rainstrom’s method, you’ll be pressing your two pointer fingers together with your palms pointing toward your face.

3. Pull Back Your Lips

Before placing your fingers in your mouth, make sure you curl your lips inward, covering your teeth—resembling a pucker (or someone with no teeth). You’ll want your teeth totally covered by your lips before putting your fingers in your mouth to whistle.

4. Curl Your Tongue and Insert Fingers

“This is a key step that really brings the whistle to life,” says Rainstrom. Curl your tongue back into the middle of your mouth so it's neither touching the roof of your mouth or your teeth.

Now insert the one or two fingers that are pressed together in a “V” shape into your mouth. Rainstrom recommends inserting them up to the first digit or joint—or roughly about a quarter of the total length of your fingers. “For the best whistle results, place the fingers under the curled tongue.”

5. Find the Correct Angle

This step is more of an art or feel depending on the individual. “You can try different angles with your fingers in your mouth to see which has the best results,” says Rainstrom. In general, you’ll want the fingers to be pointing upwards toward your nose. “You can adjust the steepness of them, but about a 45-degree angle is good.”

6. Blow to Whistle

Once all of these steps are in place, it’s the moment of truth. Simply blow and expel a loud, piercing whistle. Or not. It takes practice, but ideally the air expelled between your fingers and tongue should produce a desired sound, which will take a while to perfect. 

“If you’re having trouble, remember to curl those lips in to create an airtight lock around the fingers,” Rainstrom advises. “Also, make sure the tongue is curled back on itself, and try adjusting the angle of the fingers in your mouth to see if it's too steep or shallow.”