My new band is doing Beatle's Blackbird - Bird Whistle???

Nate74 · #1 08-22-2011, 09:01 PM

So the title pretty much says it all. My new cover band is fronted by a singer/guitarist/pianist who loves doing Beatles stuff. Great tenor voice and he does a great Lennon. So he and the lead guitarist break out their Martins and do Blackbird. The drummer pulls out a wood block and I sit there looking bored... so I got to thinking, what sort of bird whistle could I use to emulate the bird call on the original recording.

BTW - sorry if this isn't the right place for this... just toook a guess that I'd have better luck getting suggestions from some of the more seasoned players here.

bongomania · #2 08-22-2011, 09:13 PM

There are lots of little bird-call-making doodads out there. I used to do percussion and sound effects with a burlesque orchestra, and I had four or five different bird calls on my tray of sound effects. Some you blow in like a whistle; some you twist two parts that rub together; some you rub a bar against a resonating plate. Prices range from 50 cents to 50 dollars.

The most common and popular one is a little red cylinder with the Audubon name on it.

iiipopes · #3 08-22-2011, 09:20 PM

The traditional way is to take a small open straight whistle, put the end part way into a glass of water, and blow just hard enough to make the whistle sound its note. The air pressure will cause the water to go up and down the inside of the whistle, causing it to warble.

Some companies actually make them, all the way from cheap plastic moulded in the shape of a bird, to real ones like this:
http://www.interstatemusic.com/webap.../product_89538

Nate74 · #4 08-22-2011, 09:34 PM

Very cool guys. Thanks.

I'm wondering if something like this:

Bird Warbler | Girls & Boys, Activity, Toys | Catching Fireflies

would do the trick? Super cheap and probably good enough to be funny to a bunch of drunks at the dives we play at.

turbo chicken · #5 08-22-2011, 09:36 PM

oh hells yeah... i used to get those for prizes at school...

i just ordered my kids a couple... awesome... thanks for this

yeah get the cheap plastic one... they... sort of work i guess... they make bird like sounds...

yes the drunks will like it!!!

AlecRob · #6 08-23-2011, 03:19 PM

Whats the best bird whistle for metal?

superbassman2000 · #7 08-23-2011, 03:28 PM

just for fun, I'll go out on a limb and say don't play a bird whistle. I suggest that you jump in with a percussion instrument as well. I am thinking a cabasa would be cool, or maybe a small tambourine...you could play an off-beat pattern while the drummer plays the on-beats with the wood block--I could see you two being able to make a real ringo-esque pattern for the guitar player

Nate74 · #8 08-23-2011, 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by superbassman2000

just for fun, I'll go out on a limb and say don't play a bird whistle. I suggest that you jump in with a percussion instrument as well. I am thinking a cabasa would be cool, or maybe a small tambourine...you could play an off-beat pattern while the drummer plays the on-beats with the wood block--I could see you two being able to make a real ringo-esque pattern for the guitar player

Interesting idea. It certainly has more musical value than my bird whistle idea. Though it may lack what I'm hoping will be a pretty comedic moment as I walk up on stage towards the end of the song and let fly my bird whistle. I'm seeing a special mic stand and maybe a spot light

superbassman2000 · #9 08-23-2011, 10:06 PM

That's true-the bird whistle would be way funnier especially if you stay in the ready position for the whole song. That happened to me in college when I was in the symphonic orchestra-we had a sarabonde where I had 82 measures of rest and then at the end I played a single triangle hit on the 4 of the 83rd measure for the end of the song-the audience had a chuckle lol