Palate

Palate

A palate whistle , also known as a bird whistle , is an instrument that can be used to imitate the chirping of birds. It has the shape of a semicircle (a little more than two centimeters in diameter) and is played between the tongue and the roof of the mouth.

Components

A palate pipe consists of a round, soft cardboard leaf with a hole in the middle with a diameter of approx. One centimeter, a thin, approx. 1 cm² membrane and a metal ring, also provided with a jagged edge, to connect all parts. The cardboard sheet is folded in the middle to form a semicircle, over it lies the membrane, attached with the metal ring by bending it in a semicircle over the cardboard sheet and membrane.

The whistling

In order to “chirp” with the palate, you have to put it on your tongue with the straight side facing forward and the membrane facing down and wait briefly until the box has been softened by the saliva. Now you lift it up to the roof of your mouth with the tip of your tongue and try to find a place where the carton holds well due to the moistening and the resulting deformation. The mouth is opened slightly and air is blown out, similar to a "Sch" sound, whereby the tongue is lifted a bit from the palate while the air is being expelled. In order to achieve variations in the tone, i.e. a bird-like chirping, you can move your lips or tongue and influence the intensity of the air flow.

After whistling, the palate can be dried and reused as often and long as one of the materials (the membrane in particular is at risk) is damaged.