whistle
| Any of a class of wind instruments including recorders, flutes, organ pipes, and panpipes, that uses a rigid edge as an aerofoil to split the air flow, giving a characteristic ‘chuff’ onset to the tone. Among the most ancient and widespread of musical instruments, whistles produce a relatively pure tone and simple waveform. |
| Most whistles relying on human breath are soprano or higher in pitch range; those of lower pitch such as organ pipes are usually powered by bellows. Some whistles are of single pitch, others have finger holes to vary the pitch and may be overblown to sound an octave or twelfth higher. |
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