I’m very skilled at producing a shockingly loud whistle. I’m good at this because I spent hours and hours practising when I was about nine years old which probably wasn’t very relaxing for my family. By repeating the skill, over and over and over and over again, I developed pathways in my brain for making a loud whistling noise.  

 

I recently discovered, when I had to attract the attention of someone a considerable distance away from me, that I can still do it, even though I haven’t done it for several years.  

 

When you are learning a new skill, such as whistling, your brain is laying down a pathway. Like sheep tracks, the more you walk that way, the more you practice the skill, the clearer the path becomes. In the brain, chemicals called neurotransmitters, help make and develop these pathways.