Within a few weeks I’m moving from a big house to a small appartment, and since I’ve been living in a house all my life, it feels kind of awkward to squeze in to such a tiny space.
I figured this will cause me trouble when it comes to practising my whistle (and ofcourse my banjo 
), but since this is a common situation for many people i thought that some of you might have one or two hints that will help me not to become hated by my neighbours.
I understand that late nights with the whistle will be gone forever, but will I be able to practise at daytime without the neighbours going berserk at me?
Is there ANYTHING to do at all!!?
Try looking for nearby parks and such. I live in a townhome and have a similar problem; I’ve found my neighbors are generally pretty friendly about it; but at the park people seem to really enjoy it, so that’s cool. (now, if the police around your area seem like the sort that actually would enforce any kind of street performing law, even if you’re not asking for money, do check up on that)
I don’t know the laws in Sweden…but in Germany, one normally has the RIGHT (!) to practise every day including sunday for a certain time (which depends on instrument though… i.e. drummers may only practise 1 hour per day IIRC, saxophonists up to 2 hours per day and 1 hour on sundays) between 9-12 and 15-20 o’clock.
The rules of the house you’re moving to should contain special rules for that, and if not, ask your lessor.
By the way, the best you can do is to attach a small note on the house’s entrance to let the other hirers know what you play, how often you will do that etc. and that anybody who feels disturbed should talk to you so that you’re able to work it out with him/her. Normally that’s a good start when moving to a new appartment. Another great idea is to say hello to your direct neighbors when moving in. They’ll appreciate that. 
I bought an Irvine tweaked Waltons D and it is much quieter than any other whistle I’ve played. It sounds just great too. I usually play that in my apartment and I haven’t had any complaints yet. If you don’t have a quiet whistle then put a piece of tape or putty over part of the windway and it will significantly decrease in volume. That’s what I used to do.
Mr Spoon!
Since I am a beginner, I do not have that high level of skills yet, and that makes it sort of embarasing to practice in front of other people.
Well, sure, I can play a few tunes pretty good, but when I play the whistle I practice, not performe What if someone hears me!?
But ofcourse in a big park I should be able to find some space to pracitice.
But on the other hand, I dont feel like walk for 20 minutes every time I feel like playing, if you know what I mean.
Gabriel
I think that is a good idea to investigate. Don’t have a clue if we have laws like that here in Sweden, but i’ll check it up.
The thing is, the first neighbours I met when I moved some stuff to the apartment said that this is a verry calm and piecefull area, so I don’t think they will appreciate my practicing 
. But like you said, I’ll check it up.
Maby the best thing to do is to walk around an talk to the neighbours about it, after all.
Straycat82
A good idea. I resonly purchased a new Kerry Songbird Low D, and it feels like this one is a bit quieter than my Clarke D. Though I dont have much experience in whistles, so I dont know exactly what a “loud” whistle sounds like. But maby your whistle is an alternative.
I usually try to practice as early as possible, and never later then 9pm or earlier than 10am. I’ve also been known to go home for long lunches, and practice when my neighbours are out. Work late, play early. No complaints yet.
I do the park thing in the summer. I have a set of O’Brien’s that I keep with me, and if I can’t make it home, I practice on breaks at a near by park. Works in the summer, anyway.
I live in a condo here. I practice during the day after 0900 and before 2100. I have had no complaints. Don’t worry about what others may think. Remember you play whistle better than they do. Play in the park, at the lake, or like me in parking lots (car parks). I often play while my wife is picking something up at the store and at traffic lights.
Ron
Things might vary from place to place, but I’ve always figured that people could make noise during reasonable hours. Other people mow their lawns, have parties, have noisy children, walk loudly on their floors, do all sorts of things—even in peaceful neighborhoods. It’s just part of living. Just don’t practice late at night or too early in the morning and keep in mind that people might sleep later on the week-ends. They will probably admire you for practicing. Don’t worry about not sounding great, they should understand that practicing means learning new things. You could throw in one of your good tunes once in a while so they can hear that you aren’t just making random sounds 
.
Over the last few months I’ve picked up his whistles in D, C and Bb and I don’t need to wear earplugs like I used to. And the tone in beautiful in all three versions.
A very simple solution, along the putty line but simpler,
is to take a regular paper clip and stand it up in
the windway. This baffles the breath nicely,
lessens volume but doesn’t much harm
sound quality.
I know someone who has a simillar problem when she practices on her highland pipes in her back yard. But rather than just complaining about the sound, her neighboors (or her neighboor’s kids to be more precise) have actually taken to throwing rocks over the fence!
Maybe they think they’re saving house-cats from animal abuse!
Late at night, I do this trick that helps me. I wrap a piece of paper over the whistle hole (whatever you call that) and I tape it together. (I try not to get any tape on flute because I don’t want that tape stuff stuck to it) Once I have the paper on there tight, I can blow hard enough to hit any note I want. Experiment with that. Don’t cover the whole hole, but find the spot to where it is silanced yet, you can hear what you are playing. It don’t sound great, but you can hit the notes late at night and know how it will sound in the morning when you pull the paper off and let the loudness loose. 
check to see if someone works the night shift. IMHO, the folks who are going to complain are going to complain about something and maybe your whistle just happens to be the lucky excuse. many years ago, we moved next to a old grumpy man, we’re not even home during the day and he used to say we made too much noise during the day. we made friends with him and i drive him around on errands and he helps us a bit too picking up our mail when we’re out of town. he still makes fun of my playing but it’s just his way of feeling important.
this is the first time that i’ve lived in a neighborhood where there are no other live musicians in hearing distance. what’s the world coming to?
Ive been having the same issues in my apartment. I try not to practice past 10pm or before about 10 am. As a beginner I know i sound less than stellar most of the time but with help from my very supportive SO im learning not to be so embarassed. Im going to try the paperclip trick tonight tho…
Ive been having the same issues in my apartment. I try not to practice past 10pm or before about 10 am. As a beginner I know i sound less than stellar most of the time but with help from my very supportive SO im learning not to be so embarassed. Im going to try the paperclip trick tonight tho…
I learned how to play the cello in a loft building. I was mortified if I knew anyone could hear me (those first months were pretty bad). I told my immediate neighbors to just knock on my door if I was disturbing them. They never did. It turned out theyvcould only hear me in when they passed in the hallway. They were so nice (artists’ building) and made encouraging comments. Alas, we were all evicted so they could turn our studios into luxury apartments 
.
Now I live in a house made up of a few apartments. I only practice my whistles when no one else is home. Have found some interesting outdoor venues to whistle in (can’t do this with the cello).
I think you may find people more amenable to the low whistle (& banjo) than the high (shrill factor). Many people actually enjoy hearing a real instrument being practiced a few doors down. Wish I had a banjo & whistle player in my building.
Good luck in your new home!
Doug
I used to travel quite a bit and had to practice in hotels. I did all the things suggested above and they all worked, some well, some not so well.
One night a friend of mine was in the next hotel room, so I thought I’d entertain him with some whistling. I tooted away for a while then went to bed. When I asked him about it the next morning, he replied “What whistle?” He was serious; he never heard a thing. My point is: sometimes the whistle isn’t as loud as we think or the walls are thicker than we think. I’d ask a friend to stand in the hall and tell you how loud the whistle sounds while you play inside the apartment. You may be surprised how little he can hear. You might also be surprised how much he can hear, but at least you’ll know how much noise you are making.
For a quiet whistle, I bought a Hoover whitecap that I asked Mack to make extra quiet. It sounds wonderful and is very quiet.
It seems like there must be some inexpensive way of partially soundproofing an apartment, something that can be easily removed when you’re ready to move out and doesn’t cause damage to the apartment. I’ve read about soundproofing jobs that involve building a second wall in front of the existing with an air gap, but this doesn’t sound reasonable for an apartment. I have also read about heavy curtains like they use at the front of a stage that can be hung on the walls, but they were rather expensive. Maybe it wouldn’t be too expensive to make your own, and it might be an interesting addition to the décor.
I learned to play Kesh jig on plan on the way to Thailand with a plane full of sleeping Chinamen (and women) around me. I put the blow end just below my lower lip and blew across the “window” at the blade. It made sounds that I could hear ok, but the guy sleeping in the seat beside me didn’t budge once. This is the most extreme mute system.