playing in a stairwell

hey folks: i’ve heard a few of you mention this and how it sounds great. i paid you no mind. yesterday, i finally got the joy of hearing this. wow! before Mass yesterday, i was tuning up my guitar and whistles and i usually do this in the hallway because there is a bench there. but there is remodeling going on so the only place that i could sit was on the steps. wow again. if you haven’t played in a stairwell yet, get you butt to one right now.

done it , :smiley: its great

I’ve been playing in various stairwells at work for 14 years, mostly because there’s nowhere else I can go that won’t disturb somebody. All the stairwells are accessed by double fire doors, so I’m sure my noises don’t travel into the office areas of the building.

The added bonus is that I get added reverb.

Even playing by my stairs at home makes it sound really nice. Plus having all hardwood floors helps the sound carry too.

Tried to play in stairwell at the office. Well, I didn’t know my sweetone can be so loud :slight_smile:

Still, that was a bad idea. Too much curious people, who hear me playing and then come to see that idiot with a fife.

Yep stairwells are great fun. I also enjoy playing in stoas here in Greece as they provide great acoustics. Blackhawk prefers pyramids!

Kitchens are almost as good, especially if you have tile floors. Plus, you get to annoy the cats in the kitchen. Cats are good at payback, however.

There is a glass enclosed stairwell at the parking garage of a local hospital. Oh, yeah!

I can’t say I’ve played in a stairwell…but I have played in a walkway between two buildings and whistles sound great there too! I’d really love to try playing it in the rotunda of Flagler College which is about 5 stories high!!

Suggested tune title for a new composition: The Olwell in the Stairwell :stuck_out_tongue:

Stairways rock! If you haven’t tried it, you’re missing something cool.

those of you who like to play in stairwells
may just as well try a sewerage tunnel
for a real lift …

Too much methane - it changes the quality of the sound

  • like helium but not as dramatic!!!

Seriously - one of the best places I have played is in
“Reginald’s Tower” in Waterford City. On the first floor -
the round room has a really beautiful acoustic.

It all has to do simply with reberb. You can get reverb
by close miking your instrument and using a mixer with
an effects processor - you can get all the wow sound you
want!! Anything from a “sewage tunnel” to a cathedral and
more.

There’s a multi storey car park near to us, and the acoustics in the stairwell are amazing…it’s all glass and tiles. Every time I’m there, I say “Oh, I’d love to bring my guitar here and do a few songs”. One day, I’ll be organised, and have my guitar with me the same time I’m there. (Although, I’d be scared of someone trying to mug me for it! ..I might have to take my cheap one instead!)

I like singing, whistling and playing flute in the bathroom too! :smiley:

Cass.

Try the kitchen at Glastonbury Abbey!
:slight_smile:

Stairwell’s my favoirte place to play in the house. Second: kitchen while baking cookies need monitoring. Third: bathroom while keeping an eye on the little ones playing in the tub.

I’ve become a much more patient person since taking up the whistle.

I became a whistle person by taking up a stairwell.
:smiley:

Another nice place is a three-walled outdoor racquetball/handball court.

i’ve never played in a stairwell, but i have played in my home’s foyer… which has great reverb. i’ve also played in natural little alcoves and caves, which are also really nice when you’re looking for a good sound. also, shower stalls work well, too, as long as you don’t accidentally turn on the water :smiley:

Couple of years ago, there was a thread on creating wind shields for the tonehole - one of them used a little paper cocktail umbrella.

Maybe if you gave the whistle a light coat of rubber cement it would solve your shower problems.