I’m having a hard time practicing due to noise levels. I started taking the whistle seriously about a year ago now! and
most of the time I practce/play its just a faint blow, just enough to hear the notes.
I get because I want to be able to play in the comfort of my house where it is warm and have internet connection for learning purposes.
In the summer Its not a problem as I live in Surrey and lots of beautifull countryside around where I could play.
Winter is a different story!
I just wish Family would give me the house to myself for once(Jesus) I have only just purchased a MK low D which is loud and I am just dying to blow the s*%t out of it.
I may have to try and find a playing partner who would have a place to practice, as I dont want to give up atall,I love ITM and the Whistle but cant keep playing/practising the way I am at the moment
I should go and sit in on a local session that I know takes place once a month and just listen away.
I would also like to get a clip on here for people to give me their opinions.
Just talk to your family. I’m sure you could all agree on a half hour or so when you can wail away on your whistles. No need for them to clear out, but family members need to accommodate each other’s needs.
I feel your pain, eddieV3 but the whistling must go on.
Homes are full of sounds. Some good and some…not so good. Its all part of life.
Yes, talk to your family and explain how important this is to you.
Part of being in a family is give and take. And you should never have to " faintly blow your whistle".
Have fun and let that MK rip every now and then ( at appropriate times of course).
And yes, a whistle buddy is a great idea. I wish I had one.
When my wife is asleep (she works nights and needs the house to be quiet during the day), I practice in the car outside. I have spent several hours out there. It’s a pretty good way to work on tone, because the sound reflects and I can really hear when I overblow.
If you are in a car and pushing some serious volume…you may want to wear earplugs.
Been there, done that! (Unfortunately)
I’m picking up the whistle again, and I mainly practice when my wife’s not home. Some days a week she gets out later, and I can whistle around (yes, I live in an apartment!) And St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, I GOTTA PRACTICE!
Good luck in solving the problem man, I guess the car is a good option, but I understand the internet part when you are learning new stuff!
Yep … When the sound of the whistle (or any wind instrument) just rubs someone the wrong way, there’s not much you can do to convince them otherwise. It’s a visceral, lizard-brain, primal instinct reaction, the cerebellum conjuring phylogenetic memories of screaming pteradactyls swooping down to devour you. Or something like that.
I once had an excellent clarinet student who dearly wanted to play the flute but couldn’t, because the merest sound of the flute drove her mother into fits like nails on a blackboard.
Beyond your whistle buddy idea, I made a few other basic suggestions here:
Here’s another: Try playing under a heavy blanket or duvet. I’m serious. Create your own little sound booth. Sitting in a chair, there’s enough room under there for even a low whistle. Overheating is not such a problem in winter. Just lift the cover for fresh air now and then. You may be able to cut the external volume by 10 to 20 dB. Which, in combination with a closed door room, may just be enough to take the edge off and allow you to wail. As Whistler Bard suggested, you can wear earplugs yourself to protect your own ears - and block out the hideous screams of your family.
Hey, if it works for bagpipes, it can work for whistle …
Making something part of who you are and fitting it into your life takes time. Stick with playing though! Eventually your family will understand it is important to you. Being considerate of their airspace goes a long way but it is also your space. The car is a great idea, bathrooms and closets also work . There are great discussions here on how to make your whistle quieter too if you worry about irritating your family. The high D can definitely do that. At first my family complained “do you have to do that?” even when I found corners of time and space out of their way. Nobody asks anymore. They’re just used to it. Keep playing, low D’s are awesome!
I went to the extent of making a specifically quiet practice whistle, with a relatively small window, which seems to work. My neighbour in the flat downstairs simply doesn’t hear it … I asked her
There are also muting options that have been designed for recorders, eg http://www.dolmetsch.com/lesson0.htm#tostifle that may well work on a whistle, I’ve tried some of them on my recorder, they do work, even into the second octave, if adjusted carefully. I’ve not tried one with a whistle.
Eddie, whereabouts in Surrey are you, and what’s your away-from-home situation? If you’re at school/college/work, is there a room where you can shut the door behind you during lunchbreak, for example?
I’m lucky - if Mr Husband doesn’t want to hear me play, he takes his mandolin upstairs and shuts the bedroom door. The daughters have iPods with headphones to block out the various musical instruments.
I live in the Merton area at present, althought I will be moving to the Mole Valley district in the near future. I work in the building trade and wouldn’t want to take whistles into work due to high risk of being damaged or theft.(Especially my big glossy Red one) In warmer weathers I use the country side, a nice quiet bench I know of overlooking the Surrey hills and not a soul to disturb me.
I too work in the trades. I carry a whistle with me everywhere I go - including on the job. You’d be amazed at how well they take it. I got into making stainless and titanium whistles for a few years, just for this reason. I still turn one out on occassion, but most of the time I carry a standard brass bore whistle.
I buy and wear carpenter jeans, just to have the rule pocket on the leg for carrying my whistle. Whenever someone asks what that is sticking out of the pocket, I pull it out and joke that it is my “apprentice call” - you know, like the way Willie Wonka called the Oompa Loompa in the original film…
Mole Valley is a good area for sessions etc, far as I know (I’m still finding out), so you might be able to find other musicians sympathetic to your problems. E.g. there’s a monthly session in Coldharbour, a weekly one in Redhill (not too far from Mole Valley), and something regular at the Volunteer in Abinger.
My husband takes his harmonica to work and also plays in the car when stuck at traffic lights. Perhaps you could get a cheaper & smaller whistle for breaktime practise - it’s a lot easier than finding accommodation (and tolerance!) for an accordion…
because I want to be able to play in the comfort of my house where it is warm and have internet connection for learning purposes.
(yes, I live in an apartment!) And St. Patrick’s Day is around the corner, I GOTTA PRACTICE!
