I am looking for a very quiet high D whistle, that I can use to practise indoors. I have a Shaw just now, but it is so loud on the high notes it sounds almost deafening in my wee room. Even when the house is empty, I can hardly bring myself to hit the highs at that volume, never mind when the house is full of people (it’s quite a small house!).
What do you think is the quietest whistle out there?
Mack Hoover is widely known for making excellent quiet whistles.
http://home.bresnan.net/~mackhoover/index.htm
David O’Brien has a model of fipple (one of the two I just got from him) with a lot of back-pressure and a airy quiet sound. Not the whistle to take to a session, but it’s AMAZING on airs (replaced my Burke as current favorite for airs). It uses very little air and has a reedy tone.
http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?t=32553&highlight=quiet
You might like one of these.
Here is another thread:
I think either Hoover or O’Brien would fit the bill nicely.
For a bit more, a narrow-bore Burke would also do quite well.
–James
I have never tried a Shaw, so I don’t even know how well this would work, but…
To quiet a whistle, something that was discussed on this forum way back when, was the idea of placing a paper clip into the window of the whistle. When done correctly, the paper clip rests inside with about half of it still sticking out the top of the whistle. Do not confuse this with the windway. The window. Think of your whistle as the barrel of a gun. The clip would look like a sight for aiming.
I’ve used this before and was surprised at how well it works. So before you go out and buy another whistle, try this instead and see if it works for you.
Hope this helps.
Mike
Susato. No kidding. Place some Silly Putty over the ramp–adjust it until you get the tone and volume you want. I think it’s one of the best sounding quiet practice whistles you’ll find.
Silly Putty? That stuff doesn’t hold it’s shape very long, does it? I know if you roll it into a ball and set it on a table, it’ll slowly flatten out. Pretty fun to watch when you’re really bored. If you wanted something that would stay on there, shouldn’t you use something like modeling clay?
Well, the Silly Putty needs to be flattened prior to being placed over the ramp, and it holds its shape fine, but modeling clay would probably be even better. Or one could make it out of Fima (not FEMA) clay, bake it (the clay, not the whistle), and have a more permanent muting device.
Bluetack actually works the best imo.
Tintin is right about the silly putty / blu tack trick - it enables the volume of the whistle to be be variably modified to suit your needs and for some reason it works really well with a susato whistle. Probably because they are so damn loud.
Another good quiet whistle is a plastic Dixon with brass tuning slide
Alba Q1. Quite a quiet whistle.
Dixon, Alba Q1, O’Brien, Weston, Laughing, and Burke Narrow Bore that should keep you busy.
Laughing beats Hoover & Dixon hands down for quiet, at least in my bunch of whistles. Only problem with the laughing whistle is how easily it clogs up.
The silly putty/blu tack/poster tack solution works really well.
Judy
another way of near silent practising is to fold a piece of paper into the windway, so that your breath is going into the whistle, but only a breathy wheeze is coming out.
I used to use cigarette papers, which don’t last long before they get soggy. you could try something like part of a business card.
take the paper and fold it so it lies comfortably on top of the whistle just at the blade, then fold about a quarter of it downward into the space in front of the blade.
this is very very quiet!
b
Putting a bit of tape in the window will quiet it down. The more window you cover, the quieter it gets. I like using electrical tape. I can keep some slivers of various sizes on the back of the whistle, and peel them on and off several times before they lose their stick.
BoneQuint has it right, and thanks for the picture, worth a thousand words.
Otherwise, Laughing Whistle is the quietest of any I’ve tried, hands down.
And a very pretty sound, too.
Try www.irishflutestore.com and ask Patrick if he has any available without the wait.
M
To clarify BoneQuint (or anyone who knows) - does the tape stick onto the mouth-end of the window, and just go into the hole? Does it just dangle there, or do you stick it to the inside of the whistle.
That’s what it looks like in the photo, but I can’t tell what the tape does on the inside.
Sorry, I’m new and don’t know all of the terminology yet.
Thanks,
Jason
Yes, he makes an extreme narrow bore high d that is supposed to be whisper quiet. I keep forgetting to see about getting one of those.
Thanks for all the suggestions! I think I’ll probably go for one of those Hoover whistles. Is that extreme narrow bore one of the all brass types, or is it a Whitecap or PVC?
Incidentally, is there any way of making the laughing whistles less cloggy?