My wife and son have reached their limit! I need to purchase a very quiet high d whistle. Any suggestions?
I received a Hoover brass narrow bore D for Christmas, and it’s quiet and sounds really nice.It’s available at his website or through the whistle shop for $50.00.
I second that.
The Hoover narrow bore is the ideal whistle for maintaining family harmony.
Sound is lovely and very quiet.
Good luck,
jb
Try a Clarke’s Original, they are very breathy.
Nick
Try a Clarke’s Original, they are very breathy.
Nick
A BIG vote for the Hoover brass narrow bore..I love the tone and would play it in church if it wasn’t so quiet. Gm
Hi! If you place a small ball of sticky tac (blu-tac) or plasticine at the ramp after the mouthpiece window, you can adjust the volume of the whistle and still get 2 octaves. Experimenting with the sticky tac position. You may even have to partially cover the window. This nice trick, if I remember rightly, was courtesy of Tyghress.
This is what I do to the whistle I play late at night so my family won’t be kept up if I practice late.
Get a Hoover, they sound sweet and they don’t wake babies (at least not in my house).
The Burke narrow bore D is pretty quiet too. I wrote a review a while back, which should still be somewhere on C&F
If you want quiet, see if you can get a Laughing whistle by Noah Herbison. I think it would have to be second-hand at this point.
Jessie
On 2002-01-06 06:45, ScottStewart wrote:
Get a Hoover, they sound sweet and they don’t wake babies (at least not in my house).
Are they still out of tune with themselves?
PS Eldarion the blue-tack trick came from Whistlepeg, if I’m not mistaken, who got it from John Skelton.
[ This Message was edited by: StevieJ on 2002-01-06 11:01 ]
Dear eedbjp
A ‘tweaked’ Clarke original (‘Whistle Shop’) gives out only half the volume (approx.) of what is already a mellow sounding whistle anyway !!
I guess a lot less expensive than yer average Hoover!
Regards . . . Tony P
[ This Message was edited by: tony pearson on 2002-01-06 11:39 ]
You certainly shouldn’t rule out a Hoover CPVC whistle either. They’re cheaper than the brass whistle, and still very mellow and quiet. I’ve been asked to do some recording with a local celtic band for an upcoming CD, and the leader asked me if I would play my Hoover CPVC as it had the tone he liked the most.
As for the folks who have had Hoovers they say are out of tune, I KNOW Mack is very helpful in this regard. Firstly, he is VERY meticulous in his workmanship (having seen his workshop/tools/technique) but being handmade, there is always a margin of error one must expect.
However, if you don’t like the whistle, or feel it to be out of tune with itself, Mack will happily trade it for you, or whatever you like. Personally, I’ve played just about every whistle design he makes, and I’ve never heard one out of tune, unless it wasn’t completed yet. 
Anyway, my point it, give Mack a try. I highly doubt you’ll be disappointed!
B~
Brian, something you didn’t mention is the fact that Mack does not have a template, nor does he have preceise measurements. His whistles vary tremendously from one to the next. While one may have a pleasing tone to a particular person’s ear, another may not.
And yes, when the whistles were not in tune with themselves, Mack was very accomodating.
Jessie
SteveJ, I think you are probably referring to the recording I made with my Hoover. The reason for it sounding somewhat out of tune is not the whistle’s fault, it is mine. I put the whistle to a tuner and it is completely in tune with itself when A is at 440. However, I have lungs like a bellows and tend to overblow, causing a note to go flat. That’s actually a technique I use when playing harmonica, but not desirable for whistle. I should have been more careful when reviewing the recording, but it was a quick recording I made. When I “breathe” into the Hoover, all notes are dead-on. Also, the tone is better when played softer. So, I can say it is quite an instrument, and very good for quiet playing. However, if you can play a Shaw low D with no trouble, you will have to exercise some real control with a Hoover sop. D. Plus, as others have said here, Mack will work with you to make the whistle you want. He’s a true gentleman. Two thumbs up!
Also the often overlooked Cooperman is very quite. I realize that I “lucked out” when I got mine as it is ded on in tune while most don’t seem to be. They are all of $4-$5 and are often found at tourist shops. I keep mine on the stand next to the bed for that middle of the night urge-to-play-a-tune desire. It’s that quiet.
CUL (see you later)
eedbjp
All of the above suggestions are good ones based on the experience of each player and these whistles all have features that are commendable. Whistles of wood or plastic with a decreasing conical bore and a small voicing window will be the most quiet players.
My vote goes to the suggestion of using a “Mute” technique to decrease the volume of any whistle you favor and are used to playing. A Balsa block/putty ball etc. is placed on the labium ramp near the sharp edge and adjusted up or down until you get the amount of muting you desire. In this way you can practice quietly on the same whistle that will echo off the canyons with the “Mute” removed.
On 2002-01-06 13:08, JessieK wrote:
Brian, something you didn’t mention is the fact that Mack does not have a template, nor does he have preceise measurements. His whistles vary tremendously from one to the next. While one may have a pleasing tone to a particular person’s ear, another may not.And yes, when the whistles were not in tune with themselves, Mack was very accomodating.
Jessie
Jessie,
Just to set the record straight, (not to mention being completely fair to Mack) he DOES in fact use a template for ALL his whistles. I have seen and even used them myself. Yes, his whistle CAN vary tremendously from one to another, but this is due to specific voicing requirements from one CUSTOMER to another.
If you were to see his stock that he sends to the Thom at ‘The Whistle Shop’, or the tables he sets up at festivals etc., you would notice a very concise pattern to all his work.
I have even seen correspondance between Mack and a most famous whistle player, not just saying: “Thanks for the free whistle bub.” and leaving it at that, but praising the quality of his work. I never hesitate to recommend Mack Hoover’s whistles as reliable, both in quality, and especially in service.
All my best-
Bri~
P.S. If ULTRA-quiet is truly needed, you may want to write Mack, and ask him about his arrow-shaft whistles! They’re as quiet as they come!!!
I have a Hoover traditional bore. I find it much easier to play than the narrow bore. Still, it is very quiet and sweet sounding. It’s the only one my six-year-old son doesn’t complain about (no, I’m not THAT bad a player – he just thinks they’re noisy). I think mine is in tune with itself.
And it is not expensive – I paid $50 in August. The tweaked Clarke is about $25. I think the Hoover is worth the extra $25.
Please note that there was a price change that occurred at least a week before this thread was started.
http://users.acsol.net/~mackh/ordering.htm
Mack
“A little praise is a great motivator. Indifference begets indifference. Criticism can cause distress or determination; you can decide which.”—Anon.