Soft Whistle

I still didn’t get my whisles yet, but I decided that I’m buying a Dixon D and a Oak D.
Now, I’d also like to get a whistle that isn’t so loud like the Dixon (I heared he’s conciderally loud…).
They Only whistle that I heared that is soft is the Clarke.

Thanks for your help
~Mime

Here–soft and tacky.

:wink: but you could also use Blue tac (or UHU Tac–with your blank “profile” we don’t know if you’re Europe, US, or Inner Mongolia) to muffle your whistle when needed. There were numerous threads on this topic (muffling, not Mongolia).

Well, my Oak is a reasonably soft whistle, though not as soft as some Clarke originals.

As far as inexpensive whistles go, you might also want to try Generation, Waltons brass (not the Mello-D…it’s a good whistle but louder), and Clare.

There are doubtless whistles I’m forgetting that would work as well; others will point them out no doubt.

My softest whistle is a tweaked Feadog…but a Feadog out of the box (untweaked) is not soft at all, so your milage may vary.

–James

That brings back memories Zub. When on honeymoon in Scotland 20 years ago, the locals generously offered to take us on a “haggis hunt” early next morn…

Regards,

Philo

So? Did you fall for it? :laughing:

The loveliest soft whistle I have is my Hoover Whitecap.

Redwolf

I’m with Redwolf. Just this morning I was fooling around and transposed Wild Mountain Thyme into D (starting on second octive D) and going up to second octive B. The sounds I would normally make playing this on other high D whistles makes our cat give me THE LOOK and flee the room. However, I have been playing this tune on a Hoover Whitecap head on an old Feadog body for about a half an hour and am just amazed at how nice this sounds. Pure and sweet, no shreeking, just really wounderful. The Whitecap plays other tunes lower down equally well and can be played very softly. Makes me a better whistler!

Nah, I’m married to a smart lady!

Philo

My softest (and quietest, if you make the distinction) whistle is my Hoover SB. If you tweak it by dulling the blade with sticky tack, it becomes considerably even softer…

Boy-oh-boy is that ever a truth. I just got my first Whitecap from Mack a couple of days ago. After lots of hot water and raw muscle, I finally got the head off an Acorn whistle I’d come to hate. It was a tight fit (a dab of Gunslick graphite lubricant helped) but once set properly the harsh and bitter tube became a thing of sweetness that I can hardly believe.

In my opinion, there is only one word for a soft whistle - HOOVER!

I’m sitting here with my DixonD (brass slide) and a GenD with a Hoover whitecap on it. I play both of these whistles a lot. I love them both and it’s really amazing the transformation the whitecap performed on this Gen tube. So, just now I played both of these whistles for my wife who is around the corner in another room and asked her to judge which one is louder. She picked the Gen/Whitecap as louder and “purer”, her words. She said the Dixon was “darker” and not as loud. I have always thought that the Dixon was considerably louder, but I have only heard it when I was playing it. It must sound different from a distance.

There’s my unscientific contribution to the discussion.
Mike

I’m with Redwolf. Just this morning I was fooling around and transposed Wild Mountain Thyme into D (starting on second octive D) and going up to second octive B.

Hmmm, second octive B? how easily can you hit a third octive D on it?

the softest whistle is NO whistle at all

Don’t know. Houseguests arrived this afternoon and I’m afraid to try it just now. I’ll give it a try tomorrow late morning after everyone clears out and post again. I’ll try to have the damn cat around as well to get the OFFICIAL opinion. :smiley:

Third octave D? No problemo. I can go up to third octave E on it very easily, but the cat gets very upset with me (and, that high, any whistle’s going to be piercing).

Redwolf

Hoover Brass small bore is very quiet, very sweet. Significantly quieter than my Whitecap on a Gen tube.

When I read the title I thought of a whistle made out of foam rubber.

I’m getting too adept at this lateral thinking malarkey.

If whistling in rubber is your fantasy, for me, t’was yew paunch I thought of. The Scottish kind–with buckwheat and pepper–for the chiff & sneeze.

Although I’m not sure it does much for my image to be in such a group, you’re not the only one who does it. When I saw the title, I thought we probably had some newbie asking about a whistle made of surgical tubing or rubber hose.

Ah yes, the infamous floppy whistle.

Two words one never wishes to see in juxtaposition.