I'm in desperate need of a whistle 'muffler', as some grumpy people who do not appreciate my whistling have just moved upstairs... :roll:
I've made a search and I found loads, the only thing is that, English not being my first language, I don't always understand them. I'm not even sure what the 'ramp' is. So I was wondering if someone could explain whistle morphology to me. A drawing would really help!
"ramp" is occasionally used to designate the blade
<i>The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.</i>
Emilie, I don't have a very good computer so I can't post a picture, but what I do (I live in an apartment, too) is this: I took an old plastic library card and cut it into a T shape and then stuck it down into the window/airway from the top. It mutes the whistle well enough so no one outside my apartment can hear it but it still sounds good. You will have to experiment with the size of the T because if it's too big you will get no sound at all. Too small and it won't mute it enough. Good luck!
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
you could just switch to bagpipes for a couple weeks, they'll be BEGGING you to go back to playing whistle...
<i>The very powerful and the very stupid have one thing in common. They don't alter their views to fit the facts. They alter the facts to fit their views. Which can be uncomfortable if you happen to be one of the facts that needs altering.</i>
Emilie,
The plastic sac tie mute that Tom referred to works very well. I could not find the one with the ridges and the wide end so I used a regular twist tie. After I put one end through the window and down into the barrel I bent back the excess (towards the barrel) and taped it down to keep it from sliding around. I have muted a Sweetone for home and a Meg for work this way. They both sound good and are quiet enough that they can hardly be heard past a closed door.
Good luck,
Mike
I reckon it's only a matter of time before some of us start getting spam mails containing confidential advice on how to enhance our whistle morphology...
Emilie!!! Short of purchasing a narrow-bore, which are inherently quieter, you can just stick a toothpick or two into the windway at the sides (the hole you blow into is one end of the windway). That will cut down on airflow enough to quiet the whistle nicely. Experiment with how far to stick it in, and placement for best effect. Whistles are all different, so what works well for one might not work at all for others.
Cheers,
serpent
In a pinch, you can play a whistle almost completely silently without any modifications at all. Hold the whistle in the normal position, but instead of putting the mouthpiece in your mouth, place the windway opening against your lower lip. Then, just start playing. Your breath will go OVER the mouthpiece and "window" (square hole near the blade) and you will be able to hear the notes, only VERY quietly.
As I write this, my wife Char is sleeping about 10 feet away from me. I just played Kid On the Mountain in this way, and she didn't even stir...
serpent wrote:Emilie!!! Short of purchasing a narrow-bore, which are inherently quieter, you can just stick a toothpick or two into the windway at the sides (the hole you blow into is one end of the windway). That will cut down on airflow enough to quiet the whistle nicely.
Be very careful of you try this. I've ruined two Gen Ds by trying it because the toothpick got stuck in there the wrong way and cut down on the airflow so much that I got NO sound at all through it and I couldn't get the pick out without ruining the fipple.
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which is least known--Montaigne
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light
--Plato
I did say it was an OLD card, Mark! 
