practicing with a mute

Mr Heidi · Regular Member Joined: 28 Oct 2011 Posts: 64

So I don't have much opportunity to practice without a mute because I live in a barracks. I'm wondering if there's a way to practice with the mute in to where it won't ruin my chops for when I play without a mute. I noticed I have a real airy sound these days when I take the mute out. Should I overcompensate with certain blow techniques?

connicalman · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:05 am Post subject:

Improvise: Make the most of the time you can play open. If you can find a quality 5 minutes to blow open a few times a day, do it! If your kind and loving barracks mates get a quality serenade, great. That counts as chops time and towards performance guts, too.

Adapt: Most important. Blow THROUGH the horn as well as the mute. Don't choke up your chops while trying to be quiet. Play normally & let the mute do the quiet part of the job.

Overcome: Vary your blow, pp to ff, especially into the mute.

FWIW I favor the James Stamp and the Ernest S. Williams books for muted playing over using the Clarke II Technical Studies when muted.

Your blow will affect your chops (as much or more than your choice of mute!) so for me the mindset when doing the Clarke is to tend from mp down to p or pp, as he suggests. But tending toward all pp, that just doesn't work for my chops with using a mute.

Pay the man, or DIY: Get a good practice mute, **or build one**

Those that are made for warming up in the orchestra pit are not made with your chops in mind. The red&white is OK, the yamaha, even an old one without the electronics, is better. Best is, IMO, a Don Maslet. ** DIY: I found good double-duty by using an awl to make a 1/4" hole in a rubber stopper, then putting that holey stopper in a harmon mute **
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chuck in ny · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:24 am Post subject:

a person doesn't always get to play open. i'm pretty fortunate, but when the odd time comes, i like playing in the pickup truck, which doesn't bother anyone. it's possible you can get access to a vehicle.
then maybe you can get a 5 gallon plastic bucket and line it with towels or clothing, and prop it up where you can get the bell into it, and perhaps attain a setup where you don't bother anyone. it's cumbersome, but it's open.

cheiden · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 8:30 am Post subject:

I'm no fan of practice mutes but if you must, buy the best you can afford cause it really matters. Get a Tumcor if you prefer acoustic or a new Yamaha if you prefer electronic (with earphones). Keep your practice relatively low intensity. Save the intense stuff for when you can play open.
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"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

Mr Heidi · Regular Member Joined: 28 Oct 2011 Posts: 64

Mr Heidi · Regular Member Joined: 28 Oct 2011 Posts: 64

cheiden · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:22 am Post subject:

The older Yamaha Silent brass can be found for a bit less $. Not as good as the new ones (I'm told) but might be okay on a budget. I don't hate mine and it's quite a bit better then some.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

connicalman · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 9:47 am Post subject:

Gotta point out one thing to clear things up: there is no book for muted practice, just one that I found works better than one other.

Why? "YMMV" your mileage may vary. But Clarke himself said that the first exercise of his technical studies book was intended to be played softly as possible, as quickly as possible, for as many repeats as possible, all in one breath. What I found is for me, that particular mix doesn't match with a mute. The result: I had the same raspy diffused chops as you describe.

The flip-side is that once you DO get soft with the Clarke chromatics, it is truly ...ahem... not loud. Done right, you might not even need a mute to play below the threshold noise of communal life. -- On a side note, I've been "there" in barracks. GOOD LUCK and thank you for serving. -- The sunny side is that much better players than I have suggested to begin that exercise at a comfortable, consistent mp and gradually decrease the volume...right down to pp or less... while maintaining tone and control. Get there without a mute and on the way you'll learn things about your chops. Guaranteed.
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kochaavim, csillaagkep, αστερρισμός, konnstelacji, connstellation... ...a.k.a. the 28A!
Other Conns: Victor 5A & 38A, New Wonder & 80A; 'stella 38A; 36A; 'quest 76A...

Don Herman rev2 · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 10:12 am Post subject:

If there is a band on base and/or a sympathetic commander (whatever) you may be able to snag a practice room, or even an out-of-the way office or storage room for practice. Make sure the room is reasonably sealed, i.e. not a drop ceiling that lets sound go to all the other rooms. I had a friend tell me he practiced in a storage room in their indoor range, no real problems with noise there!

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JoshMizruchi · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 11:11 am Post subject:

If I had to choose, personally, I'd probably take a Yamaha Silent Brass over using a mute. I always personally found practicing with a mute to be largely counterproductive, unless I was practicing a part specifically written for the mute. Dennis Wilson, the great trombonist from the Basie and Jon Faddis big bands, told me once to always find time to practice with your mutes, but I think he meant for the purpose of working on parts where a mute was called upon for use, so you could test your intonation.

Reinhardt believed that, generally, you should only use a mute when called upon to do so, because he felt the backpressure changes could mess with you. I'm guessing that he too would approve of practicing a muted section to make sure you had good intonation with your mute, so you'd sound your best on it, which was his goal. But he didn't seem to be in favor of practicing with a mute without any specific goal or purpose with it.

Personally, if I HAD to practice with a mute, I'd use a cup. The harmon feels way too different from playing open to spend too much time practicing on, in my opinion. The cup doesn't change the pressure level as much, to me at least. There's also the straight, but I'm not sure that mute decreases your volume significantly enough to practice on late at night. And I've never practiced on a pixie.

Hope this helps.
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http://www.joshmizruchi.com

Mr Heidi · Regular Member Joined: 28 Oct 2011 Posts: 64

@ Connicalman- thanks for clarifying! I'll definitely look at the softer playing. I get immature when playing pieces and like to gun it so it's all a matter of self control to get the results I want.

@Herman- my commander probably wouldn't, he's kind of a strange. I do know Drum has a band somewhere on post but I believe it's farther away from my brigade.

One of the biggest issues for me is consistent playing time. Seems like I'm always in the field.

I'm going to try the car idea. Maybe I can get a key to our cold storage unit in the motor pool and hide out in there to play after work. It's far enough away from everybody and ill have some.peace to practice.

Thank you so much everybody for all.of.your ideas. Will attempting them to find my happy medium.

cheiden · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 2:32 pm Post subject:

I've known a lot of players who like to use an adjustable cup mute closed up tight instead of a practice mute. I've never had one of those and I usually resort to a harmon (JoRal for me) with the stem removed. When I play it lightly the sound really doesn't cut or carry very far. In some ways I prefer it to any practice mute because it has a sound I recognize. Practice mutes (without headphones) usually just sound dead.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

chuck in ny · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 3:03 pm Post subject:

x9ret · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 5:37 pm Post subject:

If you can afford the new silent brass then that doesn't cause problems with your chops as quickly as with a normal mute or a normal practice mute without earphones. However, I did play for a week on the new silent brass and sadly it did take 2-3 days to get used to playing open again.
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jungledoc · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 6:00 pm Post subject:

I have two issues with people hearing me practice. One is the self consciousness that I have if I'm aware that others can hear me. I focus on practice better if I feel like no one can hear. To some extent I have to overcome that mentally, just put it out of my mind, and try not to worry.

The other is the fear that other's will be disturbed and object. But do they really object very often? Has anyone practiced in a hotel room during reasonable hours and had people complain? I heard Tine Thing Halseth say in an interview say that she always practices in her hotel rooms without any mute, and that she has never had a complaint. And I'm sure that people would be no more likely to complain about my fine playing than about hers!

But I'm curious--have any of you actually had complaints from neighbors about your practice?
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Andy

I'll admit it. It's a TR300, but it wants to be a Strad when it grows up.

cheiden · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:08 pm Post subject:

When I was younger and my practice consisted mostly of trying to play high and missing I didn't have a lot of fans. This many years later and with a much more sane routine my practice usually only get kind comments.
_________________
"I'm an engineer, which means I think I know a whole bunch of stuff I really don't."
Charles J Heiden/So Cal
Bach Strad 180ML43*/43 Bb/Yamaha 731 Flugel/Benge 1X C/Kanstul 920 Picc/Conn 80A Cornet
Bach 3C rim on 1.5C underpart

chuck in ny · Posted: Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:37 pm Post subject:

Ominous_Pancake · Regular Member Joined: 22 Oct 2014 Posts: 17

If I want to improve stamina and power (NOT RANGE OR CONTROL) I put a cup mute in and play Brandt study number 4 all the way through... but too much mute practice could wreck your chops... every exercise on the trumpet has to be minimal because the embouchure is a tiny set of muscles. They only need a little work for a big result.