Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 173 Location: New York, NY
Posted: Mon Dec 29, 2014 11:19 pm Post subject: Silent Hotel Practice w/o Resistance
Looking for alternatives to a practice mute/mutes in general while on the road.
The point is to practice without the resistance of a mute.
What is the best way to practice without disturbing the neighbors? Asking specifically about hotel rooms. Obviously, we look for open conference rooms, basements, etc., but what if the only option is in your room? Use pillows?
Seems like someone should have made a device for this, like a box or soundproof cube.
What do you do?
Thanks in advance,
SJ
Last edited by sjtrumpet on Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:41 am; edited 1 time in total
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9071 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:33 am Post subject:
Rapier232 wrote:
Yamaha Silent Brass.
Yep. And the one by Best Brass (actually, I think, designed by the same guy who did the Silent Brass mutes).
An extra advantage with these is that they are small and fit flush with the bell of your horn, so you can pack the horn with the mute in it if you need the extra space elsewhere.
I have both and I play them in my apartment up to midnight and I've never had a complaint.
caveat - my lower register from about middle G and down tends to play a little sharp and I lip those notes down. _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
"I wouldn't play like Wynton Marsalis even if I could play like Wynton Marsalis." Attributed to Chet
No practical ideas here for going mute-less. Sometimes a stem-less Harmon knocks down volume adequately for hotel room practice, and may cause less resistance than a practice mute.
Joined: 14 Jan 2005 Posts: 7770 Location: Des Moines, IA area
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:03 am Post subject:
I take along the SB and use the electronics, but I've often asked hotel people if there isn't some sort of room somewhere that I could actually practice in. I've played in the basement of the old downtown Chi Hilton several times while at Midwest Conv., had rooms in CO while skiing where I could unwind as well as other locations. Never hurts to ask. The ambiance may not be studio-like but it is an open room.
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 10205 Location: The Land Beyond O'Hare
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:11 am Post subject:
Hotel fitness centers are a good practice alternative because they're often either empty or in use by people wearing headphones. Also, check out airport chapels for a great spot to practice while traveling. _________________ Jim Hatfield
Joined: 25 Apr 2003 Posts: 727 Location: California
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 7:24 am Post subject:
I've had the Yamaha Silent Brass and the Best Brass mutes and Liberty mute (repro of the Best Brass). For me the Best Brass and Liberty mutes are less restrictive than the Silent Brass and are very quiet.
I'd recommend the Liberty mute. Less than half the price of the Best Brass.
Sitting in the back of the rental car in the garage or far corner of the parking lot is effective as well. A portable practice booth! Volume is not a problem.
You know how when you were a kid you made forts out of pillows? I make one of those on the bed or a chair and stick the bell of my trumpet in it. It feels much better than any practice mute and I have both Silent Brass and Best Brass practice mutes.
I used to feel a little sheepish about this solution, but then I saw this:
Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 8921 Location: Orange County, CA
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 8:16 am Post subject:
A silent mute that doesn't produce resistance doesn't exist. Though the Silent Brass I understand has made some good strides. And I only occasionally have seen boxes or balloon type contraptions that you can shroud the horn in.
I agree that finding a basement or utility closet would be a better bet for the time being. _________________ "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
Last edited by cheiden on Tue Dec 30, 2014 10:10 am; edited 1 time in total
1. An open conference or ball room
2. Outside (nearby park?)
3. Rental car
4. Phil Smith Cave TM
5. Practice mute
Numbers 2 and 3 are obviously weather dependent, although I've practiced in a car in the heat of Texas summers. There are very few circumstances in which you should ever settle for number 5.
At one point, I had a small wooden box that I had filled with mattress topper materials. It worked, but didn't seem as flexible as the Phil Smith Cave TM.
"pillow fort practice room" was always my best option. My practice mute travels with me and in the past I have asked to use an empty conference room and was allowed to _________________ www.tsargentmusic.com
Joined: 06 Jun 2010 Posts: 897 Location: East of the Sun & West of the Moon
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 11:46 am Post subject:
I have used basements, out buildings and open fields adjacent to the hotel. Once the Marriot let me use their huge auditorium to practice in. There's almost always a practice solution at hotels. _________________ I rode in on a horse and can't seem to get out of L.A.
Severinsen Destino 3*
1971 Getzen Eterna 900S Severinsen Model
1984 Getzen Eterna 896 Flugelhorn
1951 Olds Special Cornet
Joined: 16 Aug 2011 Posts: 1323 Location: Twixt the Moor and the Sea, UK
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 12:29 pm Post subject:
The latest Yamaha Silent Brass has only a little resistance. Certainly not enough to worry about for a few sessions. Even without the electronics plugged in it works well. More convenient than looking for other spaces or sitting in car parks. _________________ "Nearly as good as I need to be. Not nearly as good as I want to be".
Smith-Watkins Bb
Will Spencer Bb
Eclipse Flugel
Smith Watkins K2 Cornet
JP152 C Trumpet
Besson Bugle
I very much like a Harmon mute sans the stem.
I even practice on it when making noise is not verboten because I like its sound so much.
B/ _________________ Finally Beiderbecke took out a silver cornet. He put it to his lips and blew a phrase. The sound came out like a girl saying yes.. . . . .Eddie Condon/
Joined: 07 Nov 2006 Posts: 7196 Location: Greenfield WI
Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2014 2:38 pm Post subject:
While it's not truly silent, try this and see how you like it.
Find the stem for your Harmon and put it in. Play a few notes and pay attention to the resistance. Pull the stem a little and try again. Stop when it's resonant and the resistance drops.
Won't work for all horn and Harmon combinations, obviously, but it's one way to cut the sound down some without increasing the resistance.
Joined: 28 Oct 2009 Posts: 210 Location: Kilmarnock
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 4:49 am Post subject:
Maybe a couple of Crown Royal Bags inside each other over the bell? This would kill the projection, but would do little to change the resistance.
My son has a Wallace practice mute for his 'bone, it's got a stem inside the mute to adjust the resistance, it plays very well! I've also got a silent brass that I have no alternative but to use (although I hate it!). _________________ Jupiter Music UK and XO Brass endorsing artist.
www.jupitermusic.co.ukwww.xobrass.com www.facebook.com/ewanmains/ www.twitter.com/EwanMains
Joined: 12 Dec 2006 Posts: 8 Location: Kirksville, MO
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 5:50 am Post subject:
I've also had a lot of success with the pillow fort idea. I prop the lid of my suitcase up with pillows and play into that. The suitcase seems to suck up more sound than just pillows alone.
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 7:53 am Post subject: Hotel practice
I've never had a problem just practicing in a hotel room unmuted. I do this during the day, and generally maintain a low volume. Was nervous at first, but I haven't had a complaint yet. Then I use my Best Brass for early/late hours, or if I want to blow a little harder.
Great airport chapel suggestion! _________________ Erik Esvelt
Selmer Paris Sigma
Strad Flugel
Joined: 28 Sep 2004 Posts: 8921 Location: Orange County, CA
Posted: Wed Jan 07, 2015 9:05 am Post subject:
Last post makes a good point. In my youth a larger amount of my practice was high and loud and you really can't get away with that in a hotel room. Nowadays most of my practice is full but not loud and even range exercises are at modest volume. It's been a long time since anyone's has complained. _________________ "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
You know how when you were a kid you made forts out of pillows? I make one of those on the bed or a chair and stick the bell of my trumpet in it. It feels much better than any practice mute and I have both Silent Brass and Best Brass practice mutes.
I used to feel a little sheepish about this solution, but then I saw this:
"I'd like to request 75 pillows, please". _________________ -Glenn Roberts
"Character is the backbone of human culture, and music is the flowering of human character". -Confucious
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