American in Paris Mute

[jkarnes0661]

OK, one more American in Paris question. I just finished a search for this in the forums and didn't really find the answer.

What does everyone use for the felt crown mute? I've been using a Crown Royal bag but I'm not really satisfied with the results. I don't think the felt is thick enought to make a significant difference in the sound, though in the hall it might be more significant than in my house. I also feel like it seals too tight around the bell because the resistance in my horn skyrockets (at least it feels that way).

I'm thinking of getting another bag, placing one inside the other, loosening the stitching on both bags, and making a hole to allow more air to flow through. (I also relish the thought of Crown Royal on the rocks for the next few weeks!)

Just curious about what you all use and what you think of my idea.
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Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[darinkelly]

Find your nearest Salvation Army or Purple Heart or Goodwill thrift shop, and look for a felt fedora. You don't want a hat that's been tanned or stiffened or made from animal pelt (like a cowboy hat, for instance). Felt hats tend to be about 1/8" thick and pretty "squishy".

Next, get yourself a nice sharp utility knife and cut the whole dang brim off, so all you have left is the top of the hat (the "crown"). Last, cut a few 4-inch horizontal slits centered in the crown, starting about an inch or so from an edge, and spaced an inch or so apart.

You can experiment with which of the slits you will place over the bead of your bell, i.e., how much of the bell you will cover. Sometimes leaving the bell partially uncovered will avoid too stuffy a sound. The other slits will help the pitch from changing too much, although if you find that you go too sharp, you might want to either cut a few more slits or even use a hole punch to perforate the bottom of the crown.

This is a sound you can't get from a Crown Royal bag or velvet drape, so definitely go through the hassle... it's worth the payoff.

Good Luck!

DK

[MrClean]

[ProAm]

[jkarnes0661]

Yeah, I'll second that. I can't quite picture how the bell is fitting through these slits.
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Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[Bach 3c]

The "mute" made from a felt hat is called a "Gershwin hat," and there are instructions for making one, along with photos, in The Trumpeter's Handbook, by Roger Sherman. A Gershwin hat should be used for the solos in the second movement of the Concerto in F, and the opening solo in Porgy and Bess Symphonic Synthesis, by Robert Russell Bennett. The "mute with felt crown" called for in American in Paris should be ignored; play the solo open. This is a tradition dating back to the time when Gershwin was still alive. If you listen to some older recordings, you will hear it played open.
Stephen Chenette

[trumpetdon]

Thanks for posting to this list Mr. Chenette.

I played the solo open last time I did it, I am used to hearing it that way on recordings. I had prepared a felt crown and brought it with me to rehearsals. The conductor didn't say anything, and either did I!

Don

[jkarnes0661]

Thank you all for your replies. I must say I'm relieved to hear that the solo should be played without any mute. It makes much more sense to me that way and now I know why when using the mute I could never sound like any of the recordings I've heard. Cheers.
-Jon
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Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[MrClean]

[Nonsense Eliminator]

Even if I could lay my hands on a notarized declaration from George Gershwin himself saying, "Play the solo in American in Paris open!" I would never go to a rehearsal of the piece without some kind of hat/bag/contraption, and I probably wouldn't take a chance playing it open at an audition either. Right or wrong, virtually everybody expects to hear that solo played with some kind of felt-like bell obstruction, and it does say so right on the part. One of my favourite rules for musicians: "Never be the only one who's right."

For what it's worth, I use a felt beret, although I've never tried the fedora approach -- I might have to try that. Mind you, the beret is easier to pack!
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Richard Sandals
NBO

[amuller]

Agreed!! Twofold.

It has been said over and over again, always be prepared with the right tools for the job, and always play the ink. A conductor will ask you to do it open, but shouldn't HAVE to ask you to find your felt crown

And unless you are absolutely sure that you are unfireable, don't argue with the conductor. It never ends well.

Mr. Clean and NonsenseEliminator, have you ever used the crown royal bag, or do you feel it is too thin to make the porper effect?


A

[MrClean]

[trumpetmike]

I have heard of the pauper effect - that is common to many musicians


As for the solo - I have used a mute bag before now (thanks Trumcor ) and the conductor really liked it.

Not sure I have ever heard it open, but it is certainly an interesting piece of historical information - thanks Mr Chenette.

[amuller]

The "porper effect" is when a conductor looks at you, smiles and then never says anything critical about your playing ever again. In fact, he/she begins to follow you.



Thanks for the typo catch!! Mr. Clean really is the man....

[TrumpetJoel]

I used a Crown Royal bag with fantastic results. Here's the rub---there are different kinds, sizes, and thicknesses of CR bags! Luckily, my good friend Todd (disclaimer: NOT an alcoholic) had about 5 different bags for me to try out. I settled on one of the larger ones. The smaller ones were thinner, and yes, barely fit over the bell---ending up looking rather like, if you'll excuse the comparison, a purple felt prophylactic with a reservoir tip attached to the end of the horn. The larger one I settled on was in my opinion just the right thickness, did not completely shut off the air circulation around the bell, and helped give me what I perceive as the optimum tone for this solo.

Having said that, there are MANY ideas of the optimum tone that I've heard---it all depends on what picture you decide to paint! I've heard many ideas about how to play the solo---anything from trying to take the audience's clothes off, to performing a striptease, to conveying longing, to stumbling drunkenly across the Paris cobblestones in the wee morning hours, to just a proclamation of how much the American in Paris loves the city itself! Decide what picture to paint, then decide on your sound concept, then use any method found in this thread or elsewhere to come up with the best way to do it. It's absolutely one of my favorite solos, and as with many solos, there's probably about a hundred right ways to play it.

Joel
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Principal Trumpet, United States Coast Guard Band
Co-President/Supreme Chancellor of Lubrication, Monster Oil LLC
www.monsteroil.net

[jkarnes0661]

I certainly wouldn't dream of showing up for the rehearsal without a few options on hand. I'll be asking the conductor what he would like to see and if he wants to hear a few options before making a decision.

I have the smaller thinner bag (and the prophalactic metaphor is pretty spot on ) so I think I may try my double bag idea as well as looking up something a little heaftier. Rehearsal is Tuesday night so I've got a few hours left.
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Jonathan Karnes
Grand Rapids, MI
jonathankarnes.com

[Don Herman rev2]

I have an Altman mute bag I use for these sorts of things. Thicker than the old Crown Royal, not as dense as my head, err, "hat", and has a drawstring so it doesn't fall off the horn.

The main effect is to take the edge off the sound -- it doesn't deaden all that much, and the difference (to me) is mostly in the hall, not from behind the bell. A little less bright, a little more diffuse, to the audience.

fwiwfm - Don
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"After silence, that which best expresses the inexpressible, is music" - Aldous Huxley

[ProAm]

Is this a good example of the felt crown mute? Seems like the slits are more like holes, but that could just be an illusion. I can see the side slit for hanging it on the bell.

[duaneking]

I heard the NY Phil play this last night on TV. It was from the N. Korea Tour. When the solo started it sounded open, but different. The camera was not on Mr. Smith at the time, but when it panned to him he had a bag on the bell (large, gold and untied). I'm not sure what type of bag it was though. To me, it was exactly what it should sound like. Go figure...

-Duane King

[s11141827]