how to play with one guitar that is lead and unplugged?

[colab]

I meet with a church group that plays music for a time during the meetings. A couple months ago we downsized our space from a community center building to someone's living room. I want to play brass, but I'm not the lead and I'm trying to figure out how to make it fit. Lead is an acoustic guitar, and he plays pretty quietly. I haven't mentioned the idea yet because suggesting I play my trumpet next to somebody on the couch or across the coffee table isn't practical. But this isn't the first time I've been in a house church, and learning how to do this would be well worth it for my current circumstances and plenty others I can forsee.

I also play classical guitar, and I could just play some chords, but it wouldn't fill out the sound that well. Besides, there's two other guitarists in the group that could do that if more guitars would help. I think it would just make it harder to hear the vocals and people to hear themselves singing. I had an idea to get a double bass, which would sound awesome as a foundation for the lead guitar, but I'm reluctant to deviate from my development on the horn. The classical guitar is already enough of a diversion. So I've become determined to figure out a way to make brass work in a really intimate environment.

The music is mostly from the CCM charts over the last 10 years: Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Hillsongs, Crowder. We usually just have chord charts, but I can find horn parts for most of the songs. Still, those parts are usually part of an orchestration for a whole band, not just one acoustic that's unplugged. Instead, I was thinking I could play notes right off the chord charts, like a bass guitar would, only with a horn.

The trumpet is well suited to play lead parts, but I thought if I used a bass trumpet to lower it an octave it wouldn't interfere with the guitar as much. But trumpets/trombones tend to cut, so I thought maybe a cornet or flugelhorn, or to lower it as well and go baritone or euphonium.

I searched Youtube for video of brass and guitar duets and found mixed results. Often they would alternate on lead which I'm not interested in. I have other venues I can play lead, solo and so on. But there's tons of opportunities to support acoustic guitar players if I can find a good way to do it. I did get some ideas from the videos. One was to use a mute. I think a cup mute could work. I also thought of using a Yamaha Silent Brass system and little speaker. It seems a bit elaborate, but I think I could get a clear horn sound at a volume that would blend with the acoustic.

I've got another situation where the same lead guitar is playing unplugged for about 20 kids in an Awana club. For that one, the room is much bigger. I can imagine just using a cup or straight mute.

I'm interested to hear from those who have done something like this, about how to play the right kind of parts, and any ideas for equipment to make it work.

[dstdenis]

I've played trumpet with such groups, although not in spaces as small as someone's living room. I think it could work even there, though.

As for blending, definitely use mutes. Cup mute is a good choice, but even that might be too loud, unless you have an adjustable cup mute that you can set real tight, or a standard cup with the corks filed so it's a tight fit. You could also get a Trumcor Lyric mute, which would definitely help you blend in a small setting.

As for what to play, you could play melody on the intro, maybe the first verse, but I think it gets tiresome for the congregation to hear trumpet doubling the melody all the time, or really playing anything all the time over a vocalist. It's much better to take a "call and response" approach where the sung melody is the call and you're playing some kind of response, sort of like a jazz musician would when backing a jazz vocalist, playing simple bits between the vocal phrases. This approach sounds more interesting and gets your part out of the way of the melody, which is primary (and keeps the music director and vocalists happy).

Most liturgical music doesn't have instrumental parts written this way, so it's up to you to come up with something like that on each tune you play. It isn't as hard as it might seem though—just keep it simple. Less is more.
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[jcathey]

I like the idea of cornet or flugelhorn. Easier to take the edge off with those, dial it back for the more intimate space. Use deep/funnel mouthpiece, etc. Mutes change the timbre in a way I don't particularly care for.

[JonathanM]

Just my 2 cents...

I've been involved in home churches in several states and love the trumpet - especially for worship. In a home setting, however, getting the right sound and volume and fit is going to be a major challenge (just my opinion, of course). While I'm not crazy about a trumpet with a mute I don't see how you can avoid it in a home setting. Some mutes, while lowering the volume and drive of the brass sound simply substitute a mute sound - which carries almost as strongly with just a different tone.

I've got a Wallace Studio Practice mute that would probably be one option.

Another option is a bit more high tech... With Yamaha's silent brass mute you could actually connect the headphone (out) to an amplifier at a VERY low volume and achieve almost any tone you want. The actual sound from the mute is almost nothing, the volume (carried via amp) could be as low as you like.

Hope this helps - and let us know how it goes for you. I admire your willingness to take part in a home church setting (frankly, I think it's the New Testament model) and your desire to use your gifts in that setting are equally commendable.
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Jonathan Milam
Trumpets: 18043B, 18043*, 18043 Sterling Silver +, 18037 SterlingSilver+, Benge 4x, Olds: '34 Symphony, '47 Super, '52 Recording
Flugle: Strad 182
Puje: American Belle
Cornet: Olds Recording & Super

[VetPsychWars]

Flugelhorn?

Tom
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1950 Buescher Lightweight 400 Trumpet
1949 Buescher 400 Trumpet
1939 Buescher 400 Cornet
GR65M, GR65 Cor #1

[rockford]

Some thoughts. Learn to improvise in the gaps of the melody ( for ideas early Dixieland is a good place to start). Add some appropriate embellishments and styling when it's your turn to take the lead. For harmony, alto lines or drop voicing can give you some clues as to what can work. Avoid stepping on the vocalist. Flugel, cornet and cup and Harmon mutes. In general, simple is better.
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Bill Siegfried
NY/Mt. Vernon Bach trumpets. Yamaha flugelhorn and piccolo A/Bb, Monette and Hammond mouthpieces. Fender and Peavey Cirrus Bass Guitars. Ampeg and Genz-Benz amps. Embraer 170/175/190.

[Turkle]

I play a Christmas party every year, just a pianist and I, in a living room at a family member's house. I find that a trumpet with cup mute is perfect for living room concerts. The flugel is quite nice as well.

I prefer the Soulo cup mute because it is extremely lightweight, and you can adjust the cup. For a close, intimate living room performance, you can put the cup very close to the bell for a very restrained sound.
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Yamaha 8310Z trumpet
Yamaha 8310Z flugel
Curry 3.

[pinstriper]

Think about a bucket mute. Lowers the volume and takes the cut off the tone without changing it's voice like a straight, cup, or harmon would.

I'm still scratching my head over the livingroom concept, though. With 3 guitars and a trumpet, plus a preacher, is there anyone in the congregation who isn't in the band ?
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[JoseLindE4]

My church met in homes for years. It's a great way to hold a meeting. Anything that cuts the volume and doesn't clear the room will probably be welcome. A bucket or cup mute sounds better to me than an amp and silent brass unless you're looking to have fun with a pedal board. The amp seems like a pain to set up too. Maybe a mute and a felt bag? It's a good excuse to pull the Crown Royal bag in church. I've had decent results playing trumpet in CCM by focusing on countermelodies, playing in the spaces, playing vocal harmonies to the lead line, and a good bit of not playing.

If there's any preaching about Revelations, feel free to scrap the mute and wail away at any moment.

[colab]

I really appreciate all the ideas. I'm going to work on call/response or countermelody idea in practice. I think I understand that if the song plays a G chord, and there's a pause in the vocals, I can try to improvise something using notes from the G major scale -- something like that.

I agree always playing the melody over the vocals doesn't work well, that's why I thought of switching down to background brass. There's also opportunities to alternate leads, repeat a chorus with instruments instead of vocals, but I'm wanting to not be dependent on that only. Sometimes I'm working with a lead player that I haven't really done a lot of coordination with, just because the whole thing is informal.

Thanks for the various tips on mutes. I think different situations call for different ones. That Trumcor Lyric looks just right for the house I'm at, but I can see a bucket working better at the kids' club. I know the guitarist can play louder. Maybe he just needs a little motivation.

I am considering the conical brass to take the edge off the attacks as well, whether coronet, flugel, baritone, or euphonium. In some cases that might be enough even without a mute.

[roynj]

I played trumpet alongside an un-amplified violin, and I found that a cup mute was good for this situation. A bucket takes away too much edge, and a straight mute has too many high overtones. Try using a wick cup mute with its adjustable cup and experiment with it. Also I found that (with violin anyway) I didn't have to take down the volume too much. A single violin player can pump out the volume pretty well, so that the trumpet just has to tone it down perhaps one dynamic level. With a weaker guitar, you may need to play more softly, but you already know that. Good luck!

[JoseLindE4]