• FAQ  • Search  • Memberlist  • Usergroups   • Register   • Profile  • Log in to check your private messages  • Log in 

Practice mute


Goto page Previous  1, 2
 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> Other Toys
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
DeweyDavis
Regular Member


Joined: 14 Aug 2021
Posts: 31

PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 4:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I'm undecided still about which practice mute to with. In the meantime I picked up a Denis Wick straight mute for $25. It does a nice job of taking the edge off. I'm sure my neighbors appreciate it.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gregplo
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 08 Jan 2002
Posts: 504
Location: North Carolina

PostPosted: Thu Sep 02, 2021 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

DeweyDavis wrote:
I'm undecided still about which practice mute to with. In the meantime I picked up a Denis Wick straight mute for $25. It does a nice job of taking the edge off. I'm sure my neighbors appreciate it.


The Dennis Wick adjustable Cup Mute is quite good...just close the cup down close to the bell. It is much quieter and less "edgy" than a straight mute. It is also quite free blowing compared to any of the practice mutes I've tried except the Divitt Practice Mute.
_________________
Best Regards,
Greg
Edwards Gen II
P. Mauriat PMT-75 (Ti/Copper)
Conn 61B
Benge 90B
Conn 80B LB
CarolBrass Arturo Sandoval Pocket Trumpet
CarolBrass CFL-620R
Getzen CB 610

Remember...when He returns, the trumpet shall sound....
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message MSN Messenger
Trumpetingbynurture
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 18 Nov 2015
Posts: 898

PostPosted: Fri Sep 03, 2021 1:29 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

mike ansberry wrote:

My problem is that when I go on vacation for a few days or more my chops are wrecked and it takes a while to rebuild them. I am assuming this is caused by some change I am making when I play due to the back pressure of the mute.


A few days? 30 minutes on most practice mutes and the next day everything is out of whack. Can't stand the things.
Yes, I know you're supposed to 'adjust' to the mute, play softly, not fight it, and I would swear I am doing all of these things but nonetheless...

That said, it's usually going to be worse the softer the mute is. Silent brass is pretty darn quiet, and as a result it's really easy to adjust in a negative direction.

One thing that, counterintuitively, can sometimes help is to put in ear plugs while playing on a practice mute. It stops you from listening to the sound in the room, and makes you rely on feel and the vibration inside your head more which sometimes helps.

If I were going away for a holiday and wanted to keep in shape (but wasn't fussed about actually practicing per se, just not losing my chops) there's two things I'd do.

One is a lot of Roll-In lip squeak stuff a la Balanced Embouchure. For whatever reason, this is way better for keeping things 'in shape' for me than normal lip buzzing or mouthpiece buzzing or playing with a mute. I think because it's tiring like lip buzzing and uses the right muscles, but it doesn't stiffen the part of the lips that actually vibrates while playing in the normal range of the instrument (which I find lip buzzing does).

The second thing is to put a pencil between your teeth, close your lips aruond it, and trying not to let the air escape while you push the air with your tongue.

But I'm keen to buy both the UpMute and Divitt mutes to give them a go.

This person has compared a heap of them, so could be worth checking out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjmawbEl-Ew
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
21trumpet
Veteran Member


Joined: 06 Jan 2007
Posts: 307
Location: So. California

PostPosted: Sat Sep 04, 2021 4:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Trumpetingbynurture wrote:
mike ansberry wrote:

My problem is that when I go on vacation for a few days or more my chops are wrecked and it takes a while to rebuild them. I am assuming this is caused by some change I am making when I play due to the back pressure of the mute.


A few days? 30 minutes on most practice mutes and the next day everything is out of whack. Can't stand the things.
Yes, I know you're supposed to 'adjust' to the mute, play softly, not fight it, and I would swear I am doing all of these things but nonetheless...

That said, it's usually going to be worse the softer the mute is. Silent brass is pretty darn quiet, and as a result it's really easy to adjust in a negative direction.

One thing that, counterintuitively, can sometimes help is to put in ear plugs while playing on a practice mute. It stops you from listening to the sound in the room, and makes you rely on feel and the vibration inside your head more which sometimes helps.

If I were going away for a holiday and wanted to keep in shape (but wasn't fussed about actually practicing per se, just not losing my chops) there's two things I'd do.

One is a lot of Roll-In lip squeak stuff a la Balanced Embouchure. For whatever reason, this is way better for keeping things 'in shape' for me than normal lip buzzing or mouthpiece buzzing or playing with a mute. I think because it's tiring like lip buzzing and uses the right muscles, but it doesn't stiffen the part of the lips that actually vibrates while playing in the normal range of the instrument (which I find lip buzzing does).

The second thing is to put a pencil between your teeth, close your lips aruond it, and trying not to let the air escape while you push the air with your tongue.

But I'm keen to buy both the UpMute and Divitt mutes to give them a go.

This person has compared a heap of them, so could be worth checking out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjmawbEl-Ew


I have the upmute and it is the best out of all the practice mutes I own or have owned. It plays free and in tune and the best thing is how low profile it is in the horn. You could store it in the bell with the right case. The Divitt looks interesting but it is just way too big for my liking. BTW, I haven’t tried the Divitt so not knocking it at all.
_________________
Bach Commercial - LT190SL1B
Thane Performance C Trumpet - Raw Brass
Wild Thing Flugelhorn - Copper - Raw
Yamaha YCR2330 Cornet
Yamaha Custom Piccolo
Monette B4S S2 Mouthpiece
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message AIM Address
marathoner
Veteran Member


Joined: 12 Nov 2001
Posts: 204
Location: Tulsa, OK

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2021 9:02 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just received a Divitt practice mute from Austin Custom Brass. GREAT mute !
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
LowerSlower
Regular Member


Joined: 19 Mar 2006
Posts: 31
Location: Petaluma, CA

PostPosted: Tue Sep 07, 2021 11:10 am    Post subject: Practice Mute Reply with quote

Yamaha Silent Brass (YSB). I also bring it on gigs to warm up with.
I used to like the "Whispa-Mute".
I haven't used the electronic capabilities of the YSB in YEARS. I actually recorded with it once. In a bass player's home studio that couldn't have loud anything after 10 pm.
Went direct from the YSB into the board, and it sounded great.
_________________
"Jazz is not dead, it just smells funny"
Frank Zappa, 1974
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
scatanas
Veteran Member


Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 296

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 1:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I literally tried every practice mute that I am aware of. Wife and I lived in an apartment and then, when we moved to a house, we had a baby, so couldn’t disrupt sleep schedules too much.


The big issue with practice mutes is always silence vs back pressure so I always experimented with those two variables. The more you get of one, the more you get of the other.

Up until recently the best (as in the quietest) was the Bremmer Ssshh mute. Back pressure was decent. Also, for $50 it was very affordable. It was the practice mute I used for the last 7 years.

However, a couple months ago I tried the Divitt Practice Mute and was sold. Haven’t played the Bremmer Sssh mute since. It is singlehandedly the best in terms of silence AND minimal back pressure.

The way I would describe the Divitt is 10% louder than the Bremmer but 30% less pressure so I was willing to trade a tiny bit of volume for a much more open feel.
_________________
Martin Bohme Tumultus
Kanstul 1525
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kehaulani
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Posts: 8965
Location: Hawai`i - Texas

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 2:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

scatanas wrote:
, , the Divitt is 10% louder than the Bremmer but 30% less pressure so I was willing to trade a tiny bit of volume for a much more open feel.

Is that the same percentage ratio with the Yamaha and Divitt?
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Getzen Capri Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
ECLtmpt2
Veteran Member


Joined: 21 Feb 2021
Posts: 147

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 3:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

adagiotrumpet wrote:
... and as we all know, trombone players are easily irritated.
I played in a band this summer and during warm-ups one of the 'bone players stood up, turned around, faced the trumpet section, and proceeded to spray his slide, with all the over spray, aimed at the trumpet section. We were cool about it but it's amazing where your bell can point at times Good thing it was a temp. situation.

Back to practice mutes: I still find a Harmon with the stem out works best for me but I don't live in an apartment or travel to hotels anymore. My wife has really been a trooper over the years!!
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
scatanas
Veteran Member


Joined: 03 Oct 2005
Posts: 296

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 6:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

kehaulani wrote:
scatanas wrote:
, , the Divitt is 10% louder than the Bremmer but 30% less pressure so I was willing to trade a tiny bit of volume for a much more open feel.

Is that the same percentage ratio with the Yamaha and Divitt?



I played on the Yamaha Silent Brass for a while too (before the Bremmer Sshh). While some of these things such as back pressure are hard to quantify and give an exact percent to, I honestly feel that when comparing the Divitt with the Yamaha, the Divitt is 8-10% louder but more like 35-40% more open feel.
In order of openness I would rate the 3 as such:

1)Divitt (most open feel, least back pressure)
2)Bremmer (more back pressure than Divitt, but less than Silent Brass)
3)Yamaha Silent brass (most back pressure out of the 3. Still a great practice mute IMO).
_________________
Martin Bohme Tumultus
Kanstul 1525
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
kehaulani
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 23 Mar 2003
Posts: 8965
Location: Hawai`i - Texas

PostPosted: Sat Oct 02, 2021 8:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks, scatanas.
_________________
"If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird

Yamaha 8310Z Bobby Shew trumpet
Benge 3X Trumpet
Getzen Capri Cornet
Adams F-1 Flghn
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
delano
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 18 Jan 2009
Posts: 3118
Location: The Netherlands

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:31 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The best playing mute I know is the DW cup mute:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/denis_wick_dw5531.htm

I use that one quite often, it plays almost like no mute and I use it primarily for not exposing myself to all that noise all the time. It has great sound, great playability, but it is not very silent. BTW, remove the black, protecting ring of plastic that's around the cup, the sound and playability will improve and the risk of harming your bell is zero, that ring makes no sense.

If it had to be silent I used to use the famous Wallace Studio mute, very good, very silent and you can manipulate the sound of it by moving the stem.

https://www.thomannmusic.com/wallace_twc_m17_trpt_practice_studio.htm

But I use the practice mute almost only when traveling so it has to be small, silent and light. So I found a very good and cheap alternative in this one:

https://www.thomannmusic.com/emo_trumpet_wow_wow_mute.htm?sid=d946465fd44100cf61c5eadf19ef1767&ref=intl&shp=eyJjb3VudHJ5IjoidXMiLCJjdXJyZW5jeSI6NywibGFuZ3VhZ2UiOjJ9&reload=1

Very cheap and very silent. Same back pressure as the Wallace.
I got the best sound by reversing the stem, put it in from the backside with the ridge on the stem levelled with the back end of the mute (so it does not stick out in the front). This way it has a nice deep sound, maybe slightly louder than the Wallace which sounds brighter. Low F# is no problem. Great solution, very small (the front is 7 cm diameter), very light (plastic), very silent and very cheap.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Rbmcneil
Regular Member


Joined: 02 Mar 2019
Posts: 14

PostPosted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:25 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I purchased the UpMute after several recommendations and I really enjoy it. I use it mainly for playing long tones at home in the evenings and I use it along with a tuner.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail
Brassnose
Heavyweight Member


Joined: 07 Mar 2016
Posts: 2021
Location: Germany

PostPosted: Tue Dec 28, 2021 8:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Try if you can. I’m on Bremner for trumpet, flugel, and bass trumpet for quite a while now and see absolutely no need to change. Works great, intonation is pretty good and the back pressure (for me) feels much less pronounced than with other mutes.

My office practice mute is a Manny Klein and it works great as well. It is not as quiet and intonation is a little less accurate than with the Bremner. However, it was only 10 bucks off eBay so I figured it would be a no brainer for leaving it in the office with my Blessing beater.

In the past I used a Harmon with the stem out until it got lost or stolen after a gig, then I used an old Emo cup stuffed with foam and the cup fully closed until that one got stolen from the rehearsal room. I also had an old Silent Brass with the large and heavy mute, never liked it and sold it. Finally I had a Wick practice mute as well, but like all things Wick it never worked out for me.

For a bunch of reasons I will need another practice mute and am currently looking at yet another Mannie K or Bremner or possibly a Protec Liberty Compact.
_________________
2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
1992 Bach 43GH/43
1989 Kühnl & Hoyer Model 15 flugel
1980/2023 Custom Blessing Scholastic C 😎
1977 Conn 6B
1951 Buescher 400 Lightweight
AR Resonance, Klier, Curry
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
joshlawrencejazz
Regular Member


Joined: 18 Aug 2013
Posts: 26
Location: Interlochen

PostPosted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 5:18 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have a Faxx practice mute which works pretty well.
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
SMrtn
Veteran Member


Joined: 29 Oct 2014
Posts: 367
Location: Spain

PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:24 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Cup mute.

Shhh mute sucked my will to live
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Cornet2Trumpet
New Member


Joined: 09 Dec 2020
Posts: 9

PostPosted: Sat Jan 08, 2022 8:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

...by far the Rajano mute
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    trumpetherald.com Forum Index -> Other Toys All times are GMT - 8 Hours
Goto page Previous  1, 2
Page 2 of 2

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group