| Some of the experienced teachers might have a better "take" on this one. Personally, I find that the mute helps the higher notes "speak" easier (which implies that extended use of a mute may give one a false sense of their playing range). At the same time (and maybe the cause of the above?), the impedence is increased which forces one to use more air pressure. I guess this could be good (more AIR is never a bad thing) or bad (you can get used to using more air than is needed and develop an unfamiliar "feeling" on the horn that you would seldom use in performance).
One thing I do believe and that is that if you are using mutes in performance you DO have to practice at least those parts with them. I like to put the Harmon mute on (stem removed or not) and work through some of Real Books from time to time. |