Alex Yates

How do you know if they are too thick and should be shaved back a bit?

Manny Laureano

Oh... this is too good...

(Manny! Don't you dare!)

But I can barely resist...!

(Go wash your brains out with Granny Clampett's Lye soap!)

Ahem...

...because the pitch is high and shaving the corks will bring the pitch down..

That was way more willpower than I've ever had to use but seeing it was our resident Georgia Peach I behaved.

ML

Alex Yates

MANNY LAUREANO! You report to Mother Superior this minute!

Back to the REAL subject.....ahem

OK. So one would only want to do this if the mute being used changes the pitch dramatically? Won't every mute drive the pitch up a smidge? Should I have been.....ahem.....lessening the cork mass on all of my mutes all of this time so as to eliminate the rising pitch problem? I usually just pull out a little on the tuning slide, but, as we all know, there isn't always time for that. Heck....when there is a quick mute change, your mute could roll out of your bell and onto the floor....say...during a performance....a RECENT performance.....in Minnesota? or something like that.

So, seriously....should I have been doing this to all of my mutes over the years? (boy, I feel like a dumba$$ if that's the case. LOL) This all came about because I have been playing the brass bottom Trumcor on the Shosti Piano Concerto and it works great. The pitch is fine. I just noticed that the corks were very thick and it made me scratch my head a bit. I'll go sit in the corner now.

Jimi Michiel

Alex,
I think it's the new avatar... it looks like you're up to something
-Jimi

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Jimi Michiel

My Tom Crown cup mute came with very thick cork, which made it difficult to get the mute far enough into the bell. I shaved the cork so that the cup fit tighter to the bell.

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Alex Yates

You mean, like a leprechaun, perhaps? Dat be me

Manny Laureano

Well, now that I've gone to see Mother Superior (damn, that hurt) I'll be serious.

Most of my mute safaris have been about finding mutes that don't ned any sanding down to relieve the sharpness of pitch. I've had great success with:

MB
TrumCor
The old style Tom Crown (you know, the straight not curved one?)
And there is a mute that looks like it's made of wound twine made by a company called A/S. Wonderful sound.

The Vacchiano that slipped out of my bell is very in tune but I really had to sand that puppy down. The Monette bells are large so I think it's a little easier for me to find mutes that work without substantial or any sanding. Good... I hate doing that. It's just a nuisance.

Oh, and Alex...? Mother Superior sends her regards.

ML

Martin Williams

I was thinkin elf...

Alex Yates

Yeah, I heard through the grapevine that Mama Sup broke her ruler with your last visit Manny. LOL.

Whew, I can take the dunce cap off slightly then. I have sanded down some, but not all of my mutes....well, because it IS a nuisance. I also have had luck with my old Tom Crowns and MB....and now the TrumCor. I did notice that the Trumcor is a good bit taller than other mutes. That is probably why it is so cooperative in the low register. I was surprised how free it blows down there.

Thanks for the info. (now that will be three Hail Mary's and one time around the Rosary)

Alex Yates

Oooooo....that's even better. Elves are so much cooler than Leprechauns.