gglassmeyer

In our community band, we continually have issues with people dropping mutes. One of the ladies in our group has real trouble keeping a mute in her horn. I finally thought to bring a sheet of sand paper and offer to sand down the corks a bit. She has the standard Humes and Berg cup and straight mutes both of which were never filed or sanded. I got them to fit properly and in tune using her horn. She still ended having one fall out during our concert. She just doesn't jam it in there like the rest of us I guess. I was able to hold her horn with the bell toward the floor and shake it like crazy and the mutes weren't falling out. I guess we'll have to install a net.

In our pre-concert rehearsal the person sitting to my right had her trumpet stand fall out of her bell in the middle of a song. She thought her horn sounded odd. We all had a good laugh about this one and I'm sure we'll remind her of it often.

Jimi Michiel

Just remember proper procedure: no matter whose mute (or trumpet stand) falls, if you pick it up, make a big gesture out of handing it to the person next you.

-Jimi

rowuk

a piece of carpet on the floor works wonders for the challenged. I lick my corks before inserting the mute in the horn (especially the harmon!).

Dale Proctor

That's pretty funny. I do recall seeing one of those stands advertised on eBay as a mute, so maybe she saw it too... I've found that they stick better if you breathe out through your mouth into the bell flare right before you insert the mute (fogging the inside). The condensed moisture in the bell helps the cork's grip.

gglassmeyer

I think she just doesn't have enough strength to get any compression of the cork to hold it in.

I don't lick the corks, but a quick breath into the bell adds some condensed moisture to help with the mutes.

I think I'll go back through our concert recordings and make a mute bloopers track. Though I'm sure it would upset this lady, she's already embarrassed enough. I just wish she'd come up with some solution. Like just not playing on muted passages or holding the mute while playing. She is in her 70's and has had heart bypass surgery so strength may be an issue.
She's an amazing person and I hope to be playing when I'm in my 70's.

Bear

lol, her mute stand?! HAHA. We had a cat sit in on a gig once, dropped his mute... good player, never asked back though.

Solar Bell

I'm with you Robin, I lick 'em.

THAT would be a good poll question!

Do you lick?


-cw-

Pedal C

Well, cats don't have opposable thumbs, so it's extra tough for them.

To answer the poll...No, I do not lick.

The only real problem I have, mute wise, is that they always squeak really loudly when the go in and out. But if the answer is sanding them, and then having them fall out, I'll keep squeaking.

Brekelefuw

I fog the bell unless it is a quick mute change in a big band chart, in which case I will stick it in and give it a bit of a turn (careful not to twist the bell) or hold it depending on the mute.

Bear

Yeah,
I play on a cheapy horn and once I put in a harmon, gave it a little twist to make sure it set... and the whole bell came off in my hands. Seriously. It's funny now, it wasn't then. I'm poor and it was the only beefer I had. $100 later (resoldering, bending bell, etc) it's just as bad as it always was. I'm a lot more careful on putting in mutes though! HA