trumpetpat

Hi Ed, I was just curious, how do you feel about using practice mutes. specifically the yamaha silent brass. i have used it in my apartment for a little while but i am just not convinced. what are your thought?

ecarroll

TP,

Hello from sunny Los Angeles.

I prefer real sound, even if muted, over earphones. A tight cup mute stuffed into a hotel pillow has saved me on many occasions. So has practicing outside in rest-stops along Interstate highways. Otto Sautter (German piccolo trumpet specialist) is famous for late night practice in his car. . . NO chance of ever finding me doing that!

Best,
EC

trumpetpat

thanks eric, why would Otto practice in his car? people didn't want to listen to him??

trumpetmike

You must remember - not everyone loves the sound of piccolo trumpet, even with Mr Sautter playing it - fools.

Nice to know that I am not alone in having done this

K.Buck

I’ve had a silent brass system since Christmas of this year. It works well for those times when you can only practice at 10 o’clock at night. The sound quality is not perfect, and I’ve heard that if you play w/ it exclusively, you will start playing with a smaller sound. In summary, it’s good to get you out of tight spots (travel/late nights), but real sound is far superior. I'm not sure about that car practicing thing…
-Hope This Helped

Alex Yates

I had a silent brass years ago and it just didn't cut it for me. When I HAVE to use a practice mute, the Bremner Shhhhhhhh mutes work well. Also, the mute part of the "Peacemaker" isn't bad, but I didn't use the stethoscope ear plugs. Ouch! I used the mute part for years until it fell into a pond in NYCs Central Park. I was practicing outside on a rock and it fell out, tumbled down the long embankment and *PLOP* into a group of ducks. I managed to fish it out of the water, but it was toast. I just keep it as a conversation piece now. LOL.

Seriously, I highly recommend the Bremner for such conditions.

cornetguy

i use silent brass or the stealth mutes from trom-cor, try to avoid using them, but do work in a pinch when have to practice early in the morning or late night.

londonhusker

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Tootsall

I've used a harmon "stem out" and a sweater draped over it. A bit bell-heavy though... makes you appreciate the guys who play Monettes!


(OK, OK... me bad. It's raining, I have an appointment in an hour and don't go to work until after the appointment so I'm bored!)



((sssurreee.... blame it on someone else))

rowuk

Hi All,
I use a silent brass sometimes - but not with the original amplifier - it has a compressor built in that makes the difference between loud and soft very small - thereby killing anything dynamic (but saving your ears from being hammered to death). The mute itself lets me play reasonably in tune and the resistance is fairly consistent on all of the "maintenance" etudes, slurs and intervals that I play.
Robin