In bell practice mute?

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Ek93
Posts: 5
Joined: Nov 24, 2023

by Ek93 »

Looking for a new practice mute for tenor trombone. Ideally it would fit in the bell while in the case. Any suggestions?
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BGuttman
Posts: 7368
Joined: Mar 22, 2018

by BGuttman »

There is no free lunch. Every mute has some problems. You really should refer to this device as a "warm up mute" since extended practice time on it will negatively affect your playing. All of these will reduce the volume of your sound and there is a strong tendency to play loud to compensate. This defeats the purpose of the mute and also makes you tend to play TOO LOUD when the mute is out. Also, many of these mutes tend to distort your sound, particularly at the extremes of your range.

That said, there are a number of these mutes that store in the bell. The one I use is no longer made, but it may not fit your criteria either. It's a Wallace and though it fits fine in my gig bag. it won't work in a hard case.

I'll leave it to others to give their preferences among the various brands.
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harrisonreed
Posts: 6479
Joined: Aug 17, 2018

by harrisonreed »

The best brass "warm up mute" fits the bill but it's really only good for just that: warming up off stage. The blow and intonation are very different from the open horn.
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WilliamLang
Posts: 636
Joined: Nov 22, 2019

by WilliamLang »

I like the Rejano practice mute for tenor personally.

Here's a little video demonstrating some different mutes so you can get some ideas: <YOUTUBE id="5TIQg3OM70g">https://youtu.be/5TIQg3OM70g</YOUTUBE>
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NathanSobieralski
Posts: 226
Joined: Feb 04, 2024

by NathanSobieralski »

[quote="WilliamLang"]I like the Rejano practice mute for tenor personally.

Here's a little video demonstrating some different mutes so you can get some ideas: <YOUTUBE id="5TIQg3OM70g">https://youtu.be/5TIQg3OM70g</YOUTUBE>[/quote]

Slightly off topic, but this is the best demo I've heard yet of the Salt Shaker. I'm not sure what you did with your mic setup but it really captures it. Great job!

For those interested, its about 12:40 in.