How do?

Looking into getting some sort of practice mute, and a bit overwhelmed by all the options! I don’t even know what I’m looking for exactly, but a few questions come to mind that I would appreciate some input for if you have a minute:

1) I see that some practice mutes fit wholly inside a bell. Are there any particular drawbacks/benefits to these beyond convenience/space-saving?

2) Does regular practice-mute-practice have any benefit to one’s playing? Eg tone production, intonation, articulation? When I was younger I was obsessed with the idea of putting as much resistance as I could into the bell (so stuffing a tea towel in the cup of my Denis Wick cup mute…), but I’m less convinced now!

3) Yamaha Silent Brass - how dos that work *exactly? I tried one once at a show ~20 years ago and was blown away at how accurate it sounded, but apart from not bothering your family at the weekends, is there any benefit to it? Do the headphones interfere with bass trombone valves at all?

4) I’m based in Ireland so limited to European sellers, mostly Thoman and Gear4Music. Of the options on those sites, what’s good and what should be avoided?

Thank you! Apologies if this has been answered before

I use a Denis Wick practice mute, in both my Bach tenor and Shilling Bass trombone, yes, it fits into the bell of both. I have had it for many years and my wife says it is very effective as a sound reducer.

I do fid that the mute does increase the amount of air I need to use to make a note. I use a clip on tuner to check that my notes are correct, since the sound is muffled. The extra weight in the bell can be a problem, at my age the weight is sometimes a problem.

I have never used one of the electronic mutes that allegedly reproduces the correct pitch, but a fellow band member has one for her trumpet and swears by it. The price is just out of my price range.

A nod here for the Yamaha Silent Brass system. The only other practice mute I've used is the Humes&Berg practice mute - Yamaha is worlds better!

I live in a townhouse and full-throated practice, especially early and late in the day, would likely disrupt my neighbors. The Yamaha blows with very little added resistance, can be used with or without headphones/electronics, and can be carried in your bell in most gig bags/cases (for polite warmup at rehearsals, concerts, and gigs).

I use it with in-ear phones (Shure); it does not tangle with any valves. The room-ambiance effects are simple but effective.

I can't report any downsides except maybe price.

Rejano practice mutes are the rage these days. Lightweight, quiet, in tune and compact. The new ones (Generation 2) are made of a slightly pliable material (the mutes are 3D printed), and that makes them more durable in case you drop it.

Jim Scott

Not really designed to be a practice mute, but my Salt Shaker mute can be configured tight to the bell and with the felts arranged certain ways can really dampen the sound. I have a couple orchestral customers who use it this way on stage before a concert. It cuts out a lot of the noise while still allowing you to play without distorting intonation etc. Plus, the mute is great for its intended purpose also! It would not be as quiet as a dedicated practice mute, but thought I could throw it out there as an option to consider.

[url]https://s-mute.com/products/trombone-salt-shaker

Ono mutes are a relatively new mute being produced by a friend of mine in the Netherlands.

He offers a variety of materials and options, and seeing as you are in Ireland they may be of interest. I have one and it's better than any other practice mute I have or have tried, and I have used Silent Brass, Best Brass, Okura.

https://onomutes.com/

[quote="NuhJuhKuh"]1) I see that some practice mutes fit wholly inside a bell. Are there any particular drawbacks/benefits to these beyond convenience/space-saving?[/quote]

If you use a trombone stand that fits inside the bell, then the practice mute can't also be used that way at the same time. For me, the Silent Brass is the best sounding/functioning mute, so I transport it in the bell, and use a different stand.

[quote="NuhJuhKuh"]2) Does regular practice-mute-practice have any benefit to one’s playing? Eg tone production, intonation, articulation? When I was younger I was obsessed with the idea of putting as much resistance as I could into the bell (so stuffing a tea towel in the cup of my Denis Wick cup mute…), but I’m less convinced now![/quote]

I think it has a bad effect on your ability to play soft, just because you get used to playing with so much back pressure.

[quote="NuhJuhKuh"]3) Yamaha Silent Brass - how dos that work *exactly? I tried one once at a show ~20 years ago and was blown away at how accurate it sounded, but apart from not bothering your family at the weekends, is there any benefit to it? Do the headphones interfere with bass trombone valves at all?[/quote]

I like the in-bell Silent Brass because it sounds best, travels in the bell, and they sell an adapter now so you can use the in-bell with your bass. Yes, you have to manage the wires around the valves, but that's not a big problem.

[quote="NuhJuhKuh"]1) I see that some practice mutes fit wholly inside a bell. Are there any particular drawbacks/benefits to these beyond convenience/space-saving?[/quote]

In my mind, the biggest advantage of an in-bell mute is that its shortness means it feels lighter. The further the mute gets from your left hand, the longer the lever becomes, and the heavier it feels. The older style Silent Brass was unacceptable to me because it was too heavy (and very long). I've not tried the new style. I'm tired of buying practice mutes, so I'll just stick with Best Brass.

For tenor trombone, I still maintain that the Pampet is the best. Fits in the bell, plays among the best out of all the fancy practice mutes I've tried, and costs a tiny fraction of the rest. No reason to mess with anything else unless you have money to burn, in my opinion.

For bass trombone it's trickier as there is no bass Pampet. I haven't tried my French horn Pampet in my bass but I doubt it would work well. I have a French horn gen 2 Silent Brass that I use for bass trombone (in addition to horn). Would be nice to grab a Rejano though. For in-bell duties I just carry a cheap Protec Liberty, which is not great but still better than some (I prefer it to the Best Brass), and works well enough for warming up on a gig.

The Silent Brass is the best blowing practice mute I've tried, though I haven't tried all of them. It also fits flush inside the bell so you can carry it inside the horn when it's cased - unless the bell is really, really small, the mute does protrude a tiny bit past the end of the bell on something like a 2B.

I thought I would use the electronic unit a lot more than I do, it's a little uncanny hearing the "brass" sound in your headphones, like it's soooooo close what what you'd actually sound like, but just not quite there - kind of the sonic equivalent of a Madame Tussauds sculpture. It's both too close to real and not close enough to real. I found myself not using it, YMMV.

The big downside of the Yamaha mute is that it's pretty heavy. No big deal if you're shoving it into a well balanced F-attachment horn, but on a straight horn it's a pain.

+1 for the Rejano mutes, Gen. I. I haven’t tried Gen 2, but word on the street is they’re even better. I haven’t tried the Pampet for tenor, either. :(

I recently borrowed a friend’s Ben’s Practice Mute, made by the son (son-in-law?) of Ben Van Dyk. As superior as the Rejano Gen I is to the Wick (or the Best Brass or several others), Ben’s Practice Mute is that far above the Rejano.

Unfortunately, for those of us in the States, it’s now prohibitively expensive to buy. I’ll wait a little while…