Mute for pbone tenor Bb trombone?

[originalprankster]

Hi guys,

Apologies to ask this as my first post but I just wondered if anyone here could recommend a mute for the pbone. The pbone is plastic has a small bore so some mutes aren't compatbile I'm told.

I'm a complete newbie to all this sorry. I'd particularly like one that is affordable and has really good noise reduction even if that might severely limit the ability to play. Unfortunately I live in a flat where even what I say can be heard by the flats upstairs and downstairs so if I'm going to have any chance of practicing here I have to get a decent mute I guess.

Alternatively I can head off into some nearby woodland whenever I need to practice.

 

[Tom-King]

Try a local music shop (if possible) and see what they have that'll fit... If regular trombone mutes are too big, perhaps flugel or tenor horn ones would work?

Ideally practice a mix of muted and unmuted anyway

 

[Jack E]

Hi guys, apologies to ask this as my first post but I just wondered if anyone here could recommend a mute for the pbone. The pbone is plastic has a small bore so some mutes aren't compatible I'm told.

No apologies needed, OP - it's a truism that the only daft question is the one that isn't asked!

I'm a complete newbie to all this sorry.

You mean the same as we all were at one time? Yes, I'm taking the mickey a bit, but there's really no need for you to feel sorry about it - we've all been there and done that!

Unfortunately I live in a flat where even what I say can be heard by the flats upstairs and downstairs so if I'm going to have any chance of practicing here I have to get a decent mute I guess.

I have the same problem where I live, and I found what really helped was a type of mute called a practise mute - after a lot of reading up on different brands, the one I got is a Sshhmute; very good, but not cheap, unfortunately. I play regularly with and without it, as I was offered the same advice that Tom King put in his post; you do need to play regularly without a mute, or it will really mess you up, especially on things like dynamics.

Alternatively I can head off into some nearby woodland whenever I need to practice.

Whether this will help or not, I don't know (especially as you play trombone), but one expedient I used was to go out to a quiet back road in my car, and practise playing my baritone horn there. If you have a car, or a van, that might be a possibility - especially if you were to, for example, sit in the near side back seat, and drop the passenger front seat right down, so as to give you the maximum possible room for your slide.

Another possible option would be to knock up a small practise booth using panels of sound insulation that you can get from places like Homebase or B & Q. Another possible is what I use now; I found that my shower room / toilet is placed in such a way that there is no easy path for sound to get from it to the other flats, so I practise un-muted in there.

Hope this helps, and best regards,

Jack

 

[Euphonium Lite]

We found out a few days ago (or rather my son did) that a small plastic bottle of water (once empty) actually makes a decent makeshift practice mute for a tenor horn. I cant remember the brand of water but it was from a multipack that you can get from supermarkets for a couple of quid, with the ridged rings from top down to main body of the bottle. Reason Im posting this is because it actually was quite steady intonation wise and whilst not completely dead did reduce a huge amount of volume. Because it allowed some air to come through the bell via the ridges, I think that kept the intonation aspect in order, and because its fairly squishy plastic, it could be removed easily.

It might be worth trying something similar - although appreciate with a trombone you'll need to devise a way of keeping the mute in place (with the horn gravity does the job).

 

[sop@55]

Oh those were the days, sitting in a car in the passenger seat, with it pushed back, practising Claude Gordon & Charles Collins. This was in a park in South London with regular passing pedestrian traffic! GO FOR IT. tee hee. There is also a true story (from the individuals Brother - with him present) of regularly driving from England to Scotland (i think to conduct) buzzing on a mouthpiece attached to a hosepipe with a funnel on the end resting on the back seat!!!!!

 

[Jack E]

Yes, you do get some very bemused looks . . . . . . but if it enables you to get some practise time in, what the hell!

 

[EdJ]

For practicing Yamaha silent brass are great. You could try trombone or smaller ones to see if they fit

 

[2nd tenor]

To my mind a manufacturer or business seller posting what is effectively an advertisement here on tmp is an abuse of this place. I’d be glad to see such self promoting members booted out and their posts deleted, IMHO they add nothing worth hearing and insult the integrity of tmp.

 

[JimboFB]

There’s loads of variants of practice mute on the market. None are particularly cheap if bought new. I’ve got a Wallace one which is good as conceals in the bell for putting in the case. The Yamaha is excellent too but pricey. My overwhelming observation to these things is the weight. You’ll notice it even more with a pBone. Itl unbalance/tip the instrument over so much I doubt you’ll be able to play for long with it in. I’d suggest popping to a local shop and trying some just to get an idea how much gym work you need to do to get those muscles firing!
good luck and please keep practising somehow somewhere!

 

[pbirch]

I have to ask if a p-bone can make enough sound to warrant a practice mute? if so the water bottle method above is a good option, I would suggest a 750ml bottle - remove the cap and poke a few holes in the base. I first heard this from Roger Webster, so it should work