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Aggghh , Tuba mutes in a concert setting ! What joy the thought brings to me .
I find it simply wonderful that contemporary composers for band and wind ensemble will go out of their way to challenge todays players . Not only with difficult and sometimes unreasonable expectations surrounding the performance of the instrument and its amateur musician , but with the simple challenge associated with the logistics of applying equipment .
First and second trumpet , " Straight mutes !!!, third trumpet , cupped !!! " Okay , so trumpet players need an arsenal of different mutes in their pockets- no big deal !!
Hey tubas , " that 8 bar passage calls for mute !! " 8 bars ? Which required, 1- the acquisition of a mute , purchase used it was still a hundred bucks ! The transporation back and forth to rehearsal and the one performance all while juggling a 30 lb. gig bag , through doorways, up staircases in and out of car trunks, across parking lots, in snow , rain etcc..etc..yadda yadda !!!
Upon arrival at the performance venue , it is immediately apparent that , while the concert hall itself is quite large, the stage area is half the size of your rehearsal space. so , you end up sitting sideways , the mute is almost with in reach , and if the stage lights could be raised or lowered, you might not risk going blind during the performance, and with a little bit of luck, your $19 collapsible music stand wont do what it was designed for during the show ( collapse that is ) . So off you go .."wow", you think , as the ensemble begins , " we sound pretty good in here !" Okay, get ready , grab the mute , dont lose count thru the 7/8 , 3/2 , 4/4 , 6/8 passage while you reach for the mute...then it happens , with one dutiful eye on the conductor , as you begin to raise this delicate piece of equipment toward your bell , you strike your partners music stand hard enough to knock it to 70 degrees- PANIC !!! drop the mute, grab the stand- anything , but dont knock over your partners stand...wow !!! that was close , stand rescued !!! Sigh , boom !!!! As my stand goes completely over !!! Thank you Martin Ellerby....I missed the muted section , I missed the rest of the movement, I actually sat out the rest of the piece while I recovered my nerves .
End of the first set- on to intermission . Gathered my music, reset my stand and put myself back together...I also put the mute far off stage....

Brotha I do feel your pain! That almost happened to me in a rehearsal--so to avoid that potential disaster, a section mate volunteered to put my mute in early (he didn't have one so he was laying out during the muted sections)...worked out fine. And don't you love it when people compare your mute to certain sex toys (alot of twisted folk out there!).

JJ

It's rather easy to identify composers/arrangers who have no clue about playing tuba. Isn't it? Ask TexTuba how he and I recently handled a muted section on a San Antonio Wind Symphony concert. We apparently accomplished our goal quite unobtrusively.

I attended NABBA in Raleigh, NC a week or so ago. All the bands (at least the Championship and First division) had to use mutes - tubas and euphoniums. From where I was sitting, it didn't look like the tubas had a lot of room to store/insert their mutes - but they did a good job.

I totally am with you on short muted sections. If there's a short muted section and there's more than one tuba in the group, we'll usually have one or two play the muted section and the rest lay out. The muted guys lay out for a few bars ahead of the "con sordino" so they can take their time getting the contraption in place.

cktuba wrote:a large metal dog-bowl with a handle attached instead

I use a lid from an old cooking pot I no longer have... I use it about as often as I use my 6 or so bass trombone mutes. So, never.

Warning: I am not a pro tuba-ma-phonist, nor do I play one on TV.

I am rarely called to use a mute but in the last two years have had a couple of pieces ask for them. I have simply taken my music folio and held it in place, partially covering the bell. I thought it sounded great. The music director thought it sounded great. AND IT'S FREE!

I got this idea from someone on this board (I believe it was Bloke's suggestion).

Maybe not suitable for all you pros but it sure works great for me.

That said, I would like to find an inexpensive metal mute for more of a tinny, buzzy sound for use with my King 1241 in my Mexican marimba band. Perhaps the Tennessee Tech mute?

I may try the dog bowl, as well.

cktuba wrote:I hate tuba mutes. They are all big, clunky and hard to handle... and 99.9% of them sound like crap.

pgym wrote:

MARVELOUS
I'm a-goin' to Home Depot!

imperialbari wrote:http://www.bundeswehr.de/portal/a/bwde/ ... 82X0NfM1ZM

Very interesting (for military vehicle enthusiasts,) but what exactly does that link have to do with tuba mutes?

TubaRay wrote:It's rather easy to identify composers/arrangers who have no clue about playing tuba. Isn't it? Ask TexTuba how he and I recently handled a muted section on a San Antonio Wind Symphony concert. We apparently accomplished our goal quite unobtrusively.

Please consider who was the original poster:

Hey !!! I resemble that remark !!!!
p.s. Dont cha just love the red bow tie ? Nothing quite says" community band " like a red bow tie !!!

I made my mute out of a plastic dog bowl, 3 pieces of rubber v belt, 6 pop rivets, and a piece of rope for a handle. It worked well the one time I needed one but then I wasn't playing Nelybehl's "Symphonic Movement."

hmmmm, speaking of Nehlybel, now there goes a composer who really understood his players !!! Sitting in front of him on Trittico , some 35 years ago when obviously he was still alive , and I was a mear child ( 17ish, AllState whatever) he stopped the band and began smashing his stand to the ground !! " Tubaaaas !!!! Zat eez not loudt enuff !!!!". Some ridiculous near pedal tone ( keep in mind , we're 3 maybe 4 kids with horns bigger than us ) , so , we hyperventilated and blew the old bastard off of the podium. He stopped the band again, " Tubaas !!! Zat eez nott goodt enuff !!!! "
I have been a non fan of any of his bs tonal crap ever since ...I think this probably belongs in a thread bloke started awhile back about composers and crap....
Is it wrong to speak ill of the dead ???

jamsav wrote:Hey !!! I resemble that remark !!!!
p.s. Dont cha just love the red bow tie ? Nothing quite says" community band " like a red bow tie !!!

To me it says socialdemocrat ex-Bundeskansler now chairman of a Russian gas pipe operation. Shouldn’t he be entitled to roadies and stage hands from the Bundeswehr transportation and engineering units? I mean the Governator has a Kennedy handling his cigar.

K

imperialbari wrote:

jamsav wrote:Hey !!! I resemble that remark !!!!
p.s. Dont cha just love the red bow tie ? Nothing quite says" community band " like a red bow tie !!!

To me it says socialdemocrat ex-Bundeskansler now chairman of a Russian gas pipe operation. Shouldn’t he be entitled to roadies and stage hands from the Bundeswehr transportation and engineering units? I mean the Governator has a Kennedy handling his cigar.

K

Klaus - you are killing me !!! Yes, I should have a roadie !! Someone other than my 9 yr old son to carry all of my crap around. Next band that wants me better assign me a personal assistant or I m skipping the gig !!!

jamsav wrote:Klaus - you are killing me !!!

Sad effect of being deadly serious.

K

PS: You maybe should check whether the bow tie need to be loosened a bit.

personally, I think you've crossed the line, discussing Schwarzeneggers sex life is, as far as I am concerned , way out of bounds....new pic, sans bowtie- I am okay !!