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The Denis Wick practice mute is about $100 less than the tuba silent brass (Silent Brass is about $350 and the Wick mute about $250)...find one used and you might be able to get it less than $200. Still a hefty price tag, but I figured I would bring it up. I'm sure someone out here has a better idea than I do.

Pillows, plastic jugs, etc. Improvise!

Find a large tupperware plastic bowl. (Smaller in diameter than you bell.)
Remove the cover from the bowl. (If it has one.)
Find a bath towel.
Fold the bath towel length-wise.
Get some duct tape.
Wrap the folded towel around the open edge of the container and duct tape the towel in place.
Place the bowl towel side down on your tuba bell.

Now you have a silent brass mute substitute. The next task is to hold the mute on your bell while playing. The following is one suggestion. Please use your own imagination.

Place a strip of duct tape starting from the edge of the tuba bell over the bowl to the other edge of the bell. Say from 6 o'clock to 12 o'clock.
Place several other stips as needed to hold the bowl in place and press to bowl toward the bell so that the towel can create an air tight seal.
Use clothes pins or another form of clip to hold the ends of the strips of tape in place.

Hi! Be careful if you use duct tape! you may end up with a residue that won't come cleanly off! I would try and score some vinyl "clean room" tape, or good masking tape! Never leave your axe in the sun/heat with tape in place! The solvent required to remove the residue may damage your finish! Good Luck, and practice 'till ya can't play it WRONG! Al.

tubaforce wrote:I would try and score some vinyl "clean room" tape, or good masking tape!

If you have a drama department, buy/borrow/steal some stage tape. As strong as duct tape, but without the terrible mess. It is little more costly, but it is worth every penny.

Charles Atkins

Duct Tape Update:

To avoid residue double tape the strips (sticky side to sticky side) and fasten using clothes pins. (the clippy kind,with springs).

or

Use cloth strips, bungie cords, etc. to hold the mute in place.

BTW, iIt is also important to create a solid seal beteween the mute and the bell.

Let us know how it worked for you.

Put an object such as a paperclip straightened out between the receiver and the mouthpiece shank. This will decrease the volume considerably and do some awesome things for your playing.

Get a cheap, thin, rubber toilet plunger from the dollar store. Throw the handle away. Drill some holes in the rubber plunger, preferably with (approximately) a one-inch diameter hole saw. Stick the plunger into the bell, preferably upside down, but experiment.

Why don't you try buzzing on your mouthpiece. Maybe then the perfect tuba you seek, May start to actually respond. It won't cost you anything.