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Hi Everyone!

I am getting back into playing the Euphonium after 25 years of hiatus. Sadly, most any memory of playing has left me entirely so I am starting essentially over except that I have continued to play other instruments so I have musicality on my side. It is coming back, but practice is not always pleasant at this point, as if long tones and scales are ever pleasant for listeners. LoL

So, I was looking for an extremely cheap practice mute. I have tried several things, including a smaller nerf football, sweater, etc., but not only do they severely alter the intonation (which I would expect) but they seem to be doing it quite unevenly so it is not even in tune with itself across the range.

Anyone have any thoughts on something that could be put together on a shoestring budget? I am renting the instrument at the moment, and I have plans to purchase a horn from Mack Brass because I think it would give a good bang for the buck. But at this moment I don't want to spend $150 on a Denis Wick or Yamaha Silent Brass mute which both seem to come highly recommended.

I saw this thread - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=16511&p=135501&hili ... te#p135501 - has anyone tried using a 2-liter bottle? I didn't want to resurrect that thread because it is so old, but I will reference it here.

Anything else that works that might be able to be put together for "free" until I decide I need to invest in a "real" mute?

Thanks to one and all.
-Steve

I have tried homemade mute and I do use a gatorade bottle when I have no other available options.

However, you might want to look into a straight mute. It doesn't cost a fortune, cuts enough sound so that the neighbors don't complain, and might come in useful in wind bands. (I like to play with a mute when covering bassoon parts).

http://www.hickeys.com/products/071/sku71052.htm" target="_blank

Thanks, neighbors aren't the biggest problem (I live in a house, but a small house) the problem is the kiddos and wife who are trying to sleep in the room next to the area I have to practice in. I'm not sure if a straight mute would be enough, but it may be the best choice given the constraints.

I had looked over at Woodwind & Brasswind at their Humes & Berg Stonelined Series Euphonium Mutes. I even asked which would be best and they recommended model #464301 907, which doesn't seem as though it would be constrictive enough to be a "practice" mute, it seems as though it would only be a "tonal quality" mute.

I have looked at all the mutes in that "family", but without being able to try one it is hard to say if it would work. I would say, though, that if one of those would work and it would come in at the <$50 price point it would be more suitable than cobbling something together.

I tried this and it worked well and was cheap: I got a cone, the type that is used for flower arranging, and some corks at a craft store, put the corks at the right spots on the cones using pins. It didn't seem to change intonation much. It worked good enough I was able to practice in a hotel room.

I've been using a practice mute made out of a gatorade bottle and a neoprene sleeve salvaged from a beer koozie. With 10 judiciously placed holes (made with a soldering iron), I "tuned" the resistance and intonation discrepancies to workable levels. It's cheap, compact, effective, lightweight, and it doesn't protrude above the rim of the bell, so it can be stored in the bell when my horn's in its case.

You can occasionally find a Yamaha Silent Brass mute for around $50 used.

pgym wrote:I've been using a practice mute made out of a gatorade bottle and a neoprene sleeve salvaged from a beer koozie. With 10 judiciously placed holes (made with a soldering iron), I "tuned" the resistance and intonation discrepancies to workable levels. It's cheap, compact, effective, lightweight, and it doesn't protrude above the rim of the bell, so it can be stored in the bell when my horn's in its case.

Please post a pic.

Yes, please post a pic! I don't care if it is ugly, it would be a huge help. LoL

I did see an online article on eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_6397756_make-eu ... -mute.html but I couldn't visualize it. Also, I don't know what kind or size of "water bottle" they are talking about.

Thanks for the great input!