TubeNet

Yes I know. Quiet and sousaphone shouldn't be in the same sentence but seriously I live in a condo. My daughter says she can hear me in the parking lot quite a distance away. Im actually quite proud! Is there anyway to quiet it down a little? I'm not just blasting away. Even playing softly is loud. I tried a mute on my trombone a while back. It was quiet but that really sucked. Would a pillow and a blanket help? I'm debating rigging somthing up now.

I'm guessing this is going to be very difficult to do without affecting the pitch. The trombone mute sucked? This is going to be a lot worse, but at least we want the pitch to be somewhere in the same ballpark so your practice will be effective. I don't really have an idea, but just a somewhat off-the-wall suggestion as a sort of conversation starter ... I'm assuming you'll have to make it yourself, and it might be easiest to start by making your own bell, a replacement that fits in the same collar. Made of cardboard and duct tape or something, whatever's easiest, and the simplest shape - straight up, a cone more or less matching the taper at the body. Doesn't have to be perfectly round. From there it will be easier to make up something to stuff inside, and the whole thing may balance better.

Try playing a little more flat.

Encase the Sousaphone in a zipped-up sleeping bag. Cut one hole for the leadpipe/mouthpiece, and one hole for you to reach your hand in to actuate the valves. Scour eBay for Sousaphone mutes. They do exist.

Maybe this:

http://www.humesandberg.com/product_lis ... =1&scid=47

Their regular mute looks like this:


I'm guessing the practice mute would be similar. Maybe email them or give them a call.
Pete

Those mutes look a lot like the one I have for trombone. Theyre quiet but they create lots of back pressure so the amount of air you use is much different than without the mute... I stuck a small blanket in the bell today. It was way out of tune. Then I hung the blanket over the bell. The lady downstairs put her music on loud. I guess that didn't work. I was thinking there might be somthing people did that I was unaware of. I figured I'd give the neighbors a little break on the weekend from the racket but maybe not. I practiced without the bell one time but that seemed out of tune too. It did seem more quiet.

Hi reducing the sound from a sousaphone for practice purposes has come up once before on the forum.
Suggestions that time all revolved around stuffing something into the bell or throat to muffle the sound.
Items suggested ranged from towels to inflatable beach balls to foam rubber balls.
All will reduce the sound and will allow you to practice at home without disturbing others but they will change the response of the horn and the intonation.

Another approach would be to see if there a basement or facilities/plant room in your condo that you could use for practice.

Other members have found local church halls open to allowing musicians to practice.

There are also Bb alternatives to a sousaphone that would react better to a practice mute available.

But if your aim is to practice on sousaphone without changing its response then an alternative practice enviroment maybe your only answer.

It's not really a critical issue. It would just be nice. I do have a person that has complained but I'm practicing in the afternoons during the week. I've been told that that's perfectly ok. I like the idea of a smaller BBb Tuba to practice on. It might be a little quieter and would be easier to throw in the car. I've also practiced my trombone in the car or on the side of the road somewhere.

The Yamaha Silent Brass Tuba mute works great with sousaphones and recording bell tubas.