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I was reading a story in a music magazine from the early sixties that a tuba player in a major U.S. orchestra used his wife's underwear that he had just purchased in a package as a mute when he forgot to bring his mute to rehearsal. When he brought his real mute to the next rehearsal, the conductor insisted that he use the mute from the previous day. Is this story true or just apocryphal? Who was the tuba player?

Jayne Mansfield married a tuba player??

Iliotuba wrote:his wife's underwear that he had just purchased in a package as a mute when he forgot to bring his mute to rehearsal.

Come on, man! A tuba player buying his wife underwear!?

A man in the early 60s took possession of underwear he bought for his wife? That would be very surprising. Could happen, I guess...

Maybe they were not for his wife?!

uuhh Aint touching this one

This raises a legitimate question though.... In the absence of a proper mute, for amateur purposes, has anyone stuffed a big rag, towel, etc down there to accomplish what in effect would be a "ghetto" mute? In all seriousness, would one density of fabric (e.g. lace.... LOL) work better than another?

Tampaworth wrote:This raises a legitimate question though.... In the absence of a proper mute, for amateur purposes, has anyone stuffed a big rag, towel, etc down there to accomplish what in effect would be a "ghetto" mute? In all seriousness, would one density of fabric (e.g. lace.... LOL) work better than another?

I prefer crinolines.

I buy them FOR MY WIFE all the time!!

Yes. Lacking a mute for the british baritone I was playing, I stuffed a towel in the bell. It did not work no matter what I did. Laying it over the top was "somewhat" useful, but unless you manage to keep the resonant bugle length the same (mutes stick out for a reason,) your intonation is going to go wacky. But. hey, why don't you just try it yourself?

bloke wrote:This is probably roughly the equivalent of trumpet players putting a Crown Royal bag over their bells.

Crown Royal bags are only for trumpet stands to cover the tube end-cap you lost.
"Back In The Day... "

That guy could play his pants off AND give you the shirt off his back!!

bloke wrote:

That's why I did NOT purchase that instrument or any others (even though I'd love to own one of those Alex instr's) when he sold all his horns several years ago.

I would have purchased the horn.

I would NOT have purchased that chair!!

Tampaworth wrote:This raises a legitimate question though.... In the absence of a proper mute, for amateur purposes, has anyone stuffed a big rag, towel, etc down there to accomplish what in effect would be a "ghetto" mute? In all seriousness, would one density of fabric (e.g. lace.... LOL) work better than another?

I have used a black hand towel draped over the bell with enough hanging over the rim it was both easy to grab to remove and so that the towel did not slip down into the bell.

Michael Bush wrote:A man in the early 60s took possession of underwear he bought for his wife? That would be very surprising. Could happen, I guess...

Yeah, I guess J. Edgar Hoover didn't buy that underwear for his wife.

Tampaworth wrote:In the absence of a proper mute, for amateur purposes...

Play softer and with a bad tone.

Tampaworth wrote:This raises a legitimate question though.... In the absence of a proper mute, for amateur purposes, has anyone stuffed a big rag, towel, etc down there to accomplish what in effect would be a "ghetto" mute? In all seriousness, would one density of fabric (e.g. lace.... LOL) work better than another?

My "ghetto mute" is just playing with the 4th valve down and using whatever fingerings I can with 3 valves. I usually use this trick in the principal trombone chair though, so I imagine this could be trickier playing below the staff on a tuba.

Seriously, if you're that strapped for cash, make a crappy mute. I've made several practice mutes for trombone and trumpet for less than 50 cents a piece, out of tea bottles, water bottles, etc. How hard would it be to find a friend who has firewood, steal one of his logs of sufficient size, and DIY a halfway-decent straight mute. All you need is a table saw, some sandpaper, and some replacement corks from a mute manufacturer.

Actually, now that I said it, I might try some time. I have no use for an actual tuba mute, but it would be a fun little project given the right materials.

Some interesting ideas.... and some funny ones! Thanks to all

I wonder if one of those orange parking cones would work?

doublebuzzing wrote:I wonder if one of those orange parking cones would work?

Kentucky Fried Chicken buckets are easier to handle and the grease actually enhances the sound.