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One of the community bands I play in had their Winter Concert tonight, the Pomona Concert Band, here in SoCal. We played a piece that called for mutes for the whole low brass section. Well, we have a larger than normal tuba section right now, so it looked impressive. Seven tubas with seven tuba mutes. The four Euphoniums all had mutes too, along with the trombones.



We had to do some major scrounging around to find enough mutes. A few of us already owned mutes already and we managed to borrow a couple from a local college. But is a very rare sight to see seven muted tubas all in a row... We are a very tuba rich band, there 13 people that perform on tuba in various ensembles that are members of our band, including two of our conductors.

The tuba section was also featured up front at the end of the concert on "Them Basses."

Neat. And all of them different, too. I can't really remember where I needed a mute (Pictures, maybe?) but I had to put the bow on the floor, stand up, grab the mute, put it in, pick up the tuba, and sit down. Reverse to take it out. No fast fast mute changes.

MaryAnn wrote:Neat. And all of them different, too. I can't really remember where I needed a mute (Pictures, maybe?) but I had to put the bow on the floor, stand up, grab the mute, put it in, pick up the tuba, and sit down. Reverse to take it out. No fast fast mute changes.

You need a mute-bearer.
Not someone that strips language-challenged individuals, but something like a page-turner...

I actually saw such: For a quick change in an orchestra, someone was standing behind the tuba player, put it in on cue and promptly removed it when needed. Slick!

scottw wrote:I actually saw such: For a quick change in an orchestra, someone was standing behind the tuba player, put it in on cue and promptly removed it when needed. Slick!

At times, that IS all you can do, thus the suggestion...

I thought a percussionist would take care of the mute duty when they weren’t busy percussioning. Or did the union put the ki-bash on that...

Two Apperson mutes. Impressive!

Dan Schultz wrote:Two Apperson mutes. Impressive!

Actually I am not sure if the two matching mutes in the middle are Apperson mutes or not. Those were borrowed from the college and I only saw them for the first time that evening. I really didn't have time to look at them closely, since I set up the mics to record the concert too. But the mute I am using in my Holton 345 BBb is most definetly an Apperson mute, the one he designed for Arnold Jacobs. I bought it from him shortly before his website went away. The two borrowed mutes didn't appear to be made from the same materials as mine and appeared wider and shorter. The design and style of construction was similar, but they don't have the same shape (taper) as any of the models Ron Apperson displayed in the video I posted below.

Three Valves wrote:I thought a percussionist would take care of the mute duty when they weren’t busy percussioning. Or did the union put the ki-bash on that...

In my case it was always a stagehand... I guess their union doesn’t consider that doubling!

Mark Finley wrote:Were Apperson mutes the same as the mutes that Tennessee Tech used to make and sell? Because that's what they look like to me.

They appear to look very similar, except the one I have also has a redwood insert in the small end with about an 1.5" diameter hole drilled in it. I believe Apperson tuned that hole for the mute. The corks are also quite a bit longer. The two borrowed mutes we used might be from Tennessee Tech, who knows... But Ron Apperson designed his mutes in 1968, before Tennessee Tech started making them.


Using Tuba & Euphonium Mutes by Ron Apperson

https://banddirector.com/brass/mutes-or ... our-bells/ by Ron Apperson published in 2008