Mutes

[Brassdad]

Other than making your output muffeled, what is the purpose of a mute?

Should I look into getting my son one? (3 years experience)

[Tubainsauga]

It changes the tone color (if its a good mute) but a bad one will just muffle the sound.

[quinterbourne]

He's probably only going to need it if any of the wind ensembles or orchestras he plays in do contemporary music. I doubt that any of his music that he comes across at 3 years of experience will have any mutes called for.

However, you might want to invest in a practice mute or Yamaha silent brass if you don't want to be disturbed by his practicing.

[hurricane_harry]

i don't believe in practice mutes, they change the horn too much. buy an industrial pack of ear plugs for you neigbors and loved ones

[Tubainsauga]

I guess I'm an unusual case. I've had call for my mute about 8 times in the last 2 years (last year of highschool and first year of uni) and I know every other tubist in the faculty has used their mute (or a mute at least) at least once.

[Tom Holtz]

Tuba mutes suck.

[averagejoe]

I have never needed a mute, the only one I've used made me sound TERRIBLE. I wouldn't worry about it

[iiipopes]

From all of the points of view I have read and have been corrected on regarding all the various threads on the BBb/CC debate, the only thing left I can definitely draw from all of this is as follows:

If you want to play tuba, regardless of where, what or how often:

1) First, know thyself: physical limitations, physical preferences, including right or left handed, right or left dominant eye, whether you prefer sitting a horn on your lap or on a chair or stand, etc., your relative strengths and weaknesses musically, and the direction you want to go, being ready to work like the devil on it as this instrument, while in the beginning may seem like the easiest one to play, by the time you get into any degree of literature, becomes very difficult very quickly, due to the air required and the inherent inertia of having the largest valves, as well as one of the largest ranges of any band or orchestra instrument;

2) Second, test play as many BBb and CC tubas as you can, regardless of what you may have been told about them or what 1st appearances may make you think about them and regardless of whether it is a BBb or a CC, as your particular physical makeup may make one horn play great while another person may make it sound "less than optimum;"

3) Third, buy the one that a) to others sounds best out front, b) feels the best; c) you like the best and d) fits your budget, regardless of whether or not it is a BBb or a CC;

4) If you're not going to purchase a second tuba, at least become aware from an academic point of view the fingerings necessary for all tubas, as you may never know when you will be out and asked to play and lent a horn you are unfamiliar with, as I was last St. Pat's parade: an extra guy we knew was coming showed up, without a tuba as he used the Shrine's, but the usual one was unavailable and the guy in charge of bringing the tuba brought an Eb. The extra guy only knew BBb fingerings so he had to use my Besson while I used the ancient Martin Eb converted from high pitch because I was the only one who, having played trumpet, knew how to pretend it was treble clef and alter fingerings on the fly accordingly, and deal with its quirky intonation, or relative lack thereof!

5) Find out what rim is best for you, and invest in mouthpieces that have similar or identical rims, while having the range of cup shapes required for different pitches of instruments, including differences of receiver sizes if you're into older British or Eastern European horns, as well as good old American Standards, including sousaphones.

6) Shovel the rest of this $#!+ onto the compost pile where it belongs.

[chevy68chv]

I'm finishing u p my third year as a performance major and have only had a mute called for once, FWIW

[jbeish]

Actually, I've been required to use a mute at least twice a semester. Like others have said, its called for in Pictures as well as Ein Heldenleben although it is rarely played with a mute. I've encountered it a lot in contemporary band lit. Also, I've had (chosen) to use a mute in solo literature as well. The Wilder Suite for Horn, Tuba and piano asks for muted tuba in the 4th movement and the Schmidt Sonata (?) the whole first page is muted if memory serves me. The John Williams Concerto states 'with a mute if desired' but again, I've never heard anyone perform the second movement with the mute. I would recommend investing in a good quality straight mute when your son enters college. Yes, it takes up a lot of space and they are expensive but if his university is like mine, the studio mutes are basically homemade roofing material wrapped like a pylon.

Justin

[Onebaplayer]

in my three years in college I've been called upon 4 times to use a mute I believe. My teacher told me if the director asked for it, to do the following: get so much cork added to the mute that it wouldnt alter the sound at all. That way the director was happy, and I could still play notes below G (most modern composers dont understand that a g below the staff, staccato, pp, will not happen)

[iiipopes]

And, of course, right now there is an H&B on ebay.

[Tom Holtz]

Actually, I've been required to use a mute at least twice a semester. Like others have said, its called for in Pictures as well as Ein Heldenleben although it is rarely played with a mute. I've encountered it a lot in contemporary band lit. Also, I've had (chosen) to use a mute in solo literature as well.

Props to you for using it in the solo rep. The mute only makes a tough piece tougher. As far as the band rep, we see the mute called for often enough. Doesn't mean it gets used, though.

A muted tuba by itself, IMHO, sounds like hell. At the bottom of a muted brass section, though, it can work well and be very effective. Providing, of course, that you have a decent mute similar to those being used by the rest of the brass, and you're playing your part in tune.

When a muted tuba is used to double a bass part in the string bass or low woodwinds, well, that's the kiss of death. It amazes me when a composer has a bass part of whole notes and half notes in the bass clarinet and bassoons, adds the tubas, then marks it one tuba, then decides that's too much, and mutes the tuba. I guess marking the bassoons one dynamic higher makes too much sense.

Maybe I'm not giving our instrument enough credit. If so, somebody post a link to a recording with that kickin' muted tuba sound I'm looking for. One that doesn't sound like a sick dog or a dirty furnace.