Tuba Mutes

[Allen]

For the first time (and I think the last time), I am playing a piece that calls for muted tubas. I don't own a mute, but was able to borrow one from a gracious band director.

I note the following when using the mute: It makes the tuba sound like s**t (I suppose that's the desired effect), and it wrecks intonation. Although the tuba is generally made sharp by the mute, the amount of sharpness varies throughout the range, so a main tuning slide pull by itself isn't enough to bring it into tune.

I'm coping with the intonation problems with slide pulls and alternate fingerings (e.g. bottom of the staff G instead of being open is 35). The dreadful sound I'm doing nothing about, as it appears that's what the composer wants. Further, I'm trying to be a good sport about all this, sharing my complaints with TubeNet, but not my wind ensemble colleagues.

My questions are, how this dreadful innovation of muted tubas get started? The tuba has such a great sound by itself; why wreck it? How is it that tubists are so spineless to allow their instruments and traditions to be defiled in this manner?

I guess you now know my feelings about tuba mutes. Am I overlooking something wonderful about mutes? How do other tubists feel about them?

Cheers,
Allen
who is willing to try almost anything -- once

[Leland]

I like it, honestly. I only hope that most conductors understand that mutes aren't for quieting the sound, but for changing the color. Straight mutes for a more buzzy sound, cup mutes for a nasally metallic sound, bucket mutes for a wet velvety texture, etc. The trick is that the player should play much louder so that they could be heard by the audience -- a mute still mutes, of course.

Depending on the mute design, you could modify it to improve its intonation, too. I added a cardboard ring to the point of an aluminum Humes & Berg straight mute and didn't have to move the tuning slide while using it.

[Tom Holtz]

I like it, honestly. I only hope that most conductors understand that mutes aren't for quieting the sound, but for changing the color.

Not only do many conductors not get this salient fact, some composers haven't figured this out, either. Nothing blows up a dark woodwind timbre like a muted tuba. "Who's making daquiris back there?!? Oh, it's Allen. What the hell is that in your horn?"

[Leland]

I typed "conductors", didn't I? I should've said "composers" to begin with (but yes, I don't think that all conductors understand them, either).

[Allen]

... Oh, it's Allen. What the hell is that in your horn?"

I've been telling people it's a sump pump.

[Leland]

As I think about it, a tubist hasn't really appreciated the value of a mute until they've hung a two-foot-wide H&B bucket onto the bell of a big recording tuba. Man, what a tasty sound...

[Lee Jacobs]

I also can't stand the sound of most tuba mutes. That's why I bought one of these: http://www.ionbalu.com/

It's the wood that makes it good.

[windshieldbug]

I spoke to one composer who, it turns out, used it purely for the visual effect, when I asked about it.

I used a "tunable" mute (both in timbre and tonality effect), but in later years just started using the plunger from a trombone straight/harmon combination. I could direct the normal sound anywhere I wanted, and if the conductor looked back, they'd see me holding a shiney thing over my tuba, so no worries!

[Toobist]

I second the Balu mute recommendation. Gorgeous sound and gorgeous mute. I haven't found the tuning to be much of an issue on mine at all.

[kegmcnabb]

As I think about it, a tubist hasn't really appreciated the value of a mute until they've hung a two-foot-wide H&B bucket onto the bell of a big recording tuba. Man, what a tasty sound...

Was (is) this made special for recording bell tubas.

[Leland]

As I think about it, a tubist hasn't really appreciated the value of a mute until they've hung a two-foot-wide H&B bucket onto the bell of a big recording tuba. Man, what a tasty sound...

Was (is) this made special for recording bell tubas.

This particular model, yes. While bucket mutes for trombone & trumpet have three or four spring clips that grip the bell, this one had two extended hooks that went over the top of the tuba bell and a straight post that suspended the mute away from the lower half of the bell. When installed, the mute body was roughly centered over the throat of the bell with about a four- or five-inch gap between the mute edge and the bell flare.

This was back in college -- one of the trombone players found it in the storage room of his old high school's band area and brought it in. We pulled the big ol' Conn recording bass off of its shelf and tried the mute on it. It was a sweet, buttery sound, smooth like a string bass but with the body of a tuba.

It's listed at Humes & Berg's website (no pics, though) as a Velvet-Tone mute for Bass Horn or Sousaphone (depending on its size) :
http://www.humes-berg.com/viewItems.asp?line=25&page=2

[Leland]

Man, that's a shame about H&B. When I was just starting out (and on trombone), the first mute advice came from my junior high band director, who said to go with Humes & Berg whenever possible and ignore anything else. He said that other mute makers didn't treat the paper well enough and their mutes would fall apart from condensation.

[Tom Holtz]

I spoke to one composer who, it turns out, used it purely for the visual effect, when I asked about it.

You should have asked him, "So how does this look?" and then beat his *** bloody with the mute. Stupid s.o.b. probably got tenured at some college with that crap.

[LoyalTubist]

One of the best mutes I ever used was a pizza box. You tape it shut, so it doesn't come open and use it the same way as a plunger mute. A good mute and a good meal... WHAT A DEAL!!!

I used to use this for Christmas shows and I was playing bass bone parts on the tuba that required a plunger part... it blended with the bones quite nicely!