Monthly Archives: November 2016

Practice Mutes

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Choosing the right practice mute can be a tricky decision. Weighing up characteristics such as volume, resistance, sound and of course price, with so many mutes currently available is a minefield. I have done some side-by-side testing on 6 different models here. Practicing or warming up with a practice mute is always going to have a large element of compromise, and is not generally recommended as part of a long-term practice plan. However, most people in the real world find that they need to use one either occasionally or regularly – it is about deciding what you are going to compromise on!

Over the years, the Denis Wick practice mutes have been the most popular, offering great value for money, decent intonation and a high level of resistance, perfect for opening out the throat especially in the low register. There is a tendency for most practice mutes to blow sharp in the low register, and this one is not too bad. Response is a bit sluggish, but this is to be expected from such a high level of resistance.

VERDICT: Good value basic practice mute *** (out of 5)

The UK best-seller over the past 10 years has been the Don Maslet mute. It is a really good all-rounder providing an even response across the range and options to change the level of resistance and volume. I found this to be comfortable for practice however it does not get quite as quiet as some of the others on the market, so not really one for an on-stage discreet warm-up! You pay more for this model, but what you lose in your pocket, you gain in all-round usability! Not reviewed here, but very similar to the Don Maslet mute in style and price is the Wallace Collection practice mute.

VERDICT: Good all-rounder  ****

Relatively new to the UK market are the Bremner sshh Mutes. They are incredibly lightweight and pretty much dentproof with their moulded plastic design. They give good intonation, medium resistance and are great for a pre-gig warm up. They priced about the same as the Don Maslet.

VERDICT: Durable, responsive and good value  ****

Yamaha’s Silent Brass system has been around for over 20 years and has had numerous improvements and additions over the years. The mute itself is compact and can be stored easily in the bell. The high quality pickup, amp and effects give as close to a ‘natural’ sound as is possible. They are also great for playing along with CDs, mp3 players, iPods etc. I have spoken to people who love this and use the full system a lot. I have spoken to even more people who have bought the full system and only ever use the mute! The mute itself is OK, intonation is fine and it is certainly quiet. Perhaps a bit too resistant for my taste, and definitely too pricey for my budget!

VERDICT: Packed with features and great tech, a bit expensive though  ***

The Vincent Bach 1857 Practice Mute is just horrible. It is inexpensive and compact, but I am struggling to find anything else positive to say! It is extremely resistant without being quiet enough, and intonation is a huge battle. If you are looking at the lower price range, then I would recommend the Denis Wick over this in every respect.

VERDICT: Erm, possibly consider not practising rather than use this! *

The ‘Warm-Up’ from Best Brass looks great. It is really compact and quiet too. The response and intonation were not quite as good on this model as some of the others; however it is excellent value for money and will find a place in many players’ cases for a quick pre-gig warm up.
VERDICT: Very portable and convenient for gigs  ****

I have come across many others over the years including mutes from Jo-Ral, Wallace Collection, Humes & Berg, Tom Crown and the eBrass (from Best Brass). I did not have these available to me for a side-by-side testing but your comments on any of these or the ones that I have reviewed above are welcomed!

Links:

https://www.deniswick.com/

http://www.masletmutes.com/

http://sshhmute.co.nz/

http://uk.yamaha.com/en/products/musical-instruments/winds/silentbrass/

https://www.bachbrass.com/bach/

http://www.bestbrass.com/
 

Never Mind the Day Job

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For 12 years after graduating from music college, I considered myself to be a professional trumpet player – in that my primary income came from playing the trumpet. Like many other musicians I also pursued other avenues on the side, such as teaching, arranging, etc. There are a multitude of fabulous musicians who manage to keep incredible practice and performance levels up even though they have numerous balls to keep in the air. This requires a huge level of commitment and focus, and is not the subject that I am going to address here!

This is about players who are either coming back to the trumpet after a period of time away, or manage to continue playing to a high level even though they are gainfully employed full-time doing something completely different.

Having made a career change 5 years ago and taken a ‘proper job’, I continued to try to rely on what I thought I knew about practising to get me through the occasional engagement that I would take on. Practising became physically painful (both to me and anyone unfortunate enough to hear it) as I went back to my ‘tried and tested’ routines that used to set me up nicely for a tough night’s work. The gigs were a huge struggle as I battled with the new mind-set that the best that I could expect was to ‘get away with it’.

Eventually I made a choice to stop playing completely as I could not enjoy it if I did not feel that I was playing at my best … and I could not work out how to achieve that whilst doing a 50-60 hour per week day job. Predictably though, as any recovering trumpeter will tell you, the urge to play again just got too great!

About 18 months ago, I realised that I needed to start enjoying playing music again. My day job involved talking about trumpets all day, and aside from some instrument testing, I had gone for over a year without doing any practice or performing. I needed a plan, and the first step was to clarify exactly what I wanted to achieve, what time resources I had available, and to come up with a clear and realistic set of expectations.

So… 20 minutes practice, 4-5 days a week.  This was what I felt that I could commit to. It sounds like nothing, especially to players who are accustomed to having a mouthpiece surgically removed from their chops after a long day in the studio!

I wanted to get back to a decent, solid and functional technique, and most importantly a core sound that I was happy to listen to.  I left behind the study and practice books that I used to use through college and as a young pro.  I dusted off old materials that I had used in high school as well as researching new stuff that was pitched at the level that I was aiming.  Have I yet achieved the standard that I intended? NO … Am I enjoying playing the trumpet and performing again? Most definitely…YES!

My advice now for anyone looking to get back into playing the trumpet, or trying to find a new way of incorporating some playing into an already busy schedule, is ‘take it back to basics’ and make sure that you find materials that you can enjoy practising.

I have found some really interesting resources on this subject that I recommend that you check out:

The Comeback Trumpet Player by Mark Hendricks: http://mphmusic.com/blog/comeback-trumpet-player/the-comeback-trumpet-player-tips-1/

Tools for Trumpet Players with Day Jobs: Workshop Notes by Dan Hallock: http://www.trumpetguild.org/resources/pedagogy/category/8-articles-and-essays?download=193:tools-for-trumpet-players-with-day-jobs-dan-hallock-2010doc

Starting Over Again by David Brown: http://www.trumpetguild.org/resources/pedagogy/category/8-articles-and-essays?download=192:starting-over-again-the-true-comeback-player-david-brown-2013docx

Resonance vs. Resistance

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It has become an almost daily occurrence that I speak to trumpeters who believe that they are either looking for an instrument with natural open resonance OR a closed resistance. The title of this blog post is a deliberate misnomer as I do not believe that these two factors are mutually exclusive. In fact I would say that every horn for every player needs the perfect balance of the two.

The question should not be “do I want an open or resistant horn?” but instead “where in the horn do I want to feel that resistance and resonance?”. These two elements are absolutely essential in a trumpet to give the player their perfect blend of tone colour and projection.

Working with Vincent Bach a few years ago, I spent a lot of time travelling around UK conservatoires giving presentations to students and teachers on how to try to communicate the sound and response that they want to achieve, and what technical variables in a trumpet they should look for based on this and their playing style.

Some examples of popular horn setups:
A player that likes the feel of a really open horn mid-section will need to balance this out by finding resistance elsewhere in the horn in order to achieve that perfect resonance. The standard Bach 180 Stradivarius large bore Bb Trumpet for instance uses a fairly middle-of-the-road leadpipe at the start of the horn, and a relatively compact late taper #25 bell to allow the sound to really connect and blossom. This has typically suited players with a broad airstream who like that openness through the horn, and that feeling of ‘connection’ late on.

Another (yet totally different) large bore example is the approach championed by the late, great Derek Watkins. With a fast and narrower airstream, the sound really ‘connects’ immediately with a resistant leadpipe, and then is allowed to blossom through an open valve section and early taper bell.

With M and ML models, most players tend to use the valve section as a pivot with either an open (or reverse) leadpipe or a more open feeling early taper bell depending on whether you want to connect early or late on in the instrument. For players who like that mid-section connection (please forgive the corny cadence!), models such as the Bach LR180ML43 are very popular – an open reversed #25 leadpipe with an open feeling #43 bell.

In the interests of brevity here, I have focused on the most common variables and used Bach purely as a reference point as these models are familiar to most players. There are of course other ways of achieving this connection at the desired point by adding weight or varying the materials at crucial spots for example.

The crucial question again in approaching what setup is right for the individual player is “where do I want to feel the sound connecting?” Once you have an answer to this, you are all set to go and find your perfect trumpet!

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