Hey guys today's post is about mutes. I'll talk about the types of mutes out there. Oh, and I forgot to tell you that this only applies to brass. If you haven't figured it out by now that this blog is mostly about brass.
Alright lets start this post off with the fact that I honestly only own one mute. It's a Denis Wick
Straight mute and I use it in my symphonic band. That link will show you what it sounds like on a trumpet. Anyway before I go on let me tell you that mutes aren't there just to make your bass instrument look cooler. They are used to express something musically in a song. The mute changes your tone quality usually to dampen the sound. In the Straight mutes Case its job is to give the instrument a more brassier and metallic sound. Next is the cup mute.
So, the cup mute. Its a straight mute with a cup on the end. The sound and tonal quality is a softer and more muffled than that of a straight mute. Heres a
link to a trumpet playing a straight mute. In the video he reviews the mute and plays for you a little. If you noticed (if you are not blind of course) this is a different guy in this video. The person playing the straight mute in the first was having too much trouble actually playing the instrument to be able to show off the what the mute. This was especially true in his cup mute video, so you won't be seeing anymore of him. So if you also noticed that the man was playing jazz you have a good ear. The reason he plays jazz in the video is because the cup mute is more geared for jazz. I am yet to see a classical piece with cup mutes but maybe I just don't play the classical music that uses them. But don't forget Straight mute is for classical and cup mute is for jazz.
Next up is the bucket mute. Now the Bucket mute is more of a muffler. It's not a scarf or a car part, it just muffles the sound more than the other mutes. In this video the same guy that did the last video shows off the bucket mute.
Just skip ahead to the part when he has the horn on his face and press play, its ok I'll wait... . Alright by now you've either watched the video and you are critiquing my writing structure with those dot dot dots or you just kept on reading and are also critiquing my writing structure with those dot dot dots. Either or, you get the idea. This mute is also used in a jazz setting like the cup mute. I don't know what the composition of his mute was but mine has tons of cotton balls in it to make it a true muffler. Alright guys the next post is the "Wa Wa" edition and I get into the coolest mutes out there.
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