Mutes for Music: The "Wa Wa" Edition

Alright, I'm  starting another post yet again with alright! Now in this continuation of mutes for music the "Wa Wa" edition we are going to be talking about mutes that you can "Wa Wa" with, even though that sounds weird. Anyway lets get started.

Harmon Mute

Now lets talk about the harmon mute otherwise know as the "Wa Wa" mute. If you'll excuse all the alright's in this post you'll find out that yes, this is another jazz specific mute! The reason for this is that jazz is reigns superior or classical, but that's all I have to say about that. But, not about the harmon mute. The harmon mute is a two part mute. The first part is almost a mold of your bell and the second part is call "the stem" I don't know why, maybe a bunch of mute inventors were around a flower field and got their idea for the harmon. Pardon the utter randomness and Here's how it sounds. If you need help please refer to the underlined section above. Now even though it sounds like he's playing classical music at the beginning he it turns to jazz because you can't deny jazz man/woman, you can't. Oh I almost forgot you call it the "Wa Wa" mute because when you take out the stem, cup your hand in front the bell and move it in and out while you play it sounds like "Wa Wa". Next is the plunger mute.

Plunger Mute

Lastly is the plunger mute(it also "Wa Wa"'s). Now I'm going to show you a very awesome brace yourself for "the incredible, the invincible, awe inspiring, the amazing, bunch of other 1980's WWF introductions". Wycliffe Gordon! Now after witnessing that amazingness you can see why my favorite is the plunger. It can double as a toilet pumper and a "Wa Wa" specialist. Just kidding that's disgusting get a new plunger from your local Walmart not your grandma's bathroom, please.

Hat Mute

Lastly is the hat mute or the "derby" hat mute. Now the hat mute is what you get when a plunger and a fedora have kids. The Hat mute is as hard as a regular fedora that has been sprayed with liquid nitrogen. Basically a hard hat that you can "Wa Wa" with. It does the same thing that the plunger does but its purpose it have a cool visual effect.

Ok guys that's all the mutes I can tell you about thanks for reading and have a nice day and watch Wycliffe Gordon on your way out!

Wycliffe Gordon Plunger Warmup

Mutes for Music

Bunch of Custom Straight Mutes

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.

Straight Mute

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.

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.

Bucket Mute

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.

Finding Your Band

Whether your a trombonist or a flutist, if you want to enjoy your musical experience. You can do this by find a band to play with or making your own. First you're going to have to find a music that you like or a musician you like. I have found a webpage just for this topic. On 4BarsRest It's shows some of the greatest trombonists ever: Joseph Alessi (Classical), Frank Rosolino (jazz), Arthur Pryor (Sousa), Don Lusher (Ballad), Nick Hudson (Classical), Denis Wick (Classical and his name is on one of the most esteemed mutes companies),

Denis Wick Mutes

 Christian Lindberg (Soloist),  Bill Watrous (Big Band),  JJ Johnson (Be-Bop),  and Ian Bousfield (Classical).  Some of my Personal Favorite trombonists are Andy Martin (Jazz), Trombone Shorty (Funk), and Wycliffe Gordon (Jazz). I just jotted down one of Andy Martin's Solo's to learn and play Doxy. I'm  getting better at using a plunger mute, because of this video by Wycliffe Gordon. Lastly I just listen to Trombone Shorty for Fun. Pick which artist you like and make or find a band that fits their style. Make sure you can play their music before make an entire band, so that you can lead the band rather than be failing at the music you made a band for. In my opinion you should try out all the genres to find the one that fits you best. If you're lucky your school might have different band programs or you, your friends or your band director can help you make one.