The correct term is actuallyWhispamute, but it is generally known as a whispermute. Why? Because the sound is barely more than a whisper. It is also known as a"practice mute", "Silent Brass", or "hotel mute". Thequestion is: a) when is it used and, b) should I own one?
This type of mute is designed to decrease the volume of the trumpet's sound to theextent that you can "blow your horn" in a hotel room while you're on tour,enough to keep your chops in shape, without getting evicted from the hotel because ofcomplaints from the other hotel guests! The mute fits airtight into the bell, with all ofthe sound being filtered, diffused, or otherwise softened before it leaves the trumpet.
How soft is it? Well, my wife Nancy doesn't even ask any more, but rather sheexpectsthat she will probably drive for the first 1-2 hours that we're on the highway, knowingthat I will use that time to do my "tone exercises" with the practice mute. Isit loud? Of course you can hear it. But - it is tolerable!
The question here is, what is the alternative - to miss that practice time altogether?We know that as brass players, one of the most important aspects in preserving good toneproduction is to practice a regular tone maintenance routine; we simply can't afford tomiss a couple of days just because we're "on the road". I think that the answerhere is obvious - if it is a matter of getting in an hour or two of "chop" timewith a practice mute vs. not playing at all, use the practice mute!
A few years ago I played a series of concerts in Europe which resulted in a mostunusual, and definitely not desirable practice routine. A brief summary is this: followingmy first concert, in Cologne, the next 2 weeks were spent traveling, doing libraryresearch, sight-seeing, etc. It was a full 2 weeks before I finally arrived for arehearsal and my next recital . During this time I maintained my tone productionfacilities entirely by using a practice mute each day and by buzzing my mouthpiece while Idrove on the Autobahn. I feel that my tone production on the concerts at the end of that"holiday" was almost as comfortable as in the first concert.
So, would I suggest to my students that they just go back to their dorm room orapartment and do their daily practicing with a practice mute? Absolutely not. We must hearour tone quality in an appropriate acoustical environment to evaluate and improve themusical end of our efforts.
However, if it is a matter of getting in 1 hour of "blowing time" vs. none,or a matter of 2 hours of "blowing time" vs. 1 hour, I would certainly cast myvote in favor of using the practice mute to squeeze in some extra physical conditioningwhich we must all do as brass players.
The classical Whispa mute is a Shastock. The Dennis Wickpractice mute is slightly shorter and packs into a gig bageasier than a Shastock. Also, there have been occasions when I had to take a Harmon muteanyway and space was really at a premium; I stuffed polyfoam in the cup of the Harmon muteand put a chamois bag over the bell. Yamaha'sSilent Brass is also becomingincreasingly popular. I like this because when I'm listening to that wonderful cathedral-like reverberation, I don't tend to overblow or spread my aperture.
Using a practice mute is not a substitute for normal practice, but can add some veryvaluable supplemental "chop" time in many situations.
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