Mutes

[Noproblemo]

So what’s the collective wisdom on mutes. I have a piece with a muted 1-tuba part, but none of us owns a mute and I can’t configure out how we would remove the mute without help when the muted section ends.

[Sousaswag]

I somehow sourced a used Balu for not a whole lot of $$… I’m still waiting to use it.

Honestly, if you don’t have one, don’t go and buy one. They all suck. The Balu’s just suck the least, imo.

At the worst, shove something down your bell. It won’t make that big a difference.

[LeMark]

Counter opinion

When the part calls for it, I don't mind playing with a mute. It's a nice Timbre change that can sound cool, but the mute has to compliment your instrument properly size wise

I prefer aluminum mutes over fiber or wood. They give a "bite" in the tone similar to trumpet or trombone straight mutes.

Humes and berg make my favorite mutes

[bloke]

Look up at the top right hand corner of your tuba and find these three symbols. Touch the one on the left, and you should be able to mute and unmute your tuba.

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[Schlepporello]

I love the way a Humes & Berg Mute looks and would love to have one. The throat of my 496 seems a bit large for one though. I had the same issue with the 187 I used to have. The H&B would drop right in. I used a Tennessee Tech mute on it for a while because it was the only thing I could find that would fit without having to add a lot of cork. I don't think that trick will work with the 496 though.

[The Brute Squad]

I can’t configure out how we would remove the mute without help when the muted section ends.

Having performed Danzón No. 2 twice and being about to perform Pictures for the second time (both of which have a spot where you have almost no time to remove the mute), sometimes you need to just pull it out and hold onto it until you have a long enough break where you can put it down.

[Mary Ann]

The "needing assistance" to me signals that the OP may not have arms that are long enough to just reach up and grab the mute -- I had to put the tuba on the floor, stand up, take out the mute, put the mute down, sit down, pick up the tuba (and the reverse to put it in) -- when I played Pictures. It is possible that it's just not necessary to use a mute even though it's in the music. In the brass band, we have had muted tuba parts, nobody brought a mute, and the euphonium-playing conductor never said a thing.

[bloke]

Yep. Something else that I wouldn't do but I've seen other people do it is to set them mute on the floor like a orange traffic cone, stab it with the tuba and then raise the tuba with the mute back up into playing position. I just wouldn't trust the corks to hold. Of course, this doesn't simplify undocking, but it speeds up docking.

[York-aholic]

Yep. Something else that I wouldn't do but I've seen other people do it is to set them mute on the floor like a orange traffic cone, stab it with the tuba and then raise the tuba with the mute back up into playing position. I just wouldn't trust the corks to hold. Of course, this doesn't simplify undocking, but it speeds up docking.

Can you imagine what a racket that would make if it fell out when the tuba was halfway up. That would be hysterical. I'd pay to go to that concert!

[Noproblemo]

Super help, thanks all. The part is in Dances in the CaneBrakes. Super fun btw. The conductor seems fine with the part unmuted. Tbh, I have reasonably long arms, but there’s no way I could pull a mute without putting the horn on the floor.

[Mark]

Having performed Danzón No. 2 twice and being about to perform Pictures for the second time (both of which have a spot where you have almost no time to remove the mute), sometimes you need to just pull it out and hold onto it until you have a long enough break where you can put it down.

Yep. Been there and done that also twice on that work.

[C J]

I once played with a fanfare a piece in which first a Eb tuba and after that a Bb tuba had to play with a mute.
(I was a hired hand so the original members of the band played the muted solo's)
The only mutes the fanfare had were practice mutes. So I brought my straight mute (Wick) with me and put it first in the Eb on my left. After his solo I took out the mute and inserted it in the Bb so he could play his solo.
The mute worked well in both Bessons.