I am looking to buy a practice mute for my flugelhorn, but there are so many different types - Straight, bubble, harmon etc.

How do I know what I need? All I want to do is mute the sound a bit...

Also, can you recommend places? I'm in wiltshire, England..

Cheers,

Oddball

if the reason is just merely to mute the sound you can try stuffing a piece of cloth into the bell.

QUOTE (Oddball @ Feb 15 2005, 05:09 PM)

I am looking to buy a practice mute for my flugelhorn, but there are so many different types - Straight, bubble, harmon etc. How do I know what I need? All I want to do is mute the sound a bit...

If you are rich, Yamaha do an active electronic device that stops the external sound almost totally, but gives you an earphone to tell you what you are doing. I think it's called "Silent Brass".

QUOTE (fawnfawn @ Feb 18 2005, 08:09 AM)

if the reason is just merely to mute the sound you can try stuffing a piece of cloth into the bell.

!!!!!!!!!!!!

Not such a good idea, what would happen if it got stuck down the bell-end?

Dennis Wick are a very good brand who also do relatively cheap (£20 ish) student model mutes and they are very durable.

I don't know if they do Flugel mutes though. Would a trumpet/cornet mute do the trick? (i.e. are the bell's roughly the same diameter?)

This website http://www.mannsmusic.co.uk/products.asp?c...ss&subcat=Mutes

quoted about £20 for a practice trumpet mute. I found it from typing Dennis Wick into a search engine, I don't know about recommending the website. Wick mutes are excellent IMHO, I've tried various brands and they are also the best quality of sound and design/ price ratio.

Hornplayer xx

try using an old style paper cup mute or harmon as these are quietest - but im not sure if the make flug mutes as they are never muted in bands and jazz,

there as many different mutes to make different sounds. i would say a stright mute but im just guessing but it seems to just keep the sound down. ill ask a fugel player i know about sizes. ill see him on saturday

Do you want a practice mute or a mute to be used for performance?

Straight, cup, harmon, etc, etc, mutes are used to change the tone colour of brass instruments for different effects during performance. They are not necessarily intended to make your instrument quieter.

A true practice mute will make your instrument inaudible to your neighbours while maintaing the even intonation of your instrument. Something that sticking a sock up the bell will certainly not!

The Yamaha Silent Brass System is probably the best but is quite exspensive unless you're going to use it daily. Dennis Wick make very good and affordable practice mutes and there is a link off the Wallace Collection Brass Ensemble web page for a good range of mutes that John Wallace endorses.

Do you still want a mute, because I've just come across a website that has a flugel straight mute and a flugel practice mute: http://catalogue.justselect.co.uk/acatalog...lugel_Horn.html