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Ever since reading about using a brass stopping mute for mouthpiece practice on Julia Rose’s site, I have wanted to try it out. I had given it a few half-hearted attempts but it wasn’t until recently that I decided to concentrate on a more serious effort.
Why buzz?
Mouthpiece and lip buzzing are great techniques for:
- detecting and fixing problems
- a good lip work-out or quick warm-up
- simplifying music study by eliminating the horn
- practicing in general, when it is not possible to otherwise play the horn itself
I have always been an advocator of mouthpiece practice and its benefits, but with the caveat that it is really easy to blow your chops out if you do it mindlessly. What sounds like mezzo-forte on a mouthpiece actually translates to something more a fortissimo dynamic on the instrument.
A perfect megaphone
Here is where using a stop mute for mouthpiece practice really excels. With the mouthpiece inserted into the small end, the mute acts as a megaphone. It makes the mouthpiece buzzing much louder than with other buzzing aids.
Comparing decibels
Comparing volume levels (at less than 1ft. range) on a single sustained note:
- lip buzz = about 70db
- mouthpiece alone = about 80db
- mouthpiece + buzzing aid = about 82db
- mouthpiece + stop mute = about 92db
Louder is better
These results are completely unscientific of course but the general point is fairly clear. The mouthpiece/stop mute combo is much louder than other buzzing aids. This factor alone makes it a superior tool to use for mouthpiece practice as louder dynamics come much more naturally (instead of through force).
The mute’s natural shape acts as a mini-horn and it amplifies mouthpiece buzzing in a way that feels more like the French horn. The low range in particular is substantially louder and more natural-feeling than any of the buzzing aids I own.
My concern expressed earlier in this article (with playing too loud on the mouthpiece and causing injury) is now greatly reduced, if not entirely eliminated.
One drawback…
The only fault with using a stop mute for mouthpiece practice is that high notes back up and are not really usable. This happens with practice tubes too –
One drawback of this homemade version on the B.E.R.P is that at some point in the high range (depending on length), the buzzing lips crash into what I presume are the fundamental overtones of the tube itself.
I imagine that if I were to drill a relief hole into the mute stem this would be remedied, but I still use this mute now and then so I am not going to do that any time soon. For now, high notes are kaput on my mini-horn.
Conclusion
While I imagine that I will always use my other tricks for buzzing practice, I have been migrating more and more towards using a stop mute. It acts and feels like a mini-horn, and I seem to get more mileage out of it than with more traditional buzzing aids.
Give it a try! You might be surprised.
