Posted by Leland Jordon on November 01, 1999 at 23:49:59:
In Reply to: Re: What's a good tuba mute? posted by Andy Smith on November 01, 1999 at 23:00:23:
I'm not trying to make a bad criticism -- I'm just trying to state my side of this...
-- Remember, when I type "muted" here, it has nothing to do with dynamics; it refers to having the mute in the instrument. --
To me, the sound shouldn't resonate at all. A muted brasswind sound should be dry, brittle, and much more nasal than an unmuted sound. I've NEVER heard any other voice of muted brass sound anything similar to their open sound.
For me, a good mute would sound dry & buzzy, cause the least amount of intonation problems, and still project well enough. So, IMO, good tuba mutes do exist, and you have to try them out for yourself.
BUT, the real question should be: What does a _composer_ expect a muted tuba to sound like? Should it be similar to muted trumpets or trombones, or should it sound open & dark but really really soft dynamically?
It doesn't matter very much what I think if the composer has something completely different in mind.
Seeya,
Leland