How to make your own trumpet practice mute

Dr. Stanley Curts, trumpet professor at Colorado State University, shows how to make your own practice mute!
Credit for the idea of this mute goes to my friend Julian Zimmermann, the fabulous natural baroque trumpet player. Check out his KZbin videos on his channel naturaltrumpet84.

[@AaronWilsonAnarchy]

I keep getting the urge to play at 10pm. This seems perfect!

[@tylersustat1553]

Same!

[@LofiWurld]

This guy knows what it means to be on a student budget lol

[@matthewswihart]

Well, this is brilliant! A trumpet player could do this on the road if they're somewhere without a practice mute. Thanks, Dr. Curtis!

[@UserUser-kz4fq]

Man, thats brilliant. Good humour, liked "reuse from restaraunt" and "borrowed from friend" parts. Good advice as well.

[@PatagluKadolle]

After seeing your tutorial, I found a bottle of badoit in the trash. I made a hole in it's bottom and inserted a metallic straw (i had only that at home). I then removed the cap and coverd the top with the foam from my brother's old scooter. It worked like a charm and I feel so relieved as It was really cheap and really fast to get my practice mute. THANK YOU SO MUCH for sharing the idea !!!

[@Yadeehoo]

Awesome. It's unbelievable how expensive these things are

[@naturaltrumpet84]

Hi Stan, nicely done! I usually don't drill into the top and just remove the screwcap, put the bycicle handle on the top...but i gonna try your variant to see what it does!

[@monteverdicornetto]

Well, I should try your method, too!

[@musicmypleasure33]

@@monteverdicornetto thanks good tips this mute trumpet . I found less backpressure and easier playing without the screwcap .

[@bjornterjeiaustenaa]

I made a mute in similar way for the french horn with a bigger bottle (1L / 2 pints) with a larger scruwcap (1.25 inch / 3.5 cm opening). Much better to play without the screw cap on! Much better intonation! I cut out a piece from a vacuum hoover bag / cloth to use around the bottle also and attached it with a cable tie around the neck.

[@dmitryivanov2960]

Thanks for a great mute recipe. Just one thing to note: please DO NOT ever drill while holding the bottle in your hand! You might cripple yourself this way. If you don't have a vice at home, try at least to stick your bottle into something or somehow hold it in place without endangering your limbs. Wearing a pair of protective goggles would also be a good idea.

[@monteverdicornetto]

Actually a good comment. Thanks, Dmitry. If doing again, I would secure the bottle before drilling!

[@Telikinesis]

Hi Stan, I am pleased to see this. I am beginning again my trumpet playing, 10 years after having last put it down. I live in the top floor of my building, so until my ability improves, I think it kind for me to get a practice mute ha,ha. Would this have a similar effect with a smaller bottle? Would it solely change the pitch, or could it allow more sound to escape the horn?

[@monteverdicornetto]

I think a bottle that is a little smaller might work very well, Shambino! And having a practice mute could be a good plan no matter how good you become--if you're living close to other people who might be disturbed.

[@kn-qz7by]

Very clever! I'd be interested in knowing how to make an inexpensive trumpet mute using the same principle as the Mute-Tube, which I think is basically a cylinder with sound-proofing material inside of it. It looks very simple, the player just inserts the bell of the trumpet into it a bit and there's absolutely no change in blowing resistance.

[@larryrhindress2972]

Well that was a treat!!! An excellent video. I just bought a bugle. Any hints on how to learn how to buzz?????

[@Flamefail01]

Wow, thanks a lot! I was looking for this video, but there was nothing like this in the hispanic comunity.

[@monteverdicornetto]

Glad you find it useful! Be careful with the drilling--I should have done that a little safer!

[@Flamefail01]

@@monteverdicornetto that is exactly what I tougth, so I heated a nail to pierce the bottle. Anyway, thanks now I can practice at night

[@nadiahDono]

Dear Prof, may i know if inserting the straw is necessary or simply drill a hole would be enough? Straw can easily be found but just wondering. Hope you'll notice this, Prof. Anw, thank you so much for this DIY video. It helps me to start practicing my trumpet again after 8 years of leaving school

[@jbach4792]

I'm curious as was one other person who commented, why is the straw necessary...what does the straw help achieve as compared to just having a hole in the bottom of the plastic bottle without a straw. I guess only way to know for sure is to try it both ways...so would be helpful to hear from someone who might have tried it without the straw. Someone already commented that removing the bottle cap on the other side achieved a satisfactory result.

[@MICHAELZHANGCA]

I just tried removing the cap and it works a lot better. With the hole in the cap, the air restriction is significant. Without the cap, it's still noticeable but much more manageable for beginners like me.

[@PatagluKadolle]

I wanted to write the exact same commentary, so I comment on it instead ;)

[@maxwesmont]

Thanks for sharing! Good job!

[@P61guy61]

Thank you

[@Your_Conscience.]

I too use the YamahaAaAa practice mute.

[@NaturesMulti-tool]

Thanks! - I wanted to ask what the purpose of the straw is - will is work just as well without? Is it some kind of resonant chamber?

[@TamalpaisBrass]

Fantastic! Thank you!

[@madscientistme]

Hello, I'm only 4 weeks into trumpet and I am thinking of making a mute to practice during my break at work. If it's sharper do I just pull the slide out more?

[@monteverdicornetto]

Correct! But when you play without the mute, just push back in to normal slide position for you.

[@madscientistme]

@@monteverdicornetto thank you!

[@Artat-home]

😮 It actually works 👍🏼👍🏼

[@benstudios643]

I need a mute because of my dogs, would this bock enough sound to not hurt their ears?

[@monteverdicornetto]

absolutely!

[@liamcunningham2285]

I can't seem to get mine to work, am i doing something wrong?

[@PootaurStuff]

This could have been a great video but the volume is way to low!

[@giggstrafford1]

Nice vid(your sound has a mute on it😝)

[@judomoose00]

How is the back pressure on this. Will it restrict your range?

[@monteverdicornetto]

a "normal" amount of back pressure (similar to commercial practice mutes). Range good. It plays sharper than most other practice mutes.

[@michaelfoxbrass]

Shnhh! Mute is now $55 USD! (in May 2023)

[@gmpier1]

have you ever tried one for glugehorn?rgds

[@monteverdicornetto]

no--but it should work with the right size bottle!

[@kendiggs]

Too bad they changed the shape of Renuzit air fresheners a few years back. The old style made PERFECT trumpet practice mutes.

[@rmb7355]

It didn’t work, sorry.

[@derycktrahair8108]

Factor in Medical costs for using a drill like an idiot. Stay out the front Prof. It's safer that way for all of us.