Plunger technique - mutes

Post Reply
Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Bach5G »

I’m interested in what sorts of mutes people use in combination with a plunger to approximate the Nanton sound.

Nanton was said to use a Non Pareil. More modern players used a Tom Crown that was said to be the closest thing to a Non Pareil. Ed Neumeister favours a Humes & Berg.

Of course, there is the H&B Pixie. I confess to giving mine away a few years ago.

What do you use?
rabiddolphin
Posts: 24
Joined: Tue Dec 07, 2021 12:36 am

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by rabiddolphin »

I’ve found that the plunger makes more of a difference, I’ve been using the Sam H&B pixie for years, but most notes started speaking better when I picked up a Hirschman plunger. Expensive for sure, but the intonation is great.
Redthunder
Posts: 280
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:11 pm

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Redthunder »

H&B Trumpet Straight. I tried the Tom crown copy of the non-pareil but I just didn’t like playing it as much.

The H&B gets you in the ballpark of the Nanton style sound, and is much easier to play with some volume (in my opinion) which is really important if you’re ever going to use it with an ensemble.

Trimming or building up the corks on any mute you decide to use is really important as well if you’re going to use a trumpet mute. If you fit it properly you can extend the useable range. The wrong fit and you’ll bottom out at Ab or G just below middle C. I know Sam Burtis used to recommend moving the placement of the corks farther down the mute for this reason, which I’ve done on a couple of mutes.

I never liked playing the H&B trombone pixie. Some people sound great on them but I always preferred the sound of the trumpet straight.

As for plungers, I think it matters more once you’ve played a ton on one to master the motions and blowing side of things, and it’s personal preference for sure. I’ve played hard & soft, rimmed & rimless, hole & no hole, and every combination in between. They all sound like plungers, but I have ones that I like more or less. I also experiment sometimes with other objects like metal pot lids. One guy in college used a plastic cereal bowl with his pixie mute and it sounded good.

Just as important as the equipment choice is what you do as a player. The sound that great plunger/mute players get is not simply just from manipulating the plunger. It’s manipulating that, in combination with the slide, oral cavity, and sometimes your voice is what gets a great and compelling sound.

The last thing to keep in mind is that the “Nanton Style” sound is so special because he was around for such a short period, but he never talked about his own technique, so all we have to go on is the recordings. Recordings can be deceptive so it’s very difficult to emulate what he was truly doing. And recording mute playing is different than performing with one, especially over an ensemble.

The more you experiment the easier it is to figure out what you want.
OneTon
Posts: 401
Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2021 11:44 am

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by OneTon »

I used a Humes and Berg gray and red pixie mute with a toilet plunger that had a hole cut in it per Al Grey on Royal Garden Blues without much satisfaction.

Kellso has two or three Lincoln Center youtube videos on trumpet mutes with comments on Nanton and I think some one who followed Nanton. He also talks about when to use an Al Grey hole, Non Pareil mutes, and pixie mutes.

Tom Crown has a straight trumpet mute that is a Bud Herseth approved copy of Bud Herseth’s personal non pareil trumpet mute. It was weighed and play tested. Tom Crown has some story line on their site.
Richard Smith
Wichita, Kansas
Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Bach5G »

I found this video this am:



Ed Neumeister
Redthunder
Posts: 280
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 9:11 pm

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Redthunder »

In addition to Ed Neumeister, Art Baron is probably the best living testament today to this style of playing, being one of the last trombone players to play with the Duke Ellington band while Duke was still alive.

Bach5G
Posts: 2270
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 6:10 pm

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Bach5G »

Great interview with Art Baron.
ngrinder
Posts: 234
Joined: Tue Apr 24, 2018 7:30 pm
Location: New York City
Contact:

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by ngrinder »

I’m a fan of the Hirschmann with the H&B Pixie. I have a handful of tpt straights (Tom Crown and others) but never could really get into them. Haven’t played a Non Pareil extensively, but I know some folks who swear by them, and snatch them up whenever they can.
Jimkinkella
Posts: 244
Joined: Fri Mar 23, 2018 11:43 am
Location: Los Angeles

Re: Plunger technique - mutes

Post by Jimkinkella »

My favorite at the moment is a Yamaha trumpet cup mute (with the adjustable cup removed)
It’s lighter than just about anything else and has a nice long straight section that gives a bit more of a handhold to get it in and out.
The non-pareil probably sounds the best in front of the bell but presents difficulties yanking it out of an 8” bell in the middle of a solo. I have a number of other trumpet and flugel variations, and nothing sounds like a pixie other than a pixie.
It all depends on your situation and intended sound.
FYI you can always add a bit of cork to something that’s a bit tight, and kind of tune the mute that way.
It’s tedious, but can be productive.
Post Reply

Return to “Accessories”