Muting a soprano - concerns?

[George]

I have always placed something in the bell of my tenor (towel, t-shirt, etc.) when practing in my apartment. The only thing I practice unmuted are long tone exercises. But I am concerned that muting my soprano may cause some problems because the internal volume of the soprano is so much smaller than the tenor. Can the pressure generated within the horn while all keys are closed cause long term problems with pad seating and leaks?

[Dave Dolson]

George: I doubt if muting will harm the horn, but I agree that stuffing something up the bell will most likely negatively effect the response and tone. I've seen guys hang a felt or wool cap over the bell (or even affix a metal chain or leather strap around the bell, claiming that tones down some of the vibrations, etc. I have not done that so I don't know if those theories are correct. DAVE

[George]

Ok, I know that my tone won't be great and that response will suffer slightly. I primarily want to keep the horn muted for my Klose, scale, pattern and chord exercises. I plan on doing a lot more practicing now and don't want to bother my neighbors.

[Perfect Pitch]

Ok, I know that my tone won't be great .

Perhaps you better wait til they're on holiday :lol:

[colibri]

You can only mute about 10 - 15% of volume when you put something in your bell. You're better off learning to play quietly.