Bremner (SshhMute) Trombone Practice Mute

I've been in environmental situations requiring silent practice. And sometimes I just don't want anyone to hear my struggle on the horn. I bought the Yamaha Silent Brass device in the mid 1990s, and always felt it was distorting my low-range pitch. I used a variety of practice mutes over the years.The Bremner is by far superior for accuracy in pitch and overall practice comfort. I'm so disappointed during my practice sessions that, even at home, I just plug the Sshh mute so I can minimize my own struggle. And my spouse doesn't have to know that I'm a work in progress.It's a solid device. I can't conceive of the cork becoming less adherent to a finished bell. I doubt there is a better practice mute for trombone as of now.

My chops are improving quite a bit since getting this mute. This is not because of the mute, but this is because I'm practicing more again than I have in about a year. This is the first mute I ever owned, and since I purchased it, I don't have to worry about bothering my neighbors anymore. I live in an apartment, and I can't tell you how valuable it is to practice at 2:00 a.m., whereas before, I'd have to drive 30 minutes out to the middle of nowhere in order to get necessary practice done. This mute is nice and lightweight, and the intonation seems to be mostly representative of an open horn (with the exception of the 3rd ledger line "G" and the "A-flat" and "A" above it - that gets a bit wonky, but I'm sure that can vary from horn to horn and person to person. That aside, for the most part, I'm EXTREMELY happy with this mute, and will continue to use it to keep in shape.

We saw a fellow practicing his trombone in the Denver airport! Hardly a peep out of him. My husband, a jazz musician, was so impressed so I ordered his. AMAZING that I can now sleep through his practices in the morning. You can hear it when you are right there, not too quiet, but it is a mute. Shout out to the Indiana University School of Music for the inspiration.!

I actually have two of these mutes, one for my bass trombone (Conn 28HI) and one for my tenor (Bach 42BO) they both work well by making my trombone quite enough that I can practice at 6am in the town-home where I live without fear of waking anyone. As with any practice mute you'll notice a little bit of difference but I find these to be nicely "free blowing" after a few notes of adjustment. The extra weight isn't super noticeable to me though I have noticed a little bit when I've practiced for a long time.

The mute is light, attractive and quiet. High tones can be difficult to reach and form. Found myself cracking notes from time to time. You will feel resistance, and I find I have to concentrate a lot more to form notes above the staff from D on up.This mute is made of plastic with nothing inside it. Laughing at myself for paying this kind of money for a mass produced piece of plastic. Still, the mute does reduce volume coming out of the bell. That's the bottom line.

This mute is a MUST for apartment living. Sound can barely be heard from the instrument. The intonation changes slightly as expected, and there's a little back pressure, but for practice this mute is indespensible.

We purchased this for my son to use mostly when he was warming up at competitions or concerts when others are doing the same. I was actually shocked by how quiet it is and now I see why professional musicians refer to these as "Hotel Mutes". It's perfect for practice when you don't want to bother people.

If I could give this product 10 stars I would. Extremely lightweight and durable gives you the ability to have awesome pitch while you play as if the mute is not even in the bell. Great for warm ups, practicing in an apartment, dorm room, garage, basement or any place you can’t play loud. I highly recommend this if your looking for a mute that gets the job done exceptionally.