Lawrence Yates <[email protected]> wrote: thanks for your suggestions - I'm afraid I already have all that. I was looking for a different solution for those particular passages, not that problem in general.
I think I didn't state my real point clearly enough. Having a string is not itself sufficient. One must adjust the string and hand position so that grabbing and inserting the mute can be done instantly, without wasted motion. You would be surprised how quickly a mute change can be accomplished if one approaches the task with the same obsessive care and practice that players usually associate with embouchure. Until one develops an lip trill, one finds it hard to imagine how it could be possible. One develops a lip trill with extended practice. Now, if one has during a career practiced mute changes only for a total of about 20 seconds, it is not surprising if one cannot perform it quickly and reliably (and, of course, nearly silently, and without damaging the bell). I'm hardly suggesting that anyone needs to didicate similar amounts of time to mute insertion as to the lip trill, but both tasks deserve a similar approach -- careful analysis and adjustment of technique, and practice practice practice. _______________________________________________ post: [email protected] unsubscribe or set options at https://pegasus.memphis.edu/cgi-bin/mailman/options/horn/archive%40jab.org
