[Trombone-l] Buzz Mute?

Fri Feb 8 10:40:59 CST 2008

Indeed, I have one, though it required a bit of repair work, reglueing new wax paper to the gromets for the buzzers.  Not really worth the effort, but the mute was free :-)

J.c.S.

---- Walter Barrett <walttrombone at optonline.net> wrote: 
> 
> On Feb 8, 2008, at 11:17 AM, Tom Izzo wrote:
> 
> > Hi Larry,
> >
> > --- Lawrence Borden <lawrence.borden at vanderbilt.edu>
> > wrote:
> >
> >> Hi folks,
> >>
> >> I've got a part here by John Corigliano called "Pied
> >> Piper Fantasy." It
> >> calls for several mutes. Included are instructions
> >> to use both buzz mute and
> >> harmon mute. Left to my own devices, I would have
> >> said they were the same -
> >> NO?
> >
> > No. There is a mute called "Buzz-wow" mute.
> > I have one for Trumpet, but have never seen one for
> > (any) size Trombone.
> > It looks like a cup mute from the outside, but inside
> > it's packed with a very dense substance somewhat like
> > concrete, then layered with plastic. On the bottom are
> > wholes with screen mesh.
> > Feels like a heavy cup; sounds like no other mute.
> > Maybe you should "invent" the first Trombone one?
> >
> > Tom
> >
> 
> This from the website, vintagemutes.com...
> 
> >
> > Buzz - Early jazz  trumpeters such as Joe “King” Oliver, would  
> > insert a toy kazoo in the bell of the cornet to get sympathetic  
> > vibrations on the kazoo. This provided a raspy tone.  The 1920’s saw  
> > many so-called “fussy” mutes made.  The earliest of these appears to  
> > be a mute patented by Guy Humes in 1920 which basically bundled  
> > three dime store kazoos together and fit them into the instrument  
> > bell by means of a cork fitting.  Buzz mutes are rarely used today,  
> > but Humes & Berg still makes their variant  known as the “Buzz Wow”.
> 
> 
> H&B does indeed make a trombone version of the Buzz-Wow. Frank  
> Rosolino used one once in a while. Joe Jackson plays a solo on the  
> Airmen of Note recording of "You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch," where he  
> uses 3-4 kazoos taped together and used like a pixie mute, together  
> with a plunger. Dave Taylor has a homemade buzz mute, made from an old  
> straight mute, with about 8 kazoo buzzers stuck onto the bottom, plus  
> (I think) some rice inside (Held in with some mesh over the opening of  
> the mute). As much as Dave moves around when he plays, it doubles as a  
> large maraca.
> 
> 
> Walter Barrett
> 
> "Ask questions. Maybe it might lead to somethin’."
> 	-Yogi Berra
> 
> Alto, tenor, bass trombones
> Bass trumpet, euphonium, tuba
> Yamaha Artist/Clinician
> http://www.walterbarrett.com
> 
> 
> 
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