Do Be Quiet - How To Mute Your Saxophone!
The Saxophone Mute
Summertime and practising ain't easy. Everyone has their windows open so playing saxophone is not the best thing for neighbourly harmony.
What can be done?
Well you could practice somewhere else. I used a roadside layby a few times or a public footpath miles from anywhere. The only problem with this is that it does make you vulnerable and its not suitable if you have a pad of sheet music to work though.
Some famous players did go outside for the same reason. John Coltrane played in Central Park and Sonny Rollins used the Williamsburg railway bridge. However, we live in different times and people are generally less tolerant of musicians playing anywhere they feel like.
You might find a hall to practice in which could be affordable. Ask around in your community. A church, school hall or sports facility may have rooms for hire. Out-of-hours at the office or factory might work for you too. Just ask - people are helpful.
Alternatively, you could go electric. I have been using a Roland Aerophone for many years. Its been a great asset. I usually practice early or late, playing with a backing track easily and nobody else can hear. I like the breath and bite controls, its almost like the real thing. The only downside is the buttons don't feel like the real thing. The pop tenor setting with all the breath controls set to maximum hard helps keep the muscles working and sounds fine.
The Yamaha YDS does have a more realistic key layout but does not have a bite control so may not help with maintaining your embouchure with long term use.
Going electric is an alternative to the real thing when its not possible to practice. You should not consider it as a replacement for the saxophone.
Best Mute For Saxophone
Balancing effectiveness and price the best mute I have found is....
Socks. Boot socks for alto and soprano or wellie socks for tenor and bari.
It's summer so you are not going to be wearing your thick winter socks. You may as well use them.
The sock mute is highly effective. Resistance is added so your muscles will still need to work hard. The only disadvantage is that intonation will be off on some notes and the low notes will not sound.
Alternative saxophone mutes
Putting a trumpet valve brush in the neck and a tone ring in the bell works well. However, you will need to buy these if you do not have them already.
The Neotech sax tone filter does a good job of muting the bell vibrations but it is not a mute. It needs something else to quieten the instrument.
The Gewa sax mute is effective too but is more expensive. I used one for around two years before the the foam broke down. Its a worthy contender and worth a try if the alternatives don't work for you.
The Best Brass Whisper mute is the most extreme mute available. Although well designed and highly effective it is expensive, very heavy and cumbersome. For tenor players it is a test of strength and endurance.
Alto players may find it useful but may be better off going electric.
Finally, you might consider using a softer reed for practice. While this will be quieter, the breath support and embouchure muscles will not be engaged so long-term use will cause a weakening of your sound.
So put a sock in it this summer and keep practising!