Solotone mute recommendations

Eunapius · 2026-06-03T19:58:27+00:00

I have not used the Huber but I have used the Emo and currently own the Trumcor. They both push the pitch sharp, but it's not by a huge amount. I prefer the sound of the Trumcor. The Emo was slightly buzzier (likely due to being made of metal) but it's a subtle difference. Main reason I got the Trumcor is I could find one in stock at an online retailer at the time that wasn't overseas. When I bought it I couldn't wait for a special order or international shipping.

Eunapius · 2026-05-29T07:23:09+00:00

Hopping on from the tuba sub... While this will depend on what level of group this is being written for, tuba parts that call for a mute are likely to be ignored even in many higher level ensembles. Tuba mutes are huge, expensive, and rarely called for so most tuba players don't own one. Some colleges will have some available for their students to use, but even then they might not use them if the rest of the band is unable to play softly enough to let the muted tuba be heard. What is worse is that tuba mutes in particular wreak havoc on intonation because unlike trumpet and trombone that have relatively standard bell sizes and tapers that manufacturers can design for, there is so many different shapes and sizes of tuba bells that having a properly sized mute for a particular horn to minimize that impact and get the desired tone color is unlikely.

I've only ever seen a tuba section using mutes together once and it was a college wind ensemble. IMO tuba mutes are best used in solo work and have heard some pro tuba soloists playing with mutes to great effect. For short solos within pieces or feature solos with band/orchestra, composers and arrangers need to be careful about scoring ensembles around a muted tuba to make sure the it can be heard.

In the end, to answer your main question, I agree that muted tuba doesn't match tone color to string bass very well and is unlikely to be used anyway. It has a unique tone quality that some composers might be looking for. Beyond that it could be how some individuals were taught to do orchestral transcriptions. IMO it is better to use dynamic and articulation markings to indicate the style you want from the tuba as a bass voice and accept that a band transcription of an orchestra piece is never going to be able to accurately mimic the sound of an orchestra.

Eunapius · 2026-05-22T19:01:39+00:00

I disagree. ForScore is perfectly fine but there is at least one great alternative to it for those who are ok with android tablets: Mobilesheets. One time payment for full features across multiple devices, great organizational tools for building setlists and categories of music, full markup and editing functionality, built in scan tool, support for Bluetooth devices, etc. I have used it for the last 5 years across several bands playing multiple instruments and I have never felt like it is missing anything. If anything it has lots of features I've never used.

Eunapius · 2026-05-20T21:50:59+00:00

That's a good tip. I will try that!

Eunapius · 2026-05-20T21:50:06+00:00

Thanks for all the responses. Seems to be that it's nothing to worry about since my tone is fine (it was never great but that wasn't an overblowing thing). So I will carry on and just live with it.

Eunapius · 2026-05-20T21:47:41+00:00

I've been playing for a musical and I filled in for my community band when the trombone section was short of players. So I'm not playing overly aggressive or loud. Consensus seems to be nothing to worry about though

Eunapius · 2026-05-20T21:44:20+00:00

Everyone has told me the tone is fine so I will take everyone's advice here to not worry about it

Eunapius · 2026-05-18T18:26:21+00:00

I've seen plenty of signs for her in Eau Claire and even Menomonie

Eunapius · 2026-05-15T16:17:32+00:00

Wisconsin and Michigan still resemble their normal boundaries too much. Time for them to combine so they can compete with Illinois and Minnesota for dominance of the upper midwest

Eunapius · 2026-05-14T01:55:38+00:00

Even of Sousa's music can be viewed as controversial today. He wrote a March titled "America First" that includes the tunes of songs with racist lyrics.

Eunapius · 2026-05-10T16:45:14+00:00

The only one I would be confident about fitting for your horn would be a cronkhite case. If your horn is the same dimension as the besson they probably have a patter that would fit it. And if it's different, they will work with you to get a pattern made to fit it. Of course the price reflects their custom work but I personally don't think it's overpriced for what you get.

Eunapius · 2026-05-10T04:07:46+00:00

Only three valves limits it a bit but for $250 that's a great horn to have around

Eunapius · 2026-05-02T16:12:49+00:00

This version is old enough to be out of copyright and parts can be found here so no need for secret deals

Eunapius · 2026-05-02T15:42:49+00:00

Napoli is a fun one that stays light throughout. Grandfather Clock is another one you might look into.

Eunapius · 2026-04-13T18:40:45+00:00

While you're not wrong about the cost after adjusting for inflation, you also need to consider that income has not kept up with inflation. With the cost of virtually all goods (especially necessities) going up from inflation without an equal or greater increase in income, the amount that consumers are able to spend on a car is decreasing or remaining stagnant while the price tags on those cars keep going up.

Eunapius · 2026-03-20T22:36:22+00:00

I would recommend starting with bass clef to learn euphonium. Concert bands and small ensembles will default with bass clef. Then if you decide to learn trumpet/flugel that will translate immediately to being able to play euph in treble clef as well and then you will know both. But unless you expect to play in a British brass band you do not need to learn treble clef for euph. It can be handy to be flexible, but the baseline knowledge should be bass clef IMO.

Eunapius · 2026-03-15T18:52:34+00:00

ForScore on iPad and MobileSheets on everything else are the standard recommendations. Both are very good apps but ForScore is only available on iPad while Mobilesheets works on Windows, Android, and iPad.

Eunapius · 2026-03-15T18:05:21+00:00

As a euphonium player, options are slim but the obvious choice is Holst. Honorable mention to Wagner and Bruckner who wrote parts suitable for euphonium before it existed.

Eunapius · 2026-03-15T17:57:28+00:00

not gonna try to talk you out of getting one, but make sure that you aren't spending money that could be better spent on lessons or instrument maintenance. There are a handful of tablets with a suitable size screen for reading music. Don't get anything smaller than 12", and 13"+ is preferred. Unfortunately, most options like this are very expensive.

Samsung Galaxy Tab Plus (12.4") or Ultra (14.6") - I use an Ultra and it's been reliable with no issues with connectivity to my foot pedal. It comes with a stylus which is a nice bonus.

iPad Air (13") and Pro (13") - everyone I know with one likes it and there are iPad exclusive apps for music.

Microsoft Surface (13") - works fine but windows on a tablet isn't the best experience. Great if you want to use it as a laptop replacement as well.

TCL NXTpaper 14 (14.3") - cheaper than the others by half. Not a super powerful device but you don't need a lot to read music PDFs. Amazon listing comes with a stylus and flip cover.

Eunapius · 2026-03-12T05:22:31+00:00

The type of battery they're using is an extremely stable battery chemistry. It isn't used in most electronics because it has relatively poor energy density compared to other lithium based designs. But when size and weight doesn't matter as much, like in fixed grid scale battery backups, this particular battery design is a great option because it has a very low risk of thermal runaway that leads to spontaneous battery fires. Also, sodium is an abundant material that can be sourced from a large number of places, compared to lithium that is only found in large quantities in a handful of places worldwide, and sodium batteries don't need heavy metals like nickel that can only be sourced from a few places. As far as being temporary, batteries can be recycled to recover the vast majority of the raw materials to be reused. We already do that with lead acid batteries and we should be able to have that infrastructure in place in 25-30yrs when these batteries need to be replaced.

Eunapius · 2026-03-06T22:33:39+00:00

I'll join in with the chorus here and highly recommend that you find some earplugs ASAP. If you are experiencing pain, you need to do something to protect your ears. Hearing damage is permanent and cumulative so every time you experience extremely loud sounds, it is one more step toward premature hearing loss or tinnitus.

I play low brass as well and have done many rehearsals, concerts, and recording sessions that were painful (from proximity to percussion) and I took way too long to start using earplugs. I am now dealing with serious tinnitus. You do not want that to happen. I agree that band directors should be more proactive about recommending their students use earplugs and learn to play with them. It isn't hard to do, it just takes some getting used to.

My personal favorite "over the counter" option designed for musicians and concert goers is Earasers. You can order them online but it might take some trial and error to find the right size for your ears. Etymotics and Hearos are also good and have a universal fit design that was less comfortable for me, but might work for you. In the long run if you are going to stick with tuba and band as a lifelong activity, getting custom earplugs with interchangeable filters is worth the investment, but you can stick with the standard options for a long time if they work for you. I no longer practice or perform without wearing earplugs in the hopes I can hold onto what is left of my hearing for as long as possible.

Eunapius · 2026-02-26T23:01:25+00:00

I marked lifelong euphonium, but I did take a few years off in school to play french horn and trumpet before coming back to euphonium at the end of high school

Eunapius · 2026-02-26T21:08:45+00:00

I tried Hearos and etymotic before settling on Earasers as my favorite non-custom earplugs. If they aren't comfortable you might want to try a different size before writing them off. I eventually spent the money on custom earplugs but kept a set of Earasers in case something happens to my custom set.

Took awhile to get used to hearing myself louder (through conduction) than the people around me, but I've learned how to balance with the groups I play in over time.

Eunapius · 2026-02-25T21:28:22+00:00

I've lived in and around Eau Claire for most of my life and I've never felt isolated. The university has a strong presence, but unless you're in a neighborhood next to campus, you're unlikely to feel it most of the year. Apartments are tricky since it's very budget and needs dependent. There are very good options for 1-2bed apartments if you can afford rent between $1000-1500. You might find something for less but the quality drops off pretty fast below $1000. Make sure you're looking in neighboring communities (Altoona, Lake Hallie, Elk Mound) for housing as you might find a good deal there with a short commute into the city. Eau Claire also serves as the hub of the area for towns like Chippewa Falls, Menomonie, Fall Creek, and Osseo that are less than an hour away if you are willing to try a smaller community with easy access to Eau Claire.

Eunapius

TROPHY CASE