Best Trumpet Practice mutes
My review

What is the best trumpet practice mute without digital feedback system?

I just made a post where I test the Yamaha Silent brass system, you know the practice mute that has a digital feedback system with headphones…

…in that review I stated that the Yamaha is the best one out on the market at this point. I stand by my statement…

But what if…

• What if you don’t want or need the headphones and batteries?…
• What if you don’t have 170-200 dollars to spend?….
• What if you are looking for the best practice mute with no headphones?…

Enter…
The WINNER of the standard trumpet practice mutes:

Bremner Sshhmute!

I present the winner right away in order to not keep you waiting.

You can read reviews about all the other mutes further down on this page…

Let’s first make it clear that the reviews on this page we are about mutes without batteries, headphones or a digital feedback system…

…and when it comes to standard practice mutes, the Bremner is, hands down, the clear winner.

Winner: The Bremner Sshhmute…

Why I pick the Bremnr Sshhmute as the winner

PROS

• It is the most freeblowing of all I have tried
• It is extremely quiet
• Silencers tend to drastically affect the intonation, the Bremner plays surprisingly well in tune
• It is very light
• Has a pleasant sound

Cons

• It’s a few bucks more expensive than the average priced mutes
• The low register is a bit too sharp  (but still much better than the rest of the mutes)

The few and mild “cons” and the strong “pros” makes the Bremner my favorite

About The Bremner Mute

Resistance – back pressure:  9/10

Practice mutes tends to be frustrating to play because of the high resistance, making your trumpet feel stuffy. When you play them it feels  like it’s difficult getting the air to go through the horn. The Bremner is so much better in this regards than the other mutes.

Pitch: 9/10

I also just love how well it plays in tune as all others make you go very flat in the high register and, on the other side, your pitch will be very sharp in the lower register. Sure, the Bremner does change your pitch a bit but, again, it is so much better than the rest of the mutes.

Volume: 10/10

It is incredible silent. You can literally practice next to a sleeping child without waking it up. I’m very impressed.

Material: 10/10

Made from lightweight, yet hard-wearing, ABS plastic. The mute is extremely light and easy to handle.

Pricing: 8/10

I really have no issues with the pricing at all. Sure there are mutes you can get for less money but they are nowhere near as good as the Bremner.
You can click here to check the current pricing on Amazon

Final Rating : 9,2 / 10 

The day someone manages to create a mute that does not change the pitch at all, and that is as free blowing as the Bremner, I will gladly give a full score of 10 for that mute…

…until then, however, the Bremner is the king.

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PAMPET Lightweight Plastic Practice Mute For Trumpet 

Mute Silencer Straight Mute For Trumpet (Black)

PROS

• I guess you could live with the back pressure if not too picky
• It is quiet
• It is very affordable

CONS

• Intonation is not that good
• The high register is just way too flat
• Makes the trumpet sound…”annoying”

About The Pampet Mute

Resistance – back pressure:  6/10

The Pampet does ok here.

My opinion is that if a mute messes too much with the back pressure it will be bad for us in the long run. This is because we are programming our brain with everything we do. So if you play much in a certain way, you get into trouble when you suddenly have to play another way…

…that’s why I do not like my practice sessions to be played in a way that is far from the way I otherwise play. No, there should not be too much of a gap between the resistance you use in your practice room versus what you use on the gig. That is a recipe for disaster. 

Pitch: 6/10

Yeah, the always present issue with pitch when you want to use a silencer. Honestly it is far from great.

Volume: 7,5/10

Decent but not as good as the Bremner or Yamaha Silent Brass. It gets an 7,5/10 for quietness

Material: 10/10

Lightweight hard plastic. Points for being really light.

Pricing: 9/10

I guess the pricing is where it should be. It is cheaper than the Bremner but, of course, you get a bit less for your money. At the time of writing this article it was about 20 bucks less than the Bremner
You can click here to check the current pricing on Amazon

Final Rating : 7,7 / 10 

We all need a practice mute because, let’s face it, we need to be able to practice wherever and whenever we have the chance. And I guess if you are struggling with money right now this mute could be an option for you…

…however, I still recommend you would try to come up with a few more bucks and get the Bremner instead, as the Bremner feels so much better practicing with.

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Denis Wick Bb Trumpet/Cornet Practice Mute DW5526

 PROS

• Back pressure is ok
• Intonation is ok
• Reasonable price
• It is pretty quiet
• The sound is better than most of the others

CONS

• Not as quiet as Bremner or Silent brass
• The low register is more stuffy and restricted than on Bremner

About The Denis Wick Bb Trumpet/Cornet Practice Mute DW5526

Resistance – back pressure:  8/10

It’s not too bad but there is still some room for improvements.

Pitch: 8/10

Denis Wick makes quality stuff that is for sure but even here there is room for improvements.

Volume: 8/10

Nothing to complain about. It is easy to play very quiet with it.

Material: 9/10

Not exactly sure what material is used but it is pretty light and there is no problem with the mute falling out of the bell, like some others tend to do.

Pricing: 8/10

Again I guess the pricing is where it should be. It costs a bit more than the PAMPET but then again it is better than the PAMPET. On the other hand it is a tiny bit cheaper than the Bremner and I would say that it does not really match the Bremner. It comes pretty close but The Bremner still beats the Denis Wick.
You can click here to check the current pricing on Amazon

Final Rating : 8,2 / 10 

This is a mute I could consider owning if I could not have the Bremner. It comes pretty close but the Bremner still wins. Denis Wick comes in on a honerable second place though.

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FAXX Compact Trumpet Practice Mute

 PROS

• Intonation is surprisingly good
• Reasonable price
• It is pretty quiet

CONS

• Back pressure is not to my liking
• The sound is “metallic” and not like the way you would want to here yourself

About The FAXX Compact Practice Mute

Resistance – back pressure:  6,5/10

Problematic but I guess it would be possible to get used to

Pitch: 8,5/10

Pleasantly surprised by this. It’s far from perfect but better than most mutes. Still not as good as the Bremner though.

Volume: 7,5/10

Fair enough. Even though there are mutes that are more quiet it is still very easy to play extremely quiet with this one. No problem here.

Material: 9/10

Light aluminium. Sit well in the bell and I did not have any problems with it falling out. Heavier than the Bremner though.

Pricing: 8/10

I think the pricing is good. It is one of the better mutes and that also shows on the price as it is a bit more on the expensive side. As with everything else in life, we get what we pay for it seems.

You can click here to check the current pricing on Amazon

Final Rating : 7,9 / 10 

I could see myself using this mute. I do not like it as much as the Bremner but it is a decent one and as it is about 10 bucks cheaper than the Bremner it is a mute you could consider buying if you want to avoid burning too much money.

Summary of the ratings

1) The Bremner 9,2
2) The Denis Wick 8,2
3) Fax compact 7,9
4) The PAMPET 7,7

As you can see the Bremner SShhmute is a clear winner here and I am very happy that I own one. Playing the trumpet is not easy and we all know we have to practice in order to keep our chops.

Personally I can’t afford more than one day off a week or else my playing suffers. If you have neighbors, or live somewhere where you are prevented from practicing your trumpet whenever you want, you should consider ordering a trumpet practice mute.

 

The hiking trumpeter

One of my favorite uses of the Bremner is in the summer when I go on a short hike. I take my trumpet with me and I have had many awesome practice sessions in the sun out in the nature. To prevent disturbing the peace for other hikers I use either the Bremner or my Yamaha Silent brass.

These are very pleasant memories I carry with me during the cold winter and then I really look forward to next summer when I can go out again.

Let’s also rate the Yamaha Silent Brass…just for fun

This review post is about testing and finding a good trumpet practice mute without the digital feedback system but let’s rate the Silent brass just for fun and see what score it get…it will be disqualified though due to it being the only one with batteries and electronics in it.

Yamaha SB7Xc Silent Brass System for Trumpet

As you surf around on the web you may notice different letters on the Silent Brass model… just to let you know the numbers SB7X are the only ones that matters. For example you might see a SB7Xc or a SB7X2 but they are all the same mute as long as it starts with SB7XC  Those extra numbers are only there for retailer purposes…

..so don’t worry, makes no difference if you choose a SB7Xc or just a SB7X  

PROS

• Back pressure is very tolerable
• Intonation is good
• It is extremely quiet
• Sound is great (obviously)
• Very fun to play and practice with
• Aux-In feature  (if you want, you can listen to play along music in your headphones and hear both a large band AND yourself in your ears at the same time… yet the world around you hears nothing)

CONS

• It costs more that the mutes without digital feedback system
• Intonation is not as good when using it on my Eb-trumpet as when I use it on my Bb-trumpet

About The Yamaha SB7Xc Silent Brass System for Trumpet

Resistance – back pressure:  9/10

Very good for being a practice mute. However the upper register, at loud dynamics, do get a bit stuffy in all honestly.

Pitch: 9/10

Nothing to complain here with the standard Bb-trumpet. When I put it in my Eb-trumpet the intonatin is a bit worse though.

Volume: 10/10

As quiet as it gets on the outside and as loud as you want in your ears.

Material: 10/10

Lightweight hard plastic and the mute completely disappears in your bell. It is so light and convenient that it does not disturb your practicing at all.

Pricing: 8/10

Yes it costs more than the other mutes but with the digital features there is no way we can get around that. We get what we pay for and I think they will always be under 200 dollars so it really is not THAT bad.
You can click here to check the current pricing on Amazon

Final Rating : 9,2 / 10 

Ok so the Yamaha Silent Brass and the Bremner ties for first place. This shows how good the Bremner Sshhmute really is. Of course it is more fun to play with the silent brass and using headphones but if you are shot on cash the Bremner is definitely the one to choose. It matches the Yamaha in performance…

…it’s just that it is not as fun to use.  However it is a very good practice mute and I often use the Bremner instead of the Yamaha, on days I want to feel a bit more “free” and don’t want to mess with cables and head phones.

Ok this was my review of the best trumpet practice mutes out there and in order to not make this article too long I will end it here. I have however made an in depth review of the Yamaha Silent Brass System and if interested you can click here to read that article (Yamaha Silent Brass For Trumpet SB7X review)

Thanks for reading and keep practicing!

-Robert Slotte-