Vhizzper – the practice mute for trumpet with innovative dual function
- Developed by GERMAN BRASS member trumpeter Christoph Baerwind
- Developed and manufactured in Germany
- Two patents pending (DE102014117476.3 and DE102017131046.0)
- Good airflow
- Regulation of the blowing resistance
- Adjustment of the intonation
- Adaptation to different bell shapes due to the patented ring system
- Use as a mouthpiece mute
- Break-proof thanks to high-quality materials
Idea, design, production and communication: Made in Hamburg
It all started with an innovative idea that professional musician Christoph Baerwind, a member of German Brass, had. His idea was to create a practice mute that would enable virtually silent rehearsals and could also be used as a mouthpiece mute.
When used as a practice mute, the sound emitted from the trumpet is optimally reduced. When used as a mouthpiece mute, it minimises the sound produced by mouthpiece buzzing. In both cases, the noise pollution for those around you is greatly reduced, and the special technology ensures excellent airflow. The dual function gives you maximum flexibility in all practice situations.
Vhizzper – the practice mute that does more than just mute
Whether rehearsing or preparing for a big performance, success depends largely on your approach and how you train your lips.
This requires a lot of practice, regardless of the space available. Often, you will not have access to a soundproof practice room and will either have to use a mute or concentrate on buzzing.
The Vhizzper is a practice mute that greatly reduces the volume of the sound. The air resistance is comfortable for the musician and the air flow is optimal. Unlike many other mutes, the intonation remains virtually unchanged. If the mouthpiece is inserted directly into the mute, it also works excellently as a mouthpiece mute.
This detail is simply ingenious.
And ingeniously simple.
At the entrance to the practice mute, there is a small wheel that allows you to individually adjust or close the air supply. The wheel’s precise mechanism clicks into place with each adjustment, making it easy to find the exact setting you want.
This is particularly helpful if you want to achieve an even greater reduction in the volume of the practice mute. This allows you to reliably fix your ideal position. When closed, the Vhizzper functions as a mouthpiece mute.
With Vhizzper, you become the Lord of the Rings
To ensure that the Vhizzper fits perfectly in different bell sizes, individual or multiple rings can be removed. With all 5 rings, the mute is designed for large bells. The smaller the bell, the fewer upper rings are required and the more can be removed in stages. The same applies to intonation control. The deeper the Vhizzper sits in the bell, the higher the intonation.
Contributions in trade magazines and on the radio
Test in the german trade magazine CLARINO
Test in the german trade magazine SONIC
Contribution on NDR Kultur Radio
If you are a trumpet player and have neighbours, whether at home or in a hotel when travelling, there is often a problem – sooner or later, practising gets on the nerves of those around you. Christoph Baerwind, who has been a trumpeter in the Hamburg State Opera Orchestra for over 30 years and a member of German Brass since 1992, was dissatisfied with the wide range of practice mutes available and spent years working with a trumpet maker to develop a new practice mute.
Christoph Baerwind spent five years tinkering with the development of the ‘Vhizzper’, five years to achieve a good playing feel. Together with a trumpet maker from Hamburg, he began experimenting with a wide variety of materials: from plastic pipes from the hardware store to bells and pots to all sorts of other things, the two spent a year trying to build a practice mute. ‘It was extremely time-consuming (…) and in the end, we created a mute that is now in production,’ reports Baerwind.
Improved airflow
The result is a plastic material reinforced with fibreglass – a very robust, hard material. Air flow and intonation have now been improved, explains Christoph Baerwind: ‘Air flow is always very important for us trumpeters, for all wind players. Many mutes do not provide good air flow because they are so small that they lack volume and cannot build up a good air column. That was my first focus.’
Adjustable intonation
‘The second focus was on intonation, because most mutes don’t actually tune well. This is because they sit at different depths in the different bells,’ continues the Hamburg native.
This problem was solved with a system of up to five rubber rings. This is because there are many different trumpet models. The individually removable rings allow you to adjust the intonation to suit your needs, from the American C trumpet to the German Bb trumpet, which also varies from player to player.
Practical dual function
Another new feature is the dual function of the practice mute: it can be adjusted to fit not only the bell but also the mouthpiece. ‘Unlike woodwind instruments, our lips vibrate rather than a reed, as is the case with the oboe or clarinet,’ explains Baerwind.
In fact, with the ‘Vhizzper’ practice mute, you can whisper and murmur on the trumpet, and perhaps even spare your own ears. Christoph Baerwind is very pleased with his invention: ‘You can practise comfortably at this volume, and the neighbours won’t be disturbed.’
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