[Note: product image is B-flat trumpet model.]
Tom Crown, a professional trumpeter for over forty years, many with the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago, produced his first trumpet straight mute in 1968.
The series of mutes for orchestral brass instruments which followed was quickly adopted by orchestras around the globe.
Since 2019 the complete manufacturing process has been carried out at the company’s own modern factory in Chicago.
Straight mutes are by far the most widely used mutes for brass. They are cone-shaped with three narrow corks to hold them in the bell. Sound emerges from the gaps between the corks. Straight mutes generally reduce low frequencies and accentuate high, giving a more nasal, reedy sound. Aluminium straight mutes have a brighter sound than those made of softer materials like plastic, fibre or wood.
Also available in the Tom Crown trumpet mute range:
Mute | Trumpet | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
B-flat | C | Piccolo | E-flat/D | ||
Straight | Aluminium | TA | TAC | PT | TAD |
Brass end | TB | ||||
Copper end | TC | PTC | TCD | ||
Copper | TCC | TCCC | PTCC | TCCD | |
‘Model A’ | TAA | ||||
Cup | Aluminium | TCUP* | PTCUP | TCUP-Eb | |
Copper | TCCUP* | ||||
Wah-Wah (ET/Harmon) |
Aluminium | TWW* | PTWW | ||
Copper | TWWC* | PTWWC | |||
Practice | TPM* | PTPM |
* Suitable for B-flat or C trumpet