Chiff and Fipple Forums

Hi

I'd like to share with you my little project for a cheap flute mute
It seems to work but perhaps I'm not impartial
I can play with strong breath and the sound is muffle also in the high octave
The minus is that the right intonation of notes is lost, but the plus is that you can play and you can study fingers positions and the
blow (with happiness of the neighbours )

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8jz9dxgp57sq ... 9x_xa?dl=0

The mute is made with the refrigerator sponge (thickness is 1cm) to prevent mould formation (I find it in a shop of household products) and It's perfect to drain the condensation
I apply a little piece of PET from a water bottle to firm the mute in the head (the wings in the picture)
I reinforced the sponge with a brass wire and It is also perfect to trig the mute
I tried different shapes and lenght and this is the best (lenght 9 cm; height 1,9).
The mute is perpindicular in relation to the sound hole and the deep is under it
When you put it in the head, there must be space from sponge and the cork
I would be pleased to have your opinion and if someone try to make it, suggestions for improvement

thanks

E.B.

Previously I was interested in ways to mute my flute to extend my practice time without inconveniencing neighbours. I thought the obvious option to play quieter might have a negative effect on embouchure.

The advice I received from more experienced players was to do exactly that - play quieter

That’s now what I occasionally do when I need to lower the volume and I feel this has given me more control without sacrificing tone.

Personally my instinct is to pass on that good advice that I was given rather than stick anything in my flute to distort airflow while playing. So much of what we do when we practice is self-monitor airflow and micro-adjust for tone.

Agreeing with mendipman, here. You should work at playing quietly, without foreign objects, for the very reason that the flute already has this capacity, where a whistle does not. Playing quietly with focused tone is an exercise in itself, and can only help your embouchure technique overall.