lindafhorton53 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:04:23

Does anyone have a very EASY explanation or diagram on what to do to be able to put a towel or something in the back of my banjo so I can practice? IT's an arch top. but I also have an Earl Scruggs Gibson. Can you do that to both? Or should I just stick with the practice banjo?

Someone mentioned this to me this past Sat. but am afraid to try it on my own!! don't want to break my banjar. I'm staying in an extended stay hotel for awhile and REALLY need to quieten it so I can practice! Found a local jam group and need to get those fingers limbered up and a little speed working again!! Thanks in advance.

Swiss - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:12:58

I had the same problem and use one of these  mikesbanjomute.com/

Works wonders.

Chris

steve davis - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:13:58

I use 2 clothespins attached to the outside feet,but this may not be quiet enough for your situation.

Ira Gitlin - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:14:45

Take a normal bandana (18"x18"), fold it on the diagonal, and roll it up. Feed this rolled-up cloth under the strings on the playing side of the bridge until about half of it is sticking out beyond the first string. Take that end and feed it back up underneath the strings on the tailpiece side of the bridge. At this point the bandana is wedged under the strings and against both sides of the bridge. It really kills the volume, but you can still hear well enough to tell if you're playing the right notes.

Jim Yates - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:29:46

banjohangout.org/topic/200928

Check out this thread.

eagle32 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:38:49

The cloth rolled up and put between the rod and the head works great for me.

Jim D - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:40:35

Take a calling card thickness sized refrigerator magnet. Cut two strips about 1/4" X the width of your bridge. Put one strip on top of the strings, just in front of the bridge and the other beneath the strings in the same place. Cheap and effective.

gradelyduck - Posted - 05/09/2011:  08:47:58

quote:

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Originally posted by Jim D

Take a calling card thickness sized refrigerator magnet. Cut two strips about 1/4" X the width of your bridge. Put one strip on top of the strings, just in front of the bridge and the other beneath the strings in the same place. Cheap and effective.

 

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I'm gonna try that one

jimhend - Posted - 05/09/2011:  09:07:33

quote:

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Originally posted by lindafhorton53

Does anyone have a very EASY explanation or diagram on what to do to be able to put a towel or something in the back of my banjo so I can practice?

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EASY EASY EASY

Strip of foam rubber, like a hair curler about the size of your thumb, squash it a little and slide under (all) the strings in front (neck side) of the bridge. Damps the strings down quiet as can be.

bumblecrow - Posted - 05/09/2011:  09:46:00

band-orchestra.musiciansfriend...D=2179950

If you cut the ends off so the slot in the middle runs the whole length, this mute works very well. 

lindafhorton53 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  10:00:00

You guys are awesome!! And so quick with your help and advice! thank you so much, I'm going to try these and see which quietens the most and the quickest. I will start tonight.  It ain't easy being a banjo picker/learner trying to exist for awhile in a hotel!!

John Estep - Posted - 05/09/2011:  10:09:55

why not just lay your picken hand across the strings as you pick....

pickNgrin - Posted - 05/09/2011:  10:19:58

I went through a time when I wanted to play muted. I tried the washcloth and the clothes pins, and a few other things too. They work ok in a pinch. The washcloth stuffed in the head will mute it pretty good, but the banjo doesn't respond the same way as without it. The drawback is that you might get used to playing a certain way, and then find out that what you learned doesn't work too good when the washcloth isn't in there.  

The clothes pins were a complete pain in the tail and I got sick of fooling with them. I kept bumping them with my hand and knocking them loose, or they would droop down and touch the head.

The best thing that I found was a mute like this one: mikesbanjomute.com/. It works great, only takes a few seconds to put on and off, does not get in the way, and does not drastically affect your banjo tone.. it just makes it quieter. A mute like this one is 1000% better than any of the "home remedies" that I tried. 

Mine was made by a guy in Canada. it is called a Fielding-Cutler mute. I googled it and could not find it...  maybe he isn't making them any more. I bought mine 5 or 6 years ago. The one I linked to above looks just like the one I've got. I have played in a hotel room many times with my mute and never got a complaint.

-matt

Edited by - pickNgrin on 05/09/2011 10:25:55

xnavyguy - Posted - 05/09/2011:  10:41:11

If you don't play on top of the bridge, a fiddle mute works pretty good, slipped over the top of the bridge.  It will also give your banjo a nice, sweet tone that you might like.

Klondike Waldo - Posted - 05/09/2011:  11:42:08

Bear in mind, if you have a compensated bridge, none of the above mentioned commercial mutes will work well, but spring-loaded clothespins will.

cockneybanjo - Posted - 05/09/2011:  11:46:49

Fielding-Cutler mute works fine with a compensated bridge. Don't know about the Mike's Mute one, which is a very similar style, I'd guess it would. banjohangout.org/classified/15796

The Gold Tone one ( the folded strip of felt-lined brass which slips on the bridge ) will not fit a compensated bridge. It will fit a tenor, also a banjo-uke.

The F-C one certainly doesn't fit a 4-string bridge ( ie a tenor )

Edited by - cockneybanjo on 05/09/2011 11:48:30

wb4yal - Posted - 05/09/2011:  12:22:39

For a long term solution you cant beat  Mike's Mute.

banjohangout.org/reviews/searc...edir=true

KANINJACK - Posted - 05/09/2011:  12:23:47

Lay your heel of your hand on the bridge. Clothes pins work also. Taking the reso off will help some too.

Mumble Peg - Posted - 05/09/2011:  12:47:38

Pete Seeger said it:  "...a cloth to stuff inside the drum when you want to play without being too loud. A handkerchief is too small, a bath towel too big but a DIAPER is just right."

I have that original diaper that Pete developed the technique with. It had belonged to his little brother, Mike. Probably being "soiled" and washed so many times gives it the perfect damping qualities.

No, it is not for sale, so don't ask. I am leaving it in my will to the Banjo Hall of Fame.

"Ever wonder what it smells like in a pew factory?"

banjori - Posted - 05/09/2011:  12:51:54

Cut a piece of a sponge 1" x 3" and stuff it under the strings in front of the bridge.

ken61 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  14:24:51

Two Ways

1.  Find some of that stuff they use to hold pictures on the wall without holes or leaving marks.  The Tack Stuff which looks like putty.  Lay some across the bridge--works even on a curved compensated bridge.

2.  and better:  find a piece of brass 1/4 inch wide.  If your compensated bridge is curved, curve the brass to fit.  Cut the length to go from one end of the bridge to the other end.

FIx this to the top of the bridge with two small thin plastic wire ties

The more mass in the brass piece the quieter the sound.  Works great !  I have one banjo with this on it all the time for playing when my wife is around.

I suppose all the methods work to some extent.  I like these two.

ken

jem589 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  15:55:32

I'm using a violin mute, just a piece of rubber that fits on top of the bridge. It's getting stretched and deformed over time since it's bent around my compensated bridge, but doesn't get in the way much, really damps the sound without making it feel funny, and is really cheap.

Sleepyhead2011 - Posted - 05/09/2011:  16:35:40

I've had banjo mutes but the problem is that they flatten the attack resulting in a prolonged sustain effect that makes it sound like a lute or something. Not a bad sound in its own right but when you get to playing it properly again it just sounds overtly staccato and takes quite a while to get used to again. Stuffing a towel or rag or whatever into the pot works just as well without that drawback. Just my experience.

Roll Player - Posted - 05/09/2011:  19:04:41

banjohangout.org/topic/193410

garman - Posted - 05/09/2011:  20:16:23

Any type of soft roll ear plug, put them between the strings behind the bridge. Quiet as a mouse.

Karen Kruske - Posted - 05/10/2011:  03:36:13

quote:

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Originally posted by cockneybanjo

Fielding-Cutler mute works fine with a compensated bridge. Don't know about the Mike's Mute one, which is a very similar style, I'd guess it would. banjohangout.org/classified/15796

The Gold Tone one ( the folded strip of felt-lined brass which slips on the bridge ) will not fit a compensated bridge. It will fit a tenor, also a banjo-uke.

 

I use Mike's Mute on a compensated bridge. It works fine, just don't tighten it down extremely hard. I like the sound it produces, for a change.

 

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BobbyC. - Posted - 05/10/2011:  06:33:55

The ultimate banjo mute from Janet Davis works well.

John Allison - Posted - 05/10/2011:  07:13:04

Mine is real cheap and easy to find.  I use a piece of foam rubber (such as that found in disposable paint brushes or that found in the insulation strips used to seal around window air conditioners.  I cut it about 1/2 inch wide with the length extending from just outside (1/16 inch) the first string to just outside (1/16 inch) the 5th string and just high enough to snuggly fit between the head and the bridge.  Once in place, I push if firmly agains the bridge (on the neck side).  Cuts down on the volumn, does not alter the tone significantly but does kill the sustain. 

pickNgrin - Posted - 05/10/2011:  07:48:41

I tried the foam under the strings thing, but it always seemed like I knocked the bridge out of position a little. It is hard to mess with that stuff if you have picks on, which I always did for some reason. I guess I'm not much for planning ahead. 

-matt

tgaryc - Posted - 05/10/2011:  08:01:09

I think this is a problem every banjo player goes through. I have tried the bridge mutes and they did make the banjo quiter but I didn't like the tone. I have been concentrating on my volumn  lately and am making progress on the loudness, I'm at the point where I can play softer and quiter with out the mute than with it. This also helped my speed and pick noise. A good banjo is Loud face it, I think playing softly is all part of the learning process, so I make it part of my regular practice . If you are relaxed you will play softer and cleaner. I know it is hard but it can be done. best of luck  Gary C

lindafhorton53 - Posted - 05/10/2011:  09:10:15

Thanks again to EVERYONE who replied! I appreciate the help. I tried Ira Gitlin's first thing when I got home last night and it works GREAT! I didn't have a bandana so I borrowed my gr. son's boy scout bandana, put it carefully under the strings just as directed and can't believe the diff., and yet he's right I can still just hear enough to be able to know what I'm playing!!! 

To all those who suggested the muter thing for the bridge, I've had one of Janet Davis', I believe it's the "Ultimate" for a couple of years and that thing has never worked----it won't fit my bridge and I just never sent it back. It's never been used. Didn't want to buy another one because figured it wouldn't fit either.

The other suggestions I've written down so I can pass the info on to others when needed.  And who knows, I may go ahead and try the other solutions to compare the diff. but right now this method is working fine for me. Boy, was I happy I could actually PRACTICE!! Very sad that I've lost speed tho since I've been unable to practice.

But, thanks again, I appreciate your help and I will pass it on whenever I get the chance!

thetexan - Posted - 05/10/2011:  10:52:57

A towel works but is labor intensive so you tend to leave it in the banjo.  Bad idea....to leave it, that is.  Imagine my astonishment when I took off on FMB at a show one time as the kick off song only to not have any sound come out of the banjo!!!!  Forgot to remove the towel.  And...there is no way to recover from ruining a kick off song like FMB.  So I turned it into a show and tell about how a banjo is constructed as I removed the pot and took out the towel.  About half the crowd was already nearly asleep (it was a nursing home).  By the time I finished rebuilding my banjo most of the rest were out for the night! 

Mute carefully, grasshopper.

gas - Posted - 05/11/2011:  11:00:11

A cut off sock works just like the bandana and is a good place to store your picks and capo when not playing.

lindafhorton53 - Posted - 05/11/2011:  14:02:21

Gas, thank you, that's a good idea too and I DO have a couple of old socks laying around so can give my grandson back his Boy Scout Bandana!

maryzcox - Posted - 05/11/2011:  18:38:48

Linda--don't do that--Play LOUDER--I think I hear canoes. 

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justdrawinglines - Posted - 05/13/2011:  19:17:08

FWIW - after screwing around with socks, towels, sponges, magnets, bandanas, etc., and hating the choked sound all of these solutions produced, I ordered one of Mike's mutes. I got it today. I have to say it's the best dough I've spent on a gadget of any kind in a long time. Wow! It's awesome! It doesn't kill the sound - it just makes it quieter. Love it!

Karen Kruske - Posted - 05/14/2011:  03:20:20

quote:

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Originally posted by justdrawinglines



FWIW - after screwing around with socks, towels, sponges, magnets, bandanas, etc., and hating the choked sound all of these solutions produced, I ordered one of Mike's mutes. I got it today. I have to say it's the best dough I've spent on a gadget of any kind in a long time. Wow! It's awesome! It doesn't kill the sound - it just makes it quieter. Love it!

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Don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. Glad you're happy with it. I really like the different sound it produces, just for a little change sometimes when I'm playing.

justdrawinglines - Posted - 05/14/2011:  05:31:34

Don't want to say I told you so, but I told you so. Glad you're happy with it. I really like the different sound it produces, just for a little change sometimes when I'm playing.

Jazz Country - Posted - 05/14/2011:  14:02:27

quote:

---

Originally posted by Ira Gitlin

Take a normal bandana (18"x18"), fold it on the diagonal, and roll it up. Feed this rolled-up cloth under the strings on the playing side of the bridge until about half of it is sticking out beyond the first string. Take that end and feed it back up underneath the strings on the tailpiece side of the bridge. At this point the bandana is wedged under the strings and against both sides of the bridge. It really kills the volume, but you can still hear well enough to tell if you're playing the right notes.

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I couldn't decide between my red and blue bandana, so I used a plain white handkerchief. Works like a charm!

Larry

grogzilla0 - Posted - 05/15/2011:  08:52:49

I use a kneadable eraser rolled into a sausage shape then lay on top of the bridge.  Squish it down flat, and viola!  It doesn't get in the way of my picking hand, mutes really well, but you still get banjo tone.  It's easy to remove, and doesn't mar the bridge.  If you need more muting, squish it down a little more.  Works well is easy, and extremely cheap.

Beards and Banjos - Posted - 05/20/2011:  07:54:59

On my open back, I have found that my wallet sits between the skin and the dowel stick absolutely perfectly and mutes just fine.

On my resonator I have found that a slight pressure from my wrist on the bridge takes care of volume. This one isn't deliberate though and I am working to correct it.

You could always follow the advise of the wise woman and kill everyone in the world, then volume is no problem! 

dannnjo - Posted - 05/20/2011:  17:51:21

gorilla tape on top of the strings and brdge works also, and is very adjustable and adaptable,,, 

Hammerknocker - Posted - 05/23/2011:  09:44:25

when I need to practice without bothering my significant other I just leave the picks in the case and play with fingertips.

I can dial it down another notch by removing the resonator.  And one more by putting a piece of foam inside the pot.

But usually fingertips is enough.