I can relate to not wanting to drive the family bananas with mandolin practice. When I play guitar it's not so bad because I'm usually playing and singing songs, or learning new ones in short order. But with the mandolin, it's seemingly endless tries at fiddle tunes where I trip up in the same places over and over again. I'm sure it's murder for the listener. I usually hole up in our upstairs bedroom.
As far as a quiet mandolin, I'm sure an electric one would work about as well as anything. I have a (very lonely) Telecaster that I drag out now and then and play unplugged (or I use a headphone amp). If I'm playing lightly it's barely audible. But if I dig in you can probably hear it in the next room, though faintly. There's really just no way around making some kind of noise while practicing.
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i wonder if a violin mute would work? Be thankful you're not also trying to get in a couple of hours of baritone saxophone practice.
Why don’t you just take an hour or two and sit with hubby and watch tv...one can’t practice 24/7...
Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7
I only practice/play 1/7. Would like 1.5/7. Too much to ask? If so, I'll quit now.
Oh, and I sit with him in front of the TV several hours each day/evening. That won't change, despite the fact I'd be happy with no TV.
Not looking to be judged in this thread, but, rather, for suggestions for doing some quiet practice. Sorry if I didn't make that clear.
Last edited by Sherry Cadenhead; Apr-04-2021 at 11:37am. Reason: Afterthoughts
I've been playing allot watching subtitled French cop shows. I can hear the gunshots, screeching tires and all and if I want to understand the dialog I read it. Get your husband to turn on closed captioning..or watch foreign shows.
I think most violin mutes clip over the top of the bridge and a violin mute is much thinner than the top of a mandolin bridge. Too bad about that. There is a heavy violin mute Made of metal that practically makes the violin almost silent. But it goes over the top of the violin bridge. And banjo bridges are also thinner do those won’t work either.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Something like this might work: https://www.stringsbymail.com/rosett...tool-5806.html
or just get some scrap high density foam. I bet the big box stores have it for some use or other.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Violin mutes work by adding Mass to the bridge .. it seems ..
writing about music
is like dancing,
about architecture
Sherry - I just tried using a folded bandana on my oval and was surprised how quiet it was
not absolute silence as there is slight pick sound but not much
with a f-hole you would need several bandanas
the object is to first mute the strings (next to the bridge) and secondly to block the resonant chamber at the sound hole(s)
the bandanas are obviously very pliable and easy on finish
A most interesting question!
Friend of mine would stick a towel in his sax.I use an unplugged electric.Headphones on the tv?
I had a velcro-affixed thick neoprene cover made for my Rigel R-200 that completely covered the body. Cut the volume in half without affecting playability or tone one bit. (Sorry I don't have a photo handy, I'm in the middle of moving.) In the quest for absolute silence, no way could it compete with a single-string solid body electric with dead light strings and an unclicky pick (like a small Primetone), and I doubt that any modification to an acoustic (short of filling it with concrete) that still renders it playable can.
mando scales
technical exercises for rock blues & fusion mandolinists
mp4 backing tracks & free downloadable pdfs
jimbevan.com
Now you got about every option under the sun short of digging a hole
Good luck Sherry! I spent the week with Julie and the grandkids and Julie made me play on the balcony because I was too loud
On the bright side, I had three random strangers stop by to thank me for playing and tell me how great it sounded, and a person across the street stopped his car in the driveway and listened for a half hour
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