Making Double Bass not as loud...

MichiBass · #1 09-09-2009, 10:42 AM

Hello,

I play a 3/4 romanian Upright Hybrid in my room and the other people I live with always complain that I play too loud, especially with the bow. Well, the bow is louder, I know, but I pluck normally and this is "loud" for them.
So how can I make my bass not as loud?
A friend of mine, double bass player told my to put balloons with air in the F holes, I did that, but it did not worked at all.
Are these mutes good? http://www.thomann.de/de/ultra_kontrabassdaempfer.htm
Or do you know any other tips how to make my bass more silent?

Thanks in advance

kmanley_29649 · #2 09-09-2009, 12:29 PM

I just got one of those mutes myself, and it does help a bit.

MichiBass · #3 09-09-2009, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmanley_29649

I just got one of those mutes myself, and it does help a bit.

Only a bit?
Is it rubber or foam?

Thanks

kmanley_29649 · #4 09-09-2009, 12:58 PM

It's rubber. It probably cuts the volume by half. My wife couldn't hear me playing down the hall anout 20 feet away, so that's an improvement.

Jesse Rosenburg · #5 09-09-2009, 02:08 PM

I've played with both one of the ones you're looking at and one of the tourte type mutes. Both cut down on the sound. I think that ultra practice mute is what you want.

But 30-years ago I used to play in the computer and printer rooms, when printers were 5' tall. No one outside heard me or complained

Best mute ever!

MichiBass · #6 09-10-2009, 10:35 AM

I'm buying one tomorrow and keep you posted

Joe Gress · #7 09-10-2009, 10:36 AM

A mute definitely.

MichiBass · #8 09-13-2009, 11:33 AM

So I bought a mute and it does not fit. I guess it's for 4/4 Basses... It's too big for my bridge. So if anyone wants a 4/4 mute, I sell it.

JDubbleyoo · #9 09-13-2009, 03:16 PM

Yeah, when I need to quiet the bass I use one of those mutes, I fold a washcloth in each f-hole and I push in the endpin a bit and cut the bass off from the floor with something spongy, like a tennis shoe. No complaints ever.

robobass · #10 09-14-2009, 05:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MichiBass

So I bought a mute and it does not fit. I guess it's for 4/4 Basses... It's too big for my bridge. So if anyone wants a 4/4 mute, I sell it.

I had that problem. My string spacing was too narrow. I just trimmed the fingers of the mute a bit with a kitchen knife and got it to fit. I'm still using it 20 years later. Floor decoupling also helps, as has been mentioned.

Phil Rowan · #11 09-14-2009, 08:36 PM

Roll a towel up and place and wedge it into the circular space created by the bottom of the bridge, its feet, and the belly of the bass.. along with that, you could try draping blankets over the entire body of the bass. You could also get a bunch of pillows or cushions, or you bass case (something thick like that).. or, try a tennis shoe first, and rest the end pin on that so that the vibrations created by your playing the bass don't get as easily transferred to the floor (if you're playing on a wooden floor it can act as an amplifier of sorts). And still use the mute, of course.

Moving blankets are good to drape on your walls too, to help catch and soak up the sound (as well as block some of it). Closed cell weather stripping around the edges of your door frame work too (creates an "air tight" seal when you close the door, good for blocking soun). I used to live w/ a tenor player, and the moving blankets and weather stripping was crucial if I wanted to hear myself at all while he practiced in his own room.