for christmas I received the Yamaha silent brass system for the trumpet with the receipt. its pretty much a mute with a wire going from it to a little box then I can plug headphones into the box and hear myself play. I can also add an auxiliary line hooked to an mp3 player or something and play with it karaoke style (which ill never do). It was somewhere around 100 bucks should i keep it or take it back?

It feels like theres alot of resistance when I play and my notes sound alot worse with it in than when its out. Does anybody else have this? what do you suggest?

ive never heard of it. i think that it is your choice.

The Yamaha Silent brass is a great practice mute. It is intended to be used so you can practice without bothering anyone. For example I use mine to practice at 4am in the morning so I don't wake up my wife before I go to work. If you live in an apartment or travel with your instrument it is great.

If you have no need for a "silent " practice mute then take it back and spend the money on something you can use. If you are going to college soon keep it so you can practice in the dorms.

JOhn

The silent brass system is not designed for normal practice. They are supposed to be used when you are, say, in an airport, or at a hotel... somewhere that makes normal practice impossible. You should only practice lightly and quietly on them, just enough to keep your chops in shape until the next day when you can really practice. One of my teachers, Rex Richardson, uses it for this purpose since he is on the road a lot and often cannot practice, but is expected to perform right when he gets to his destination, so if he hadn't played at all as opposed to a brief, light session he wouldn't be able to perform very well.

the back pressure from this mute is not good for you as it creates a lot of tension in your chest cavity and throat making your sound thin and pinched.