Straight mutes, stop mutes, tunable mutes, transpiring, non-transpiring....there are so many, and they aren't cheap! I realize that different pieces of music may require different kinds of mutes, but what would you folks recommend as a good all-around mute for an intermediate player?...a non-transposing straight mute? Brand? It would be for a Holton-Farkas. Thanks.

Generally, there're only two sorts of mutes you may need. There are normal mutes and stopping mutes. I'd suggest getting a tuneable, non-transposing straight mute out of wood. The most popular mutes in Germany and most probably the best mutes out there are the ones handmade by Pöltl (http://www.poeltl-daempfer.de), a horn player in the SWR Orhestra. However, they are quite expensive (145€ without shipping). I've got one and I can say that it produces a wonderful warm sound when played softly and a bright, ringing sound when attacked hard.
As a stopping mute, I use one by Dennis Wick, as do most horn players. However, stopping mutes only makes sense for stopped notes in the lower register, as one can hardly get any sound if stopping low notes by hand. For the middle and higher register hand stopping is to be preferred to using a stopping mute.

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Edit: My stopping mute is by Tom Crown, not Dennis Wick. To the normal mutes: For an intermediate player, this mute http://www.music123.com/Denis-Wick-DW5524-Straight-French-Horn-Mute-360111-i1165569.Music123 will be perfectly OK. Of course, it never hurts to have a better one ...

There are three basic mutes that are caled for in french horn music; straight mute, stopped mute, and cup mute.

The one that you really need is the straight mute. You should learn to play stopped with your hand, and the cup mute is rarely called for and in my opinion not much of a difference in sound from the straight mute to justify the price of one.

If you are in high school I suggest the less expensive Humes & Berg mute. It works. It is the least expensive one available and works. The reason I suggest the Humes & Berg for high school is the mute is going to get kicked around, dropped, tossed, and abused. Also, one day you are going to be distracted at a rehearsal or concert and you are going to leave the mute behind and never find it again. The disadvantage is the mute is not tunable (but you can file the corks for the best fit and play with pulling the mute out just a little bit to adjust pitch when needed - which is good practice). My favorite inexpensive mute was a Miraphone fibre mute. It was non-tunable and served me very well for 26 years until I left it behind at gig.

Stay away from pastic mutes. They crack easily.

When you are ready to move up and make the investment then get a good tunable mute. As stated above in the previous statement I am most happy with wooden straight mutes. My prefence however is the Ion Balu straight mute. They run about $135 USD. I like them so much I have purchased several.

Stopped mutes - same story get an inexpensive one at first. They should be used only for longer passages. As a student I suggest staying away from the non-transposiing stopped mutes. You should learn to play on the standard stopped mute and transpose your part. Later you can invest in the more expensive ones. I prefer to hand stop, but when I do use a stopped mute I use a Best Brass Non-Transposing one (no it's not cheating).

Start with the less expensive standards. Ones you can afford to damage and lose. Then play with other peoples mutes and see what you like before you start investing $100, $300, or even $1,000.00 for a mute. (Yes, I saw straight mute for sale for $1,000.00 - and it was used).

I've once bought a very expensive mute. (I won't mention the brand.) It was a lovely mute. But, I inherited an inexpensive mute that turned out to be a lot better. The one I like the best is the Humes and Burg tunable mute. This is the big clunky, cone shaped one. They only cost about $59.00 new. I've played this mute in horns with three different bell sizes & tapers: a Holton Farkas 179, A Holton Merker Matic, and a Yamaha Geyer wrap 667. It worked great, in fact better than my expensive one in all three instruments. One of my quartet mates liked it so much, he bought one for himself & dumped the mute he'd used for 30 years.

Valerie Wells
"The Balanced Embouchure" for French Horn
Wells123456@juno.com

I use a stopping mute and a straight mute. Stopping can be a bit difficult if you have small hands, and I think that stopping low notes is a lot easier with a stopping mute (though it's better to stop by hand over the entire range).
My stopping mute is this:
http://www.thomann.de/de/tom_crown_waldhorn_stopfdaempfer_messing.html

The straight mute I use is from Engemann, can be tuned with a screw on the bottom, similar to that one, though much wider on the bottom:
http://www.thomann.de/de/engemann_holzdaempfer_fuer_waldhorn_240st.htm
Very happy with that one, produces a warm and velvety tone.
MB mutes are quite popular here too; don't know if it's just because they're from MB though (or because they're soooooo expensive), never played one.
Never came across (or even heard of) a piece where a cup mute is needed.

Has anyone got an opinion on aluminium straight mutes? My beloved Wallace Collection fibre mute has finally given up the ghost after many years of admittedly poor care from me (battered around in suitcases, dropped off stages, stood on by passing trombonists etc) and I'm looking to replace it. The new Aluminium Wallace Collection mutes look pretty good but I don't know anyone who uses one or something similar. Thoughts?

Like someone said above, you really only need two mutes -- (1) a non transposing straight mute which come in a variety of shapes, sizes, materials and prices. More expensive doesn't necessarily mean better. (I have a friend with an aluminum one. It sounds great.)
(2) A transposing stop mute (you transpose down a half step and only play on the F side of your horn) is usually made of brass & has a little tube and tiny bell sticking out the end. Even if you have large hands, it's recommended that you have a stopped mute because the sound is crispier, buzzier & less taxing to produce. There was an article in The Horn Call that said most pros have transposing stop mutes because the directors like the uniform tone they produce better than hand stopping. For me with very small hands, a stop mute is a necessity.

Sometimes it's impossible to place a stop mute fast enough. If you have small hands, you can work out alternate fingerings for playing stopped notes in tune experimenting with the Bb and F sides of your horn. I've found that if I fully hand stop I can get most notes to sound the proper pitch if I transpose down one whole step ON THE Bb side of my horn. But it doesn't work for every note! It takes time to work out the details in the practice room. I've used this hand stopping technique a few times, but prefer a stopped mute whenever possible.

BTW, in a pinch, a styrofoam drinking cup makes a functional transposing stop mute. Poke a pencil size hole in the bottom and hold it tightly in the bell. Put the large drinking rim pointing towards the inside of your horn's bell, small side outward. Try it. You'll be surprized how well it works!

I have one more comment about transposing stop mutes. Get one that fits your instrument. Horns have different size bell throats so need the right size stop mute to play in tune. I've never seen a transposing stop mute advertized as being for "large bell" or "medium bell" horns. You'll just have to experiment to find the right one, preferably with a tuner. When I bought mine, I was fortunate that the music store had two different brands in stock. One played sharp and the other in tune.

Valerie Wells
"The Balanced Embouchure" for French Horn

Rona910,

If you have been palying on the Wallace Collection Fibre Mute you might want to just get another one. The aluminum mutes are just fine, however, if you liked your Wallace Fibre you might be happier with another fibre or wooden mute.

My favorite straight mute right now is the Ion Balu. They are $135 USD, but I love every one of them ( I have purchased 3).

And if you want a wicked stopped mute, he has a new one that is just wicked!!!
You can direct the bell and really give that conductor what he wants.