Plunger damper
The plunger damper is a damper for trumpet and trombone .
Legend has it that Buddy Bolden invented it in 1909 as a gag by using a stick without a stick. The plunger and its use as a damper was popularized by Duke Ellington , who used it in his orchestra for the typical growling effects. The first specialists in Ellington's band in these types of special effects were trumpeter Bubber Miley and trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton , and others have followed over the years ( e.g. Cootie Williams and Clark Terry ). The plunger is held over the bell of the instrument with the left hand. The typical wah-wah effects can be created by opening and closing the bell. When the bell is almost closed, the sound is similar to that of the cup mute . Even today, a drain cleaner made of rubber that was not used for its intended purpose is still used as a plunger, without the wooden handle. This is the cheapest variant of a damper.
There are also plunger dampers made of metal, namely the cup half of a combination damper , consisting of a cup damper and a straight damper . With this steamer, the cup half can be clamped onto the straight, so that three are possible with a single steamer: straight, cup and plunger. The disadvantage of the bell half is that it is made of metal and, when used as a plunger, creates a rattle in the event of accidental contact with the bell that does not happen with the same rubber damper.
