i recently watched a re-run of the myth featuring the rocket powered trombone mute. i think that the rocket did not perform as expected because the mouth piece was not sealed, as it would be if it were being played, the open mouthpiece would surely allow the energy out, reducing rocket power. just a thought

Yes you are correct it would but if a lot of hot nasty air came through the mouth piece due to the explosion would the player keep his lips sealed on the mouth piece?

Just a thought!?

i believe that in the original myth it stated tghat the player's lips were badly burnt. and i think that if there was sufficient force, the rocket would have left, possibly with the slide, before the player could react.

just maybe...

You are possibly correct.

When you say the rocket did not perform as expected, what were you expecting.

Refresh my memory of the myth

the original myth was that a trombonist put some kind of firecracker in his mute, the mute shot off and hit the conductor,sending him flying into the crowd, and the slide flew off and hit the second violinist, the trombonist ended up with severe burns to the lips. apparently.

Did he enter the arena in a vehicle that lost its doors, wheels, bonnet etc as it went around. Did his feet look suspiciously big? Oddly coiffured red hair?

sorry to drag up my old thread, but i knew that some people can be quite irritable when you start a new thread on an old discussion.

but, i saw a revisit of this very myth not long ago, and it has to be said, they abbandonned the trombonist very quickly, before going to more improbable sealants.

i mean, they only placed the ballistics gel head behind the mouth piece.
im no trombonist, but im pretty sure that if youre playing the damn thing, then your going to have a better seal with your lips than that.

if the simulate head had more supple lips (made of silicone or similar)to conform to the mouthpiece's shape better, which were pressed more firmly to the mouthpiece to form a tighter seal, then the results might have been more dramatic.

after seeing how much it too to recreate the effect successfully, i doubt that the better seal would achieve perfect results, but they would likely be better than those yielded by the gel head.

i think its worth another quick revisit, as we already know how much of a seal is needed, i doubt it would take up too much airtime finding out whether a human could achieve it within normal conditions.

*fingers bleeeding profusely from over-typing*