Mute (music)

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A mute is a device which alters the timbre and/or reduces the volume of a musical instrument.

1 Musical directions for muting
2 String
3 Brass
4 Woodwind
5 Percussion
6 Piano
7 See also

[edit] Musical directions for muting

The use of a mute is indicated in sheet music by the direction con sordino (often abbreviated con sord). The mute should be removed with the senza sordino (or senza sord) direction. The equivalent German terms are mit Dämpfer and ohne Dämpfer, respectively.

[edit] String

Image:Wolf tone eliminator.jpg On string instruments of the violin family, the mute takes the form of a device attached to the bridge of the instrument, dampening vibrations and resulting in a "softer" sound. Usually this takes the form of a small three-prong implement which is attached to the top of the bridge with one prong between each pair of strings, although anything which stops the bridge vibrating will suffice, and sprung clothes pegs, for example, have been used.

A more modern invention is a mute which sits on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece of the instrument. This is slid into place right next to the bridge to produce the same effect as the detachable three-pronged mutes.

Heavy "practice mutes" or "hotel mutes" are available for string instruments. These also fix onto the bridge of the instrument and reduce its loudness. They are not used in any serious context, but can be useful to reduce the volume of the instrument when practicing.

On the cello a wolf mute is often attached to the G-string between the bridge and the tailpiece. This does not change the timbre of the instrument on the whole, but helps to eliminate the wolf tone which is found on many cellos around a sixth or seventh above the open G-string. When used to eliminate wolf tones on a double bass, it is often attached on the A-string.

The violin mute was first described by Marin Mersenne in 1636. One of the earliest examples in the use of muted string instruments is found in Act II of Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide, when the entire string section sporadically plays with mutes. However, the use of mutes did not become widespread in classical music until the 19th century when romantic composers sought new timbres from the orchestra. By the 20th century the use of mutes was common.

[edit] Brass

Image:TrumpetMutes.jpg A variety of mutes have been used on brass instruments, all of which either squeeze inside the bell of the instrument, or are hung or clipped to the outside of the bell. These mutes are typically made out of aluminum, brass, or copper metal, but more economical plaster, cardboard, and plastic versions exist. Each material produces a distinctive sound.

The most common type is the straight mute, a hollow, cone-shaped mute that fits into the bell of the instrument. This results in a more metallic, sometimes nasal sound, and when played at loud volumes can result in a very piercing note. Straight mutes have small pieces of cork attached to the end that squeeze against the inside of the bell and hold the mute in place. Straight mutes are available for all brass instruments, including the tuba.

The second common brass mute is the cup mute. Cup mutes are similar to straight mutes, but attached to the end of the mute's cone is a large lip that forms a cup over the bell. The result is removal of the upper and lower frequencies and a rounder, more muffled tone.

The solo-tone mute is shaped like a long straight mute, and includes sound baffles inside the mute that accentuate treble frequencies. Because it sounds much like a tightly inserted cup mute, it is no longer written for, although it can be common in jazz ensemble music written between 1930 and 1950.

The buzz-wah mute is shaped like a cup but is designed with vibrating membranes on the mute, as if several kazoos were attached to the instrument. This mute creates a very unusual and recognizable sound, but is quite difficult to play, and is extremely rare in performance.

Harmon mutes, also known as Wah-wah mutes (Harmon is a brand name), are hollow, bulbous mutes in two parts. Unlike the more common straight or cup mutes, the Harmon mute has a solid ring of cork that completely blocks all of the air leaving the bell, and forces all of the instrument's air column into the mute. In a hole on the front of the mute there is a cup on a tube that can be slid in or out, or removed completely, depending on the composer's direction or the player's preference. The mute produces a sound perhaps best described as a highish pitched 'buzz'. Harmon mutes are available for many brass instruments, but are only commonly used by trumpets and trombones.

Bucket mutes attach to the rim of the bell with springs and contain cotton or a similar substance. The effect is removal of high frequencies and a soft, muffled tone. Some modern bucket mutes are built with strips of cork, like straight and cup mutes, to make their use more convenient; players often find the spring-style mutes awkward for quick passages.

Bowler hat or hat mutes (also confusingly called Wah-wah mutes) were common in jazz the from 1920s when King Oliver and others wrote for them. These mutes, which look very much like actual hats, are typically mounted on stands in front of the trumpet and trombone players, to permit quick movement of the bell in and out of the hat quickly, although they can be opened and closed over the bell of the instrument by hand. Real bowler hats are often used in place of wah-wah mutes. These mutes are archaic, as the bucket mutes give an extremely similar sound.

Stop or Stopping mutes are unique to the French horn. The term hand-stopping involves the hornist inserting his/her hand into the bell of the instrument, completely cutting off the airflow. A buzzing sound results, and the tone is raised a semitone from the shortening of the effective length of the instrument. At lower intervals, application of this technique is very demanding. At the pedal level, it is nearly impossible (as in the final movement of Tchaikovsky's Symphony no. 6). To remedy this, a small mute made of brass, with a small branch and tiny brass bell, is substituted for the hand. It still takes an enormous amount of air to achieve the "stopped" sound, but is certainly possible for an experienced player. Stop mutes have traditionally transposed the muted notes, but a line of non-transposing stop mutes have recently been developed in Japan.

Plungers (typically unused rubber toilet plungers) are often used in a manner similar to the hat mute, where the musician manipulates the plunger in front of the bell while playing with her other hand. A "closed" plunger gives a tone similar to a tightly inserted cup mute, and a skilled plunger technician can often produce sounds startlingly similar to the human voice. In Duke Ellington's orchestra, trombonist Tricky Sam Nanton was noted for his work with the "plumber's friend". Another famous example is the teacher's voice in the animated Peanuts cartoons.

Practice mutes are similar to straight mutes in appearance, but have a solid ring of cork that prevents air from escaping from the bell, like a Harmon mute. There are sound baffles inside the mute, and tiny holes in the sides of the mute that allow air to escape silently. These mutes are extremely quiet and are rarely used in performance. They are usually used for privacy and to avoid annoying bystanders during practice sessions. In a modern variation, Yamaha makes an electronic practice mute system, Silent Brass, that amplifies the sounds inside the practice mute and sends them through headphones.

[edit] Woodwind

Sound from woodwinds emanates mainly from the holes in the instrument's body. Muting woodwind instruments is very uncommon, and in the case of the flute is almost completely unheard of. In the 18th century purpose-built mutes existed for the oboe and clarinet, but in the rare cases when one of these instruments is muted today a handkerchief is usually stuffed up the bell resulting in a muffled sound. Some bassoonists still use purpose built mutes, generally as a way of regulating volume at extremes of the instrument's register.

There exist saxophone mutes which are usually made of a soft material (such as velvet, silk or chenille) woven around a hard inner ring (usually brass or plastic). This mute is placed in the bell, most commonly perpendicularly to the body of the saxophone. This softens the tones of the saxophone somewhat, and can be useful in classical settings as it also dampens the sound a bit. They are not in common use, but they are not rare either. They are usually only made for the alto saxophone, although bigger and smaller ones can be made and used for higher and lower registers of saxophone.

[edit] Percussion

Percussion instruments require no specialist mutes. If a triangle, for example, is to be muted, this can be achieved by simply gripping the instrument with the hand, stopping it vibrating so much. Drums can be muted by laying a cloth over their skin resulting in a muffled sound. Timpani players will run their fingers across the surface of the drumhead to control unwanted resonance.

[edit] Piano

The soft pedal of the piano, the use of which makes the hammers hit only two of the three strings for each note (or one of the two at lower registers) can be seen as a kind of mute. Indication that the soft pedal should be used is the instruction una corda or sometimes due corde with tre corde or sometimes tutte le corde cancelling it. On older pianos it was possible by use of the soft pedal to play only one, two or all three strings, making the distinction between una corda (one string) and due corde (two strings) meaningful, but this is no longer the case.

It was common for pianos to be fitted with another kind of mute: a piece of felt or similar material which would sit between the hammers and the strings. This results in a very muffled and much quieter sound. It was not used in any serious context, but was useful to reduce the volume of the instrument when practicing. Few pianos, apart from some uprights, have this device today.

To confuse matters, the instruction senza sordino is sometimes used to indicate use of the sustain pedal on a piano, although this is more usually indicated by Image:Ped mark.PNG written below the staff.