Mute (music)
A mute is a device attached to a musical instrument which changes the instrument's tone quality or lowers its volume. Mutes are commonly used on string and brass instruments, especially the trumpet and trombone, and are occasionally used on woodwinds. Their effect is mostly intended for artistic use, but they can also allow players to practice discreetly. Muting can also be done by hand, as in the case of palm muting a guitar or grasping a triangle to dampen its sound.
Mutes on brass instruments are typically inserted into the flared end of the instrument. They can also be held in front of or clipped onto the bell. Of brass mutes, the "straight mute" is the most common and is frequently used in classical and jazz music, but a wide variety are available. On string instruments of the violin family, mutes are usually attached to the bridge, the piece of wood that supports the strings. Palm muting a guitar involves placing the side of the hand across the strings, and some of them have physical mutes which produce a similar effect. Pianos have a soft pedal and occasionally a practice pedal, which both decrease the instrument's volume.
Overview
According to The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians, a mute is a "device used on a musical instrument to modify its timbre by reducing the intensity of certain partials and amplifying others". More generally, it refers to "any of various devices used to muffle or soften the tone of an instrument". The act of using a mute is called "muting". Brass mutes are occasionally referred to as "dampers", but "damping" usually means reducing or deadening the sound after it has been played.Mutes can be used artistically and for practical purposes. They are used in several genres of music: violin mutes have been used in classical music since at least the seventeenth century, and many types of brass mutes are used in jazz. A common misconception is that muting has the sole purpose of decreasing volume, but this is only true of practice mutes; string instruments in particular can easily play softly without additional equipment.
Notation
Musical notation directing players to mute and unmute their instruments varies. The type of mute and when to add and remove is specified in text above the music; open is often used in music for brass to indicate the subsequent passage should be played without a mute. In classical music, the phrase con sordino or con sordini, directs players to use a straight mute on brass instruments, and mount the mute on string instruments. The corresponding senza sordino indicates removing the mute. Synonyms include avec sourdine and sans sourdine ; mit Dämpfer and ohne Dämpfer. Ample time must be given to allow players to add and remove the mute, though some mutes can be engaged and disengaged quickly.For hand muting that changes over time, o is used above the music for open and + for closed. For dampening on percussion or harp, the étouffé symbol or a diamond-shaped notehead is used.
Brass
Mutes are widely used on brass instruments to alter their timbre. They are often directly inserted into the instrument's bell, but can also be clipped or held onto the end of the bell. Mutes of various types are available in many sizes for all brass instruments, including the tuba; trumpet and trombone players have the widest selection of mutes. They are made of a variety of materials, including fiber, plastic, cardboard, and metal. In general, mutes soften the lower frequencies of the sound because they nearly close the bell, but accentuate higher ones due to resonances within the mute.Stoppers for natural trumpets were found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun dating to around 1300 BC, but they were most likely for protecting the instrument from moisture or damage during transport. The earliest known mention of trumpet mutes dates to a 1511 account of a carnival in Florence. Claudio Monteverdi's 1607 opera L'Orfeo opens with a muted trumpet ensemble, which musicologist Wolfgang Osthoff suggests is because the piece was first performed in a small, intimate chamber. These early mutes, known as Baroque mutes, were fashioned from wood and had a hole in the center to permit airflow. They raised the pitch by a semitone or more when inserted, which could be corrected by adding a piece of tubing of appropriate length, known as a crook. Besides musical use, Baroque mutes were used for secret military retreat, funerals, and practice.
The modern straight mute was in widespread use by 1897, being used on tubas in Richard Strauss's Don Quixote. Until the 20th century it was the only mute commonly used in orchestras, but new mutes were eventually invented to create novel, unique timbres, largely for the works of jazz composers. Jazz big band composer Sammy Nestico wrote that mutes can "inject a much needed color change into an arrangement". A well-known example of brass mute usage is the "voice" of adults in The Peanuts Movie, which is actually the sound of a muted trombone.
Straight
The straight mute is roughly a truncated cone closed at the end facing outwards from the instrument, with three cork pads at the neck to allow sound to escape through the space between the bell and the mute. The mute acts as a high-pass filter. In trumpets, it lets through frequencies above about 1800 Hz, producing a shrill, piercing sound that can be penetrating at high volumes. Straight mutes made of materials like plastic or fiberglass are generally darker and less forceful in sound than their metal counterparts. The straight mute is among the few that can be played at a true forte dynamic.The most commonly used brass mute in classical music, straight mutes for trumpet are also used in jazz. It is the only type of tuba mute regularly used and is available for all brass instruments. In classical music, when the mute type is not specified, it is assumed that the player should use a straight mute. Sammy Nestico wrote that straight mutes can "shade and soften vocal backgrounds", but opined that they were "a bit harsh".
The pixie mute is a thinner straight mute inserted further into the bell, and is most commonly used along with a plunger for special effects. The name is trademarked by the Humes & Berg Company, but is widely used to refer to similar mutes from other makers.
Cup
The cup mute is similar to a straight mute, but includes an extra inverted cone on the end opening towards the bell of the instrument. Mostly used in jazz and on trumpet or trombone, it has a more subdued and darker tone than the straight mute. The cup mute in trumpets acts as a band-pass filter, permitting frequencies between 800 and 1200 Hz. The distance between the cup and the end of the bell is adjustable in some cup mutes: a half-closed mute permits more air to escape and thus more volume, while a fully-closed mute produces a quiet tone and is therefore mostly used soloistically.Variants of the cup mute include the mic-a-mute and the buzz-wow mute. The mic-a-mute, so named because it is usually played close to a microphone, has a rubber rim on the cup and felt lining on the inside, creating a richer sound. The buzz-wow mute has resonators on the end which produce a buzzing effect, similar to a kazoo.
Harmon
The harmon mute, also known as the wa-wa, wow-wow, or wah-wah mute, is available for trumpet and trombone and is mainly used in jazz. Unlike the cup and straight mutes, it has a cork that completely blocks airflow around the mute. Instead, air must go into the harmon mute's chamber and escape out a hole, which protrudes into the mute. A "stem" may be inserted into the mute, which changes the instrument's sound and path of airflow. The mute is made of metal and has a cylindrical or bulbous shape; mutes of the latter type are sometimes called "bubble mutes".Depending on the stem's presence and position, the mute has a variety of sounds. In trumpets, the mute without a stem acts as a band-pass filter permitting frequencies between 1500 and 2000 Hz, making a subdued, distant sound. Playing with the stem fully inserted produces a unique, penetrating sound, while playing with the stem halfway out has characteristics of both "stem in" and "stem out" playing. Players can also move their hand in front of the mute to produce a "wa-wa" effect by alternately closing and opening the bell.
An early version of the harmon mute was patented by John F. Stratton in 1865, and the mute in its modern form was patented in 1925 by George Schluesselburg. The name derives from Patrick T. "Paddy" Harmon, who financed Schluesselburg and was assigned half of the interest of Schluesselburg's patent. Harmon's interest in the mute came from his hiring black jazz bands—whose trumpeters sometimes used a predecessor of the mute—to play at his Arcadia and Dreamland ballrooms in Chicago. The harmon mute was originally always played with stem inserted. In 1946, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis pioneered the usage of the mute with stem removed, which became part of his trademark sound. Some trumpeters believe that dents on the mute's chamber improve sound and intonation. An acoustical study at the University of Puget Sound found that large dents led to a "weaker" tone and a degradation in tone quality, while small dents could improve tone and amplify the sound.