Mentioned first by Marin Mersenne in his 17th-century book Harmonie Universelle, the mute has long been a part of string playing. Nevertheless, many players regard muted sound as a single color, often giving more attention to whether a particular mute can be easily attached and removed. Artist-performers vary soft sounds through different combinations of bow speed, weight, and contact points as well as fingering. Similarly, building a collection of mutes, which can cost as little as $10 or less, can allow string players to choose from a wide palette of muted colors paralleling those used by many brass players.
When in playing position, the mute increases the mass of the bridge, thus reducing the amplitude of its vibrations and the strength of the produced harmonics, especially the higher harmonics. As a result, tone color generally becomes softer, less brilliant, and the amount of sound is reduced. However, the degree of these effects varies with the type of mute and materials from which it is made.
Mutes come in an array of sizes, shapes, and materials, each affecting the bridge somewhat differently—hence the variations in sound. For example, a large practice mute, which covers the entire top and outside edges of the bridge, with prongs extending between the strings, dampens the sound almost completely. Heavier metal mutes deaden more sound than rubber versions of similar design. Conversely, smaller mutes of less-dense material dampen the volume less. A mute with two prongs will hamper bridge vibrations differently from one with three. And leather, wood, and rubber mutes will each vibrate differently. Some mutes are mounted on the strings between bridge and tailpiece, always ready to be slipped into place, while others are removed from the instrument completely when not in use.
One of my favorite mutes is a unique two-pronged soft aluminum mute. Given to me by a former teacher many years ago, even then it was no longer commercially distributed. Its aluminum is so pliable that its feet can be easily adjusted to fit individual bridge thicknesses. This is an important consideration, because any mute must fit sufficiently tightly so as not to vibrate loose while playing, but not so tightly that the sound is too restricted or the bridge is marred.
This mute’s smooth, sensitive sound is—at the same time—covered but full and light, projecting with a strong, glowing character. Wonderful in both solo and chamber settings (as long as no quick changes between unmuted and muted sections are needed), it’s particularly effective in color-oriented writing such as Prokofiev’s Sonata in F Minor, Op. 80, and de Falla’s Suite Populaire.
One of my former students was so taken with the sound of this mute that he, along with a craftsman, handmade some slightly different models of two-pronged mutes from a slightly harder aluminum as well as other metals. While each had a slightly different sound, the one aluminum mute he gave me has a fine, focused sound that is a little firmer and somewhat brighter sounding than my soft aluminum mute. Unfortunately, the harder mute’s less-adjustable feet do not fit the bridge of my current instruments particularly well, so I seldom use it.
Leather, Ebony, Rosewood
Another of my favorites is a very soft, yellow, three-pronged leather mute. It is easily placed onto the bridge in varying degrees--placing it more deeply increases the muting effect, while a more shallow placement increases the sound projection. But unlike many other mutes, putting it lightly onto the bridge will not result in its eventually vibrating off while being played. Giving a more diffused, less focused sound, this mute is excellent for many impressionist works; I especially enjoy using it in much of the violin-piano writing by Karol Szymanowski (such as Fountains of Arethusa) and other composers influenced by him.
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Still easily available commercially, the long-used ebony mute has been made with three and two prongs and in different sizes. My own has three prongs and is large. Producing a stronger “open” and, often, bright, somewhat nasal sound (almost shrill on some instruments), this mute is suitable for the second movement of the Tchaikovsky Concerto should the soloist choose to heed the composer’s directive in this regard. One disadvantage of this mute is that you must take care not to drop it on hard surfaces, since ebony cracks easily.
In cases when I have wanted a more substantive but less bright sound than the ebony mute, and a more penetrating solo sound than that produced by the aluminum mute, I have used a similarly modeled but smaller mute that seems to be made from rosewood. Found in an old violin case, this mute has proven to be excellent in the major violin solo in the “Pas de Deux” scene from Tchaikowsky’s Swan Lake.
Rubber Slide-on Mutes
For years, my preference in orchestral settings when I needed to project an individual line was the Heifetz mute. Made of rubber and mounted on a string behind the bridge, it has been distributed under different brand names, and it is still commercially available. Unless the mute placement needs to be almost instantaneous, this model is practical in most situations since it takes a little time to lift it from its mounting and place it onto the bridge. Its smooth, projecting, satisfying sound comes close to that of my soft aluminum mute but to a less luminous, uplifting degree.
Like most other players, I have frequently used relatively inexpensive, rubber slide-on mutes permanently mounted on either one or two strings behind the bridge. Marketed under several brand names, tonal variations certainly occur from model to model. But generally, these mutes produce a sound that blends very well when strings play together and that provides an excellent background for other colors such as woodwinds in an orchestra. One disadvantage of these mutes is that they can make a disturbing “rubbing” noise as they are put onto the bridge; this can be easily remedied by using the thin edge of a well-worn bar of soap to lubricate the groove that fits over the bridge.
Furthermore, when heard on individual instruments, the sound of these mutes often has little distinguishing character, and when they’re not in use, they can create a distracting rattle under the ear. Both problems are solved with slide mutes that have a magnet that silently holds it in place when not in use. Marketed by different companies, this type of mute also produces a more distinctive sound quality because of the greater mass created by adding a magnet. The Bech mute I use on my violin creates a sound similar to that I achieve with the Heifetz model. It's a little less full-bodied but a more transparent, airy sound, and, in comparison to my other rubber slide-on mutes, provides much more sound and character projection. But it still offers the full capability to easily blend with other muted strings.
Building my personal mute collection has not only given me a wide range of color choices that has often surprised other players when I have demonstrated them, but, over time, has made me increasingly sensitive to different muted colors within a wide range of musical contexts. I believe that many other string players will find building their own collection will be an equally stimulating experience.
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