Mute (music)

[2] Brass mutes are occasionally referred to as "dampers",[2] but "damping" usually means reducing or deadening the sound after it has been played.

[6][12][13] They are made of a variety of materials, including fiber, plastic, cardboard, and metal (usually aluminum, brass, or copper).

[11] 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.

[17] 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.

[15][18] Jazz big band composer Sammy Nestico wrote that mutes can "inject a much needed color change into an arrangement".

[22] In trumpets, it lets through frequencies above about 1800 Hz, producing a shrill, piercing sound that can be penetrating at high volumes.

[6][22] Straight mutes made of materials like plastic or fiberglass are generally darker and less forceful in sound than their metal (usually aluminum[23]) counterparts.

[12][26][27] Sammy Nestico wrote that straight mutes can "shade and soften vocal backgrounds", but opined that they were "a bit harsh".

The name is trademarked by the Humes & Berg Company, but is widely used to refer to similar mutes from other makers.

[31] 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.

[32] The buzz-wow mute has resonators on the end which produce a buzzing effect, similar to a kazoo.

A "stem" (a tube with a small cup) may be inserted into the mute, which changes the instrument's sound and path of airflow.

Players can also move their hand in front of the mute to produce a "wa-wa" effect by alternately closing and opening the bell.

[38] 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.

In 1946, jazz trumpeter Miles Davis pioneered the usage of the mute with stem removed,[40][41] which became part of his trademark sound.

By inserting their hand fully into the instrument, airflow is limited, producing a quiet and nasal sound.

[45] He also invented physical stop mutes for the French horn, which now come in both transposing and non-transposing variants; the latter does not require the player to change their fingerings as they would when hand-stopping.

[46] The solotone mute consists of two telescoping cones and a small tube in the center, all made of cardboard.

Originating with early jazz trumpeters who held empty lard cans in front of their instruments, the first bucket mute was made by William McArthur in 1922.

[49] If a household plunger is used, some players recommend drilling a hole in the middle of it to adjust the sound, though this practice is controversial.

[29] A similar effect can also be achieved with a piece of felt or thick cloth that covers the bell.

[55] Early oboe mutes were inserted into the bell and made of cotton wool, paper, sponge or hardwood.

Muting the oboe and bassoon is now done by stuffing a cloth, handkerchief or disk of sound-absorbing material into the bell.

[3] Made of wood, metal, rubber, plastic, or leather,[59] they result in a darker, less brilliant sound because they dampen high-frequency vibrations in the bridge and shift its resonances to lower frequencies.

[4] They are used in performance, to change the tone of the instrument, or during practice, to minimize disturbing others by reducing volume considerably.

Placed onto the top of the bridge, it stays on by friction, and may be slid up and down to vary the dampening effect.

[64] Some mutes attached to the bridge can be engaged or removed quickly, which is called for in certain modern orchestral works.

[68] A specialized cylindrical metal piece, known as a wolf tone eliminator, can be attached between the bridge and tailpiece of the instrument to adjust the strength and pitch of the problem resonance.

[78] Some percussion instruments, such as the triangle, timpani, and suspended cymbal, are intended to be muted or dampened by hand.