Con sordino

Con sordino (ital. "With mute") means in the notation that the passage in question is to be played with a mute. This instruction is called con sord. abbreviated.

• With string instruments , con sordino is realized by attaching a damper to the bridge.
• In brass instruments , con sordino means inserting a damper into the bell .
• In the case of percussion instruments or the piano , the instruction con sordino is less common. With percussion, felts are usually applied. With the piano, a similar effect is achieved by pressing the left pedal and alternatively also prescribed by “ una corda ”.

To cancel the effect, brass instruments usually have “open” or ouvert (or simply “o”) in the notes , and “senza sordino” (Italian “without mute”) for string instruments.