Mute (musical instrument)

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A damper is a utensil for a musical instrument , in particular to change the tone color or quality or the volume of the same. He is also called Sordine, Sourdine or Moderator. In the notation , the corresponding notes are con sordino or (straight / harmon / cup) mute ; the resolution is ouvert , open , aperto , open or senza sordino . Also "+" or "°" for the required "closed" (+) or "open" (°) instrument are used by brass players and especially often for the horns and indicate a hand stop (instead of damping by means of a Device).

String instruments

Damper on the cello (above: so-called " wolf killer ", below: movable damper)

With string instruments , it is often a kind of ebony clamp that is placed on the bridge and thus dampens the transmission of vibrations from the strings to the resonance body. The sound becomes softer, more “nasal” and a little quieter. The violin mute was first described by Marin Mersenne in 1636, Jean Baptiste Lully first prescribed it in a composition in 1681. The mute was not used regularly on string instruments until the later Romantic period as an essential aid for expanding the timbre of the string body.

More modern versions made of plastic or metal can remain on the strings permanently and are pushed from a rest position between the bridge and tailpiece onto the bridge if necessary. This makes it possible to quickly put the damper on and off again, which has been required more often in music since the Romantic era. "Hotel dampers" are heavy metal dampers that make the sound very quiet, which is particularly advantageous for longer practice (e.g. in a hotel); however, they change the response of the instrument significantly.

Brass instruments

In brass instruments , the damper is a hollow body made of wood ( frustoconical ), metal (e.g. aluminum, adapted to the shape of the bell), compressed cardboard or plastic, which is inserted into the bell and at which the end reaching into the tube is open.

Mutes for brass instruments occur mainly in jazz music and its offshoots (swing, pop, dance music of the 40s and 50s) as well as in film music and also in classical concert literature from the early 20th century.

Sheet metal mutes are mainly used for the trombone and the trumpet . The four most important and characteristic variants are: Straight (Eng. "Pointed Damper") , Cup , Harmon and Bucket . There is also the so-called plunger made of rubber, as well as the Velvetone mute and the practice mute (training mute). In classical concert music, in which sheet metal dampers are mainly used from the 20th century, the term "with damper" generally refers to the pointed damper. The latter is also the most widespread damper in classical concert music, while Cup, Harmon and Bucket are more widespread in "newer" styles such as jazz, pop, musical or film music.

In the French horn it is usually found as a hollow truncated cone made of thin plywood, which is covered with cork padding strips . The “tamping” effect can be achieved with a tamping damper (short: “tamper”) or, as already mentioned above, often only by hand.

There are also mutes for the tuba, although these are rarely used in contrast to mutes for trumpets, horns and trombones.

  • Harmon mute without stem made of aluminum for trumpet, sounds rather bright

  • Harmon mute with stem (called wah-wah mute) made of copper for trumpet, sounds rather soft and dark

  • Straight mute, pointed mute for trumpet, sounds piercing, sharp

  • Cup mute for trumpet, sounds sharp, but more nasal

  • French horn mute

  • French horn damper

  • Bucket mute or velvet mute for trumpet, sounds soft, replacement for flugelhorn

  • Plunger damper for trumpet and trombone

Woodwind instruments

In contrast to the brass instruments (horns, trumpets, trombones, tubas) that are standard in the classical orchestra, mutes are only rarely used in woodwind instruments (flutes, oboes, clarinets, bassoons - possibly saxophones). There are, for example, mutes for oboe and bassoon, but they are mainly intended to reduce the volume of the sound or can be used for practice.

Keyboard instruments

There are three fundamentally different types of dampers on the piano , fortepiano and harpsichord :

  • During regular play: When the key is pressed, a block of felt is lifted off the string to allow it to vibrate freely. When the key is released, it falls back on the string, preventing it from reverberating.
  • Moderator: On the piano, a felt cloth the width of the string apparatus is placed between the string and the hammer by a mechanism for all strings at the same time and remains there. The result is a muffled sound that is unsatisfactory for a performance, but allows quiet practice. With the harpsichord, the gentle sound of a lute is imitated by pressing a piece of felt onto each string near its point of contact by means of the lute pull.
  • By pressing the left pedal (sordino pedal / una corda pedal) the mechanism or the keyboard of the grand piano is shifted slightly so that when you strike one string less than usual (or not as strong in the bass). Usually, due to a less pronounced shift, the usual places of the hammer felt do not hit the strings, but rather the unplayed and therefore softer side areas. With the pianino, on the other hand, the mechanism is brought closer to the strings, so that the hammers' stroke is shortened.

Plucked instruments

Early models of the electric bass, such as the Fender Precision Bass introduced in 1951, often had string mutes as standard until the 1970s, mostly consisting of one or more rubber strips that were usually attached under a sheet metal string cover. The aim was to bring the electrically amplified sound of the instruments closer to that of a plucked double bass.

For the technique of tapping there is the tapping damper , mainly for electric guitars , which prevents the open strings from vibrating.

Web links

Commons : Damper  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Stopped Horn, Muted Horn, and More. Retrieved September 15, 2016 .
  2. ^ Things I Make - John & Julie Schroder. In: johnschroder.co.uk. Retrieved April 9, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Bassoons: effects. In: andrewhugill.com. Retrieved April 9, 2016 .