A mute is any device that softens, dampens, darkens, or muffles the normal sound of an instrument. On stringed instruments, the strings pass over a delicately carved but sturdy piece of maple called the bridge. When the strings are made to vibrate, the bridge vibrates in turn, transmitting the vibrations of the strings to the body of the instrument. Mutes for stringed instruments come in many varieties, but in one way or another they all clamp onto the top of the bridge, reducing its ability to vibrate. Brass players mute their instruments by inserting a pear-shaped or cone-shaped device of wood, wood fiber, cardboard, or metal into the bell, the flared end of the instrument. Flutes, oboes, and clarinets are almost never muted, but bassoons sometimes are, and a bassoon mute consists rather ingloriously of a handkerchief or a sock, stuffed in the top of the instrument. Mutes are called for in all sorts of pieces, from solo works to symphonies, and their use can vastly expand the range of instrumental color available to a composer.
A Minute with Miles - a production of ETV Radio made possible by the JM Smith Corporation.
