 muted (con sordini) so the sound appears to grow out of the initial discord, as if appearing from nothing. The sound is softer and more lyrical and flowing.
A more modern invention is a mute which sits on the strings between the bridge and tailpiece of the instrument. This is slid into place right next to the bridge to produce the same effect as the detachable three-pronged mutes.
Practice (i.e. hotel)
Heavy practice mutes or hotel mutes are available for string instruments. These also fix onto the bridge of the instrument and reduce its loudness. Recently, practice mutes have been used in contemporary music for a special color, appearing in works as diverse as those by John Corigliano and Gérard Grisey.
On the cello, a wolf mute is often attached to the G-string between the bridge and the tailpiece. This does not change the timbre of the instrument on the whole, but helps to eliminate the wolf tone which is found on many cellos around a sixth or seventh above the open G-string. When used to eliminate wolf tones on a double bass, it is often attached on the A-string.
The violin mute was first described by Marin Mersenne in 1636. One of the earliest examples in the use of muted string instruments is found in Act II of Jean-Baptiste Lully's Armide, when the entire string section sporadically plays with mutes. However, the use of mutes did not become widespread in classical music until the 19th century when romantic composers sought new timbres from the orchestra. By the 20th century, the use of mutes was common.
Electric guitars and basses
On the guitar, a player may palm mute their guitar. To palm mute, the player uses the side of their hand, or the edge of their palm, closest to the bridge to cover the strings. This shortens the sustain significantly causing a muting effect. This is a very common technique in rock guitar and bass.
The Fender Jaguar has a built-in but removable, spring-loaded string dampening device installed near the bridge of the guitar that can be utilized to simulate the palm mute technique and free the picking hand to be more mobile. The popular Rickenbacker 4001 and 4003 model electric bass guitars, along with earlier model Music Man basses, also have adjustable string mutes integrated into their bridge/tailpiece assemblies, which can be used to give the instrument a more percussive sound or to simulate the shorter sustain of an upright bass. Other electric basses have mutes built into their bridge covers.
A variety of mutes have been used on brass instruments, most of which either squeeze inside the bell of the instrument, or are hung or clipped to the outside of the bell. These mutes are typically made out of aluminum, brass, or copper metal, but more economical plaster, cardboard, and plastic versions exist. Each material produces a distinctive sound. Mutes can take advantage of this by using materials like cane, leather, and steel.
Mutes will usually make the instrument play sharp. High quality mutes try to reduce intonation issues while maintaining the characteristic sound. Even so, it is often necessary for the musician to accommodate by adjusting the tuning slide, or their own aperture.
The most common type is the straight mute, a hollow, cone-shaped mute that fits into the bell of the instrument. This results in a more metallic, sometimes nasal sound, and when played at loud volumes can result in a very piercing note. Straight mutes have small pieces of cork attached to the end that squeeze against the inside of the bell and hold the mute in place. Straight mutes are available for all brass instruments, including the tuba.
The second most common brass mute is the cup mute. Cup mutes are similar to straight mutes, but have a cup portion attached to the end of the mute's cone. This allows the sound to bounce back towards the instrument bell before making its way through the gap between the cup and bell, producing a more muffled darker tone. Traditionally, cup mutes are made from fiber materials and have a very distinctive sound. Cup mutes can be made from metal, plastic or fiber materials. So