Examples include the practice of playing ‘into the stand’ to dampen the sound and the use of hats as makeshift plungers.īrass band music makes great use of mutes, and today all band trombonists are expected to have a straight, a cup, and a Harmon mute. In most cases, trombone sections will try to use similar brands and models of mute in order to have a consistent tonal quality and to help create a quality section blend. However as music has developed, modern composers are writing for many different types of mute in all genres of music. For the majority of the 19 th and early 20th-century orchestral repertoire, only one type of mute was needed, and usually only for a few notes. However this was not common practice, and their use took a backseat until the 19 th century.
The first time trombone mutes were utilized is probably around the early 18 th century, when music by Dietrich Buxtehude survives that specifies their use. In technical terms, mutes act as a filter (like when you EQ a stereo) and emphasize certain frequencies in order to change the tonal quality of the instrument.
Why Mute?ĭespite the name, the primary purpose of a mute is not to make the instrument quieter, but to change the timbre of the sound. Although this site is mostly aimed toward the trombone side of things, mutes do not vary a huge amount between instruments so it should be a helpful guide for both brass instrumentalists in general and a useful resource for composers interested in learning more about mutes. There are many, many different types of trombone mutes, and in this post, I will aim to give some insight into their use and characteristics.
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