Ive noticed the string players putting black things onto their instruments sometimes, then taking them off again. What are they?
The black object which string players fiddle with is called a mute. It is clamped on the bridge of the instrument and deadens the tone, producing effects that in one book are described as “dreamily romantic”. It basically gives a lovely contrast to the more usual tone of the strings. There are several types of mutes: 1) wooden – which are put on/taken off and then put somewhere if you have time! 2) rubber – which sit on the instrument all the time and are then slipped on to the bridge 3) metal – which are described as “practice” mutes – very big and heavy – and which make the instrument sound like a mosquito, so you don’t disturb the neighbours! In the music, the players will generally see the Italian term “con sordino” (con sord.) which means with the mute and “senza sordino” (senza sord.) for without. French appears as “avec sourdine” or “sans sourdine” and German as “mit Dämpfer” or “ohne Dämpfer”.
Related Questions
- I was putting together a set of the Movie Reprints and noticed that I didn have one of the three different Upper Center Attacks. Whats the deal?
- Ive noticed the string players putting black things onto their instruments sometimes, then taking them off again. What are they?
- Will the convoy system allow players to group without taking level difference into account (like in CoH)?
