Mute (music)

A damper is a utensil for a musical instrument, in order to change the timbre primarily / quality or the same volume. It is also called Sordine, Sourdine or moderator. In the notation stands above the respective notes con sordino or (straight / harmon / cup ) mute, the resolution is crotchless, open, Aperto, open or senza sordino.

String Instruments

For stringed instruments, he often is a kind of clamp made ​​of ebony, which is placed on the land and therefore the transmission of vibration from the strings to dampen the resonance body. The sound is softer, " nasal " and a little quieter. The violin damper Marin Mersenne of 1636, Jean Baptiste Lully is first described it writes 1681 in a composition before.

More modern versions made ​​of plastic or metal can remain permanently on the strings and pushed on demand from a rest position between bridge and tailpiece on the web. This allows the shock quickly settle on and on, what is being asked more frequently in music since Romanticism. " Hotel damper " are serious damper made ​​of metal that make the sound very quiet, which is especially for longer practicing (including the hotel) advantageous; However, they change the response of the instrument significantly.

Brass

In brass instruments the damper a hollow body made ​​of wood ( a truncated cone ), metal ( eg aluminum, the bell shape adapted), compressed cardboard or plastic, which is inserted into the bell and on which the reaching into the tube end is open. In the trombone and trumpet sheet dampers are mainly used. Here, several variations are in use. The four most important and characteristic are: Straight (Eng. " Pointed damper " ), Cup, Harmon and bucket. There are also the so-called plunger made ​​of rubber. In classical music, until 1920, the words " with damper " on the spigot damper is related.

When Waldhorn he is usually found as a hollow truncated cone made ​​of thin plywood, which is covered with Korkpolsterstreifen. The effect of the " plug " can with a Stopfdämpfer (short: " Pluggers " ) made ​​or even by hand.

Harmon - shock with stem ( Wah - Wah damper called ) of copper for trumpet, sounds more soft and dark

Straight damper, spigot damper for trumpet, sounds penetrating, sharp

Cup damper for trumpet, sounds sharp, but rather nasal

Horn - damper

Horn - Stopfdämpfer

Bucket damper or Velvet damper for trumpet, sounds soft, flugelhorn replacement

( Soulo ) bucket mute for trumpet and trombone sounds soft and velvety

Plunger mute for trumpet and trombone

Keyboard Instruments

In piano, fortepiano and harpsichord, there are three fundamentally different types of dampers:

• For regular play: a felt block is lifted when the key of the string to vibrate them free. After releasing the button, he falls back on the string, thus preventing the ringing.
• Moderator: The piano is a felt pad is placed in the width of the strings apparatus from a mechanics for all strings simultaneously between string and hammer and remain there. This results in a muffled sound, which is unsatisfactory for a performance, but allows for quiet practice. When the gentle sound of a lute harpsichord is imitated by a piece of felt is pressed by means of Lautenzugs to each string near its support point.
• By pressing the left pedal ( Sordino-Pedal/Una-corda-Pedal ) the mechanics or the keyboard of the wing is slightly shifted, so that when you stop a string less than usual sounds (or not so strong in the bass ). Most hit by less strong shift not the usual locations of the hammer felt on the strings, but the uneingespielten and therefore softer side areas. The upright piano, however, the mechanism is brought closer to the strings so that the hammers of the Anschlagsweg is shortened.

Plucked

Early models of the electric bass, such as the Fender Precision Bass, introduced in 1951 contributed to the 1970s standard often strings damper, usually of one or more rubber strips consisting, which were most often placed under a cover of sheet metal strings. Thus, the purpose was to approximate the electrically amplified sound of the instruments of the plucked bass.

For the technique of tapping, there are mainly for electric guitars the Tappingdämpfer which prevents the open strings resonate.