Technical data
| Instrument | viola |
| Design | Tourte, shaped |
| Material | Rubber |
| Item number | ZD-V238A |
Features
- For viola
- Tourte, shaped version
- Stays permanently on the strings
In practice
- A mute adds mass to the bridge and slows its vibration. Overtones are damped more than fundamentals, so the sound becomes quieter and at the same time darker.
- For a mute to work it has to sit close to the bridge.
Sound and physics
On the top of the bridge the mute above all reduces the high-frequency bridge vibrations. The overtones recede as a result, and con sordino becomes an instruction about tone colour.
Frequently asked questions
Why does an instrument sound darker with a mute?
The added mass lowers the bridge resonance, so it transmits high frequencies less readily. Overtones are therefore reduced more than fundamentals.
Why must the mute sit on the bridge?
Its mass acts where the bridge vibrates; at the top of the bridge it damps above all the high-frequency bridge vibrations.
