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A cup mute has a more muffled sound, and it often has an adjustable function to move the cup closer to or further away from the bell.Īdjusting the cup closer to the mute will make the volume softer the typical distance from the bell is around a quarter of an inch. The cup mute looks similar to the conical shape of the straight mute, but with an added cup at the bottom of the mute. The straight mute is pictured at the top of this post. Straight mutes are often used in lyrical solos. The metal straight mute has a characteristic nasally sound. Generally made from metal or fiber/cardboard, the straight mute is one of the most common trumpet mutes used for both classical and jazz music. This can be achieved by blowing warm air (try exhaling the syllable "ha" at the back of your hand to feel warm air) in the bell and then inserting the mute into the trumpet with a gentle twist. It can be helpful to use a little moisture to get the cork to stick better in the bell. Some mutes, like the plunger mute and various hat mutes fit around or over the bell, rather than being pushed into it. Regardless of the material of the mute (metal, wood, rubber), the majority of mutes have corks glued onto the sides of the mute which help position and hold the mute in place when it is inserted into the trumpet. Most mutes are used by inserting the mute itself into the bell of the trumpet. This is partly due to the popularity of the trumpet itself, the cylindrical bore and brighter sound of the trumpet that lends itself to not getting too muddy with the addition of mutes, and the size of the instrument. While some instruments only offer a couple of different mute options, trumpets have long been the instrument with the greatest variety of mute choices. Mutes certainly do affect the volume of the trumpet andĬan also affect intonation, but usually it's intended by the composer toĬreate a different tonal texture or blend with other instruments. Television), trumpet mutes are designed to change the color or timbre of
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Although the word mute often implies silencing (think muting your