Everyone recognizes a trumpet, but have you noticed one with something inside its bell changing its sound? These are trumpet mutes, and if used properly, they can transform the trumpet’s sound dramatically!
Not all mutes are alike. Some find the perfect timbre for a piece of music, while others quiet the trumpet for practice without disturbing others.
Let’s explore the different types of trumpet mutes!
What Is a Trumpet Mute?
A trumpet mute is a device that fits into or covers the bell of a trumpet to alter its tone or reduce its volume for practice.
There are various types of trumpet mutes that produce unique sounds for different pieces and genres. Jazz music often uses a mute for artistic effect.
A mute goes into or around the bell of a trumpet. It can clip-on, have cork to stay inside, or need manual holding.
Trumpets aren’t the only instruments using mutes to alter their sound. Tubas and trombones can also use them, and woodwind instruments have mutes too. However, mutes are most common in brass instruments.
Mutes are often made from metal, cardboard, or fiberglass. They generally lower the volume of lower notes while increasing the volume of higher notes due to the resonance in the mute and the trumpet’s bell.
What Are the Different Types of Trumpet Mutes?
Mutes come in many shapes and sizes. They can drastically change the sound of a trumpet, adding variety to some music pieces.
Here’s a breakdown of the common types of trumpet mutes and their differences.
Straight Mute
The most common trumpet mute, and often the first one a player owns, is a straight mute. This mute reduces the trumpet’s volume while brightening its sound, which can become shrill at higher volumes.
There are many types of straight mutes, each with a unique sound. However, whichever you pick, it will likely be your most-used trumpet mute.
A straight mute is a cone-shaped device, typically made from metals like aluminum or copper, fiber, or stone-lined cardboard. Three small cork wings on the thinner end hold it in place when inserted.
Cup Mute
A cup mute resembles a straight mute but features an additional inverted cone at the end, covering nearly all of the trumpet’s bell. This design limits air from escaping except at the bell’s edge, producing a softer, darker sound compared to the straight mute.
The most common materials for a cup mute are stone-lined cardboard and aluminum. Copper cup mutes are also fairly common.
Some cup mutes are adjustable, so a player can open or close the gap and shape the airflow mid-performance. There are also felt-lined versions, which sound softer and more hushed than the standard cup.
Harmon Mute
Harmon mutes stand out among trumpet mutes. They come in either a cylindrical or bulbous shape and are usually made of aluminum.
Unlike straight or cup mutes, the Harmon mute restricts airflow from escaping the bell. Air passes through a hole in the middle, creating the signature Harmon mute sound.
To keep the mute in place inside the trumpet bell, a band of cork is on the small end. There’s a second part called the stem, which is a long insert with a flared end fitting into the mute’s middle.
Harmon mutes produce a metallic, muted sound. Removing the stem changes the tone. With the stem, the sound is more metallic and penetrating. Without it, the tone is more subdued.
Some Harmon mute users think that denting their mute enhances the sound quality. Whether this controversial tip holds true hasn’t been confirmed yet. Read more.
Harmon mutes, although occasionally used in orchestras, are most popular in jazz. The *wah-wah* effect, created by covering and uncovering the mute’s hole with your hand, is widely recognized.
Miles Davis did more than anyone to make the Harmon mute famous. Through the 1950s he played it with the stem pulled out and his trumpet held right up against the microphone, turning what had been treated as a party trick into a breathy, intimate voice you can hear all over records like Kind of Blue.
Plunger Mute
As the name suggests, a plunger mute is just the rubber head of a bathroom plunger! Always use a new plunger for a trumpet mute. Any plunger head from the hardware store will work.
Plunder mutes don’t fit into the trumpet’s bell. Hold the mute in one hand and cover and uncover the bell to create a wah-wah sound, akin to speech.
Some players drill a hole in the plunger mute to potentially improve the sound, though this is a personal preference. If using a toilet plunger doesn’t appeal to you, you can buy a professionally crafted plunger mute specifically for trumpet playing.
A fun fact is that the voices of the adults in Charlie Brown are created using a plunger mute!
Bucket Mute
A rare but notable mute is the bucket mute. This bucket-shaped mute fits over the bell, made from cardboard and filled with noise-dampening cotton to create the most muffled sound.
Bucket mutes clip onto the outside of a trumpet’s bell. Recently, new models fit inside the bell, similar to a straight mute.
Run into a part that calls for a bucket mute and odds are you’re sitting in a big band or a pit orchestra. Outside of those settings, you won’t come across one very often.
Silencer or Practice Mute
The silencer, or practice mute, is meant for solo practice. It isn’t used in performance since it muffles the trumpet significantly, letting you practice at a polite volume for others nearby.
Practice mutes are shorter than other mutes and look like small Harmon or straight mutes. Made from aluminum, they have a cork circle around the small end to hold them inside the trumpet bell.
Practice mutes let you play in apartments or crowded homes but limit the trumpet’s air resistance. Always practice a piece without the mute before performing it. This ensures you’re familiar with the effort and air needed to play it well.