6 | Mutes

In orchestral music, the straight mute prevails. There are some other options, but the marking ‘con sord.’ without further specification would invite a brass player to use a straight mute. In big band arranging, all trumpet and trombone players have a selection of mutes available to them that are all somewhat equally called upon. Mutes are used for colouristic effect, but there are also some technical considerations if you choose to use them.

There are a few properties that all mutes have in common:

They change the tone from the default, ‘open’ sound of brass instruments.
They make the lowest and highest parts of the range difficult to play in.
They increase the air resistance and can make it harder to play.
They can affect intonation, especially in extremes of range.

Professional big band trumpet players will generally carry straight, cup, harmon and plunger mutes with them. Pro trombone players will have straight, cup and plunger mutes. This shouldn’t be taken for granted though and you should make sure to specify what mutes are required before a rehearsal or session.

The lead trumpet and lead trombonist of a pro big band often make sure their sections are using the same brand of mutes for a completely cohesive sound. Of course, this isn’t always the case with session musicians in studios.

Flugelhorns are never really asked to play with mutes. Flugel mutes do exist but it seems like some kind of blasphemy to alter the mellow, rich sound of the flugel in that way. Even pros won’t be expected to have a vast array of flugel mutes.

CHANGING MUTES

You will gain the respect of the musicians if you leave space for mute changes. Players notice when arrangers don’t leave enough time to insert and remove mutes far more than they’d notice a dodgy voicing. It’s a common gripe of brass players so don’t be one of those arrangers!

It’s also not great to leave no time to change and say something like ‘mute in/out quickly’. That should only be used as a last resort.

In a studio setting, mutes going in and out too quickly can cause noise problems. If there is enough time, say 10 seconds, the player can do it quietly, but if there’s only 2 beats to get a straight mute out, you’re going to hear it. I generally do pickups in the studio for most fast mute changes because of this.

WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

In a big band setting, the format for indicating mutes looks like this:

Telling the player when exactly to take the mute out can be helpful, although here, as there’s such little visual distance between ‘mute out’ and ‘open’, it’s a bit redundant. Using ‘mute out’ or ‘(open)’ is good if there’s a lot of bars rest or visual space before the next ‘open’ entry.

Using ‘con sord.’ and ‘senza sord.’ looks oddly formal and because so many different mutes are available, you’d probably want to always specify. I’d avoid these terms for big band writing - it comes across as though you’re not well acquainted with the style.

If a muted passage goes on for a long time, changes dynamic/style drastically or it looks like the passage should be open, I sometimes use ‘always muted’ or something like ‘always cups’ etc. to save a question of asking if it should be open or not.

RANGE & PROJECTION WITH MUTES

Range and projection are affected a lot by having a mute in.

As a general rule of thumb, keep all writing for muted trumpets on the stave, and muted trombones no more than one or two ledger lines above.

Here’s a breakdown of the mutes available to you as the arranger and some technical considerations of using each one, but first here’s what the trumpet sounds like open for comparison:

Straight Mute

The straight mute is a metal cone that projects well. It’s more common in orchestral settings, but is used sometimes in big band settings. It doesn’t affect the range too much as far as mutes go, but shines in the high register, up to about written B. The projection is only cut by a little compared to a normal tone.

Cup Mute

The cup mute is a metal mute that sits just inside the bell, but lets some sound escape. The sound that escapes is reflected back and results in a more mellow sound. Projection is harder with a cup mute and it’s only about half as loud as an open trumpet or trombone sound.

As for range, the cup mute means going too high becomes difficult, but still works effectively quite low.

Harmon Mute

The harmon or ‘wah-wah’ mute blocks the bell completely, allowing the sound out only through a small hole in the middle of the mute. The hole has a removable metal tube inside called the ‘stem’. The harmon has a raspy, metallic sound.

Playing with the stem out is most common, and gives a muffled sound. Playing with the stem in and covering it with the hand creates the ‘wah’ effect of older styles. Playing with the stem partially extended also has another unique colour. Trombonists will rarely have a harmon mute.

The range is very much affected by the harmon, as is the projection. The lowest notes of the trumpet below the stave become unfocused and intonation becomes an issue. Going too high, anywhere above the stave, starts to cause problems too. The volume is significantly quieter than the natural tone of the trumpet - having a harmon cuts it by far more than half.

Plunger Mute

The plunger is held in the hand and can create a ‘wah’ or ‘talking’ effect, a bit like the harmon. It’s often played while growling and creates a classic old-school swing band sound. Because the plunger is not actually inserted into the bell and only covers the sound coming out, the entire range is available with good projection.

Trombones can combine the plunger with a small mute that goes deep inside the bell called a pixie mute and create aggressive rips and glisses too.

Like French horn stopped notes, + and o should be used to indicate a closed plunger and open, but it’s usually best to leave it to the player if you’re unsure.

Bucket Mute

The bucket mute clips onto the bell so extra time is needed to attach and unattach it compared to other mutes. It produces a sound that is slightly darker and more mellow than an open sound, but doesn’t affect range or playability much at all. Projection is cut by about half like a cup mute, maybe slightly less depending on brand and technique.

Players can also get roughly the same effect without bucket mutes by playing into their stands. Write ‘Play into stand’ and then ‘open’ to get this effect.

Solotone Mute

A solotone mute goes by a few different names and brands, most notably also called a cleartone mute. It creates a classic 1920s sound that has better projection than the harmon mute. Avoid the high and low register with a solotone. Not everyone owns one and they’re a little less common than all the other mutes.