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I'm considering a mute for the violin and need to pick up a new one for the viola as I have miss placed it. I thought Fiddlerman did a video comparison but now can't find it. Do you use a mute for practice? If so what do you have and would you buy it again or something different?
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Here's the FM video 
I have two mutes, the ultra practice rubber and the heavy metal one. I like both very much and I use them according to what I'm going to practice. For example, for scales and etudes which I know I need to be more confortable with, I prefer to use the metal one. I've read somewhere that if you need to use a mute, the metal is better since it doesn't hide the intonation issues as much as the rubber one. But overall I prefer the ultra practice for its dark, mellow-ish sound. The metal mute can sound really dry and cold and doesn't respond to expression as much IMO but if you need to lower the volume, it's most effective.
Like FM said in the video, use a mute according to your needs
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Wooden clothes hangars provide a very small mute effect without dispersing the natural acoustics / harmonic resonance, and you can apply as many as two to the bridge. I used two today and it allows me to play vigorously without obliterating my apartment neighbors peace and quiet. I also have the metal mute which really dampens the sound and it's fine for situations where you need to be completely quiet. I've never used the rubber kind before...
i would recommend clothes hangers when you simply need to be "not obnoxiously loud" but still want to have fun.
Use a legitimate practice mute when you need to be authentically quiet.
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I mean wooden cloth pegs*
wooden cloth pegs set the violin sound at about 90% for one and 80% for two.
metal practice mute set the sound down at about 20%
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No mute cuts the sound down more than a solid steel mute.
http://fiddlershop.com/brass-p.....-mute.html
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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That is good to know.
I have two BIG MOUTH violins.. and I am proud of it.. but occasionally I need something a bit more quiet.
#stilllovinmysolist #stilllovinmyming
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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I have a rubber mute, and it does what it should, but I found that after using it for a week (I dog sit for my boss and his wife at their apartment) my intonation was total crap, lol. It took me about another week to fix the damage, lol. Now when I dog sit, I just go ahead and play without the mute as long as it's before 8PM. It might just be that I'm so new to it all, and that's why it messed me up so bad, but I never felt like such a dunce in my lesson as I did after that week, lol. I will try a different type someday, though, because I know that the houses are close enough in my neighborhood that they can hear me... since I can hear the neighbors if they are arguing, I know they can hear my violin, lol.
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Unfortunaly it's the down side of it, especially if one is in the early stages :/ After some years, your ears adjust so the damage may not be as big (still it can happen!!) but of course, it's best to play without a mute.
Damfino, may I ask you how did your intonation change? Did it go higher or lower when that happened?
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@ElisaDalViolin If I remember right, I was going higher, making my notes sharp.
If anything, at least I was consistent, lol.
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I mute my acoustic by playing my electric
I have a rubber mute, but just don't like the way it makes it sound... so found the muted volume is similar to the electric, only with headphones on the amp it all sounds normal.
Playing with a mute on is still better than not being able to play at all.
King
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This is the mute I use, but not to cut down the sound.
http://fiddlershop.com/genuine.....name=mutes
I don't care about being quiet, I live alone and neighbors are 25' away. We both have 6" outside insulated walls. In fact, my best time for playing is between 11:00 pm and 3:00 am, for some reason the violin has a sweeter sound at that time. The only time anyone or thing can hear me play is when their dog is outside. Sometimes he can hear me, but has stopped barking in the past year.
I refer to that mute as a "Concert" mute. It gives a nice warm tone, but the one thing I did notice when I first started using it is that it did change the intonation a bit, I had to be very aware of what I was playing. It's ok now intonation is back to normal.
Ken.
King
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Pierre's demonstration video's are very hard to comprehend for the average player, because he plays so aggressively. If he would only play a song when he demo's instruments or accessories it would be easier for the laymen player to decide.
I realize he was playing loud just to show the difference in mutes, but we as average players don't play that loud, (normally)
Ken.
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True Ken.
I wanted to give you guys an idea of when playing very loudly what kind of difference you get in sound. What I realized later is that I have some kind of normalizer on that camera that balanced the sound. I should redo it a bit differently.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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Fiddlerman, Have you noticed any change in intonation while using or testing a mute? From the rubber one I have it never touches the strings. How can it change intonation?
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It changes intonation due to its closed, damped sound (rubber mute). It can deceive you to play a bit off of tune without you noticing. It can turn into a habit and cause your intonation to be slightly off when you're not using one just like what damfino described. It resembles a bit when you're having your ears blocked from pressure, you can't hear as clearly.
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I haven't noticed the intonation being changed at all but when I get back I'll do some testing.
I could see it changing if it did touch the strings though.
"The richest person is not the one who has the most,
but the one who needs the least."
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At Fiddle Hell this past weekend, one of the instructors spoke very highly of these leather mutes. He said they provide a really nice tone. Haven't tried one myself, but am thinking about it.
When the work's all done and the sun's settin' low,
I pull out my fiddle and I rosin up the bow.
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oh.. cool little mute Diane.
My experience has been good with mutes. I don't fall in to intonation errors when I use mine. (meaning extra ones.. lOL)
I can fall in to bad bowing habits as the mute mutes the bad squeeches and sounds when I am wandering with the bow and making a bad sound. (This was my experience a few year ago... I have used one in a while)... So I felt the mute wasn't good for practice because it muted my mistakes.
But over all I think Mutes are great.
Vibrato Desperato.... Desperately seeking vibrato
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Fiddlestix said
Pierre's demonstration video's are very hard to comprehend for the average player, because he plays so aggressively. If he would only play a song when he demo's instruments or accessories it would be easier for the laymen player to decide.I realize he was playing loud just to show the difference in mutes, but we as average players don't play that loud, (normally)
Ken.
I found this video today. Maybe this one makes it a bit more clear
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