I live in a small NYC dorm room with thin walls, and I was wondering what mute I could use to not incur a murderous rage from my neighbors. I have one of the standard rubber ones that fits across the entire bridge, but I was wondering if there was something even heavier, a giant lead plate of some kind perhaps.
Has anyone found a particular brand or model that is especially effective?
I don't know of any, but there was a similar discussion to this a little while back. If you search on "Clothes pegs" you may find some useful information. Hope that helps!
Yep, you can get a big brass or steel mute, shaped just like the heavy rubber ones. It'll really quiet your fiddle down. But be careful--these way a ton and they tend to slip off the bridge if you move around much. If you value the insturment's finish--or the structural integrity of the spruce top--you might reconsider.
Also, for about $200 USD you can get a Yamaha electric fiddle with a jack for headphones. Nearly dead quite in the room, but plenty clear in the headphones. Not a great fiddle, but decent enough for practicing.
Just had a look at the practice mute. What kind of sound do you get from a violin when you use one? And, if they are that heavy, don't they damage the bridge?
There aren't any sharp edges on that species of mute, it is polished and everything is rounded, so all you really have to worry about is if it 'drops' onto the finish. While weighty, it isn't in kilos or pounds... I've some really old mutes and one of the best ones I have, while an embarrassment to behold, being ornate, is a brass number... I agree with 'whoosis', and you can find them used, an electric is the quietist option for practicing... I wish I had one...
With such a mute on, the sound always reminds me of something I did as a kid--put rubber bands around an empty kleenex box and twang on it like a ukelele.
My heavy duty, nickel-plated Meisel mute (like the one in the link) is really useful for my early morning playing - I've yet to wake up our 11 mo. old baby or the missus. The tone, while soft, sounds purer and sweeter, less mushy, somehow, than with the rubber mutes. It's probably just what you're looking for.
I have one of those and I never use it. It's so big it blocks my view of the strings, and it's very heavy, so even though it's never fallen off, it wouldn't be pretty if it did. It definitely works, though---kills more than half the sound, makes the fiddle sound far away and you can't really tell what kind of tone you're getting.
Of course, if I had a baby like fidkid, the mute would be quite useful. It sits securely on the bridge, by the way---it's not like it slides around or anything.
It's not quite as bad as whoosis description...but almost... Keep your toes out of the way of the bridge, play with your legs apard if you're standing, to avoid breaking a toe if it slips off...
Hey Kennedy, the fiddle is supposed to be on your shoulder not against your cheek... If you really can't see the strings, go to the ol' chest hold, though you'd be stuck in 1st position you'd be able to see everything...
Bad tone is obvious, mute or not...though much more obvious and easier to get control of wide open...
Bowburner, I use a similar (but not identical) heavy mute, which I bought when it was brought to my attention that practising at 7:30 in the morning is incompatible with condo living. Someone listening to me play with it described the sound as "like someone's put a pillow over your fiddle", which I thought was pretty apt: it sounds a bit hissy and tinny, and I rather loathe the tone I get with it. But it works out ok for me: mornings are now when I focus on technique, because practicing technique is going to sound like crap no matter what.
Here's a picture of the one I use; sorry, I forget the brand name.
It fits very snugly on the bridge, and I have never had to worry about it slipping off. As for damaging the bridge - incidentally, it's my little orchestral mute - this one -
My playing is so suspect I have half a dozen mutes from three different centuries and have even been known to use two simultaneously... ~ I've also practiced with a double sleeping bag over my head. Hey, that's an idea, but you have to be very careful with the bow...
I've used both the rubber and heavy metal mutes, I don't find the sound of the fiddle unpleasant though it's obviously 'thin'. The problem I find is that when I take the mute off the fiddle sounds harsh and scratchy for a while - It may be just my perception of it, I don't know. I now have a cheap electric fiddle, which sounds ok through the headphones and like an early C20 recording without. When I need to be really quiet I use a mute on the electric fiddle - not a great sound but at least I can practise without causing problems for other people.
This is quite an education! It sounds as if there will always be a loss in tone through the suppressed vibration but the stability of the mute on the bridge could also be a problem. What we really need is someone who has good links with a music shop who could go in and try all the different types and let us know how they function complete with price guide. A bit like a Which Guide to violin mutes. I think the positive side of TD&M's metal mute would be that should some bodhran player start performing in a session, it would make a good missile!
"The problem I find is that when I take the mute off the fiddle sounds harsh and scratchy for a while "
That's interesting, c.g.. My husband reports the same thing - the fiddle sounds odd after he take the mute off (and this is a fairly light one). Is there any reason that a mute could have an effect that persists for a while?
I'm not entirely convinced that a heavy mute necessarily has an after-effect on the sound when it is taken off. I could be wrong of course, but I think the player's ear gets adjusted to the lack of high frequencies (eg those caused by bow noise) when the mute is on, and when the mute is removed the high frequencies return with a bang and it takes a little while for the brain to reprocess the sound and filter out the scratchiness.
The way to resolve the issue is to do some live audio recording with a good mic and a recorder that can record 16 or 32 bit at 44100Hz. Examine and compare the wave forms on-screen with the spectral analyzer function of a good audio editor. You'll be looking for the presence/absence of the high frequencies, including those beyond your normal hearing range.
I sometimes use a heavy rubber mute on my fiddle if I'm doing some late-night playing at home. That's quite sufficient to get the required reduction in sound volume. You can get a variety of interesting tone colours out of the instrument depending how you put the mute on - lightly perched on the bridge, pressed further down, pressed further down on the treble side or the bass side, etc.
At home when playing the cello (a much louder instrument than the fiddle) I might sometimes use a heavy metal practice mute which really does shut the instrument down considerably. The ordinary orchestral mute is not useful for this purpose because it is primarily intended to alter the tone-colour of the sound rather than its volume - which is why you sometimes find in orchestral music a fortissimo sign when you're using the mute.
It’s interesting that, practicing with a heavy metal mute, I’ve learned to milk the instrument for all the tone I can get. And I think it’s actually helped my tone when I play with the mute off. Yes, there’s definitely a period of adjustment to the “mute off” sound. I try to counterbalance the muted playing with extended periods during the evening, playing in the kitchen (don’t you just love the reverb from tile and metal appliances?) and going full bore.
Fidkid - me too, on all counts. For a few weeks (months..?) the main aspect of technique my teacher wanted me to work on was tone; in particular, that I needed to use more pressure on the bow. So when practicing with the mute, I used a LOT of pressure, just so I could hear *something*.
And while I am vigilant about not waking my neighbours in the morning, I am rather indifferent about ruining their dinners when I get home from work ;)
I agree with the hound... I think it is a bit like when you finally get that wax build-up flushed out of your ears. The way the world sounds is particularly odd but your brain soon adjust to it and starts filtering out all the background noise and things become 'normal' again...
I like the last too comments too... Yeah, again, I'm in an agreeable mood...
I hear the harsh sound when I take the mute off too. Does that mean that it sounds harsh and scratchy all the time but we have just got used to it? Could explain the divorce papers.....(joking!!!)
No, it is just the 'transition', with the initial addition of the highs. Being close to the instrument we are always hearing those short waves, which decay quickly as they move out from the instrument. Uh oh, I think we're getting into 'psychoacoustics' now. Basically, out brain adjusts our impressions of the world, filters things out so we can focus on specific sounds. If we heard all the background noise as it really is we would have difficulty holding a conversation... Our brain adjusts for our close proximity with the instrument so that we seem to hear a more balanced and realistic sound, as if we were further away from it. So all those highs are 'tempered' ~ psycho-acoustically... Do we all know the term 'waffle'?
I can cope with psychoacoustics! It seems to work more quickly with a violin though. If I have my mute on for even just a few minutes I can hear the difference immediately, but, if I wear earplugs for the same length of time (not while I'm playing 'cos I know that won't really make the violin quieter) then I don't hear lots of extra sounds. Maybe I'll have to go and do some experiments.
Don't forget the body, all those bones transmit noise as well, and the direct vibration is different than having your ear plugged up, whatever mute you use.
Sorry this is late, but here are the specifics regarding the previously mentioned magazines:
Articles about the testing of mutes ~
~ "The Strad" Magazine's supplement for young string players, Sfz, which is included with their September 2005 issue.
Back issue can be ordered calling +44 (0)20 8606 7506, or online...
The Strad, Orpheus Publications
Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd
Second Floor, 30 Cannon Street
London
EC4M 6YJ
~ "STRINGS", December 2005, & back issues are available...
"Tools for Tone: A variety of mutes can offer a wide palette of colors"
by Tyrone Greive, who has a collection of mutes...
This is an excellent article and covers all kinds of mutes and materials, while favouring some mutes that are no longer available, soft aluminium, but also the Heifetz mute, and concluding with suggesting we all start a 'collection'...to experience the wide variety of tonal colours different mutes make. He is more concerned with tone than quiet practice... http://www.stringsmagazine.com/
I know a classical violinist (he leads a couple of orchestras and a string quartet) who swears that his ordinary orchestral mute makes his strings go down very slightly in pitch, and then up again when he takes the mute off.
I've tested for it myself on my fiddle and cello and can't hear the effect - and my sense of pitch isn't all that duff.
I can't figure out any physical reason for the alleged effect. I wonder if it's psychoacoustics at work.
Sorry Ceolachan but I have to ask, you said that the bones transmit noise as well, does that mean that the fatter you are the less noise your fiddle transmits? Could be a good excuse over christmas for eating too much "Sorry I'm just increasing my muting capacity!"
You should be able to feel,
1) the vibrations of the fiddle through your jawbone, when it is in contact with a chin rest (or the belly of the instrument itself if you're playing in a true baroque fashion),
2) vibrations in the bow stick, and
3) the vibration of the fiddle neck.
If you can't feel any or some of these, then your hold of the relevant part of the fiddle/bow complex may be too heavy and stiff; or, you may have a relatively unresponsive instrument, or a bow that absorbs too much vibration (and therefore affects the sound).
In particular, if your left hand grips the neck too tightly then it will deaden the vibrations of the neck and in turn deaden the tone of the instrument (this also applies very much to the classical guitar, btw). It is not for nothing that it's called the "death grip"!
Bowburner ~ only if you play your fiddle from the belly...
Nice breakdown hound dog...
But really, give the old ways a try, try playing from the chest as well as the shoulder, and compare the sound you hear... There isn't a lot of fat build up on the chin, and that, unless you've had it broken and wired, but even then, leads right up to the ears... There's no way it doesn't affect the tone you hear, as different from that heard by someone a few feet away... And you can't disregard the ear closest to the instrument and the direct vibrations that find their way down that canal...
You'd have to play a tune like "Fish out of water" for that one I still think that people with boney necks and shoulders would resonate more than people with very fat necks and shoulders. Perhaps it's time for a clinical trial of some sort...How do you test the resonant value of a fiddlers neck?
Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I live in a small NYC dorm room with thin walls, and I was wondering what mute I could use to not incur a murderous rage from my neighbors. I have one of the standard rubber ones that fits across the entire bridge, but I was wondering if there was something even heavier, a giant lead plate of some kind perhaps.
Has anyone found a particular brand or model that is especially effective?
# Posted on December 11th 2006 by Tottol
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I don't know of any, but there was a similar discussion to this a little while back. If you search on "Clothes pegs" you may find some useful information. Hope that helps!
# Posted on December 11th 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Yep, you can get a big brass or steel mute, shaped just like the heavy rubber ones. It'll really quiet your fiddle down. But be careful--these way a ton and they tend to slip off the bridge if you move around much. If you value the insturment's finish--or the structural integrity of the spruce top--you might reconsider.
Also, for about $200 USD you can get a Yamaha electric fiddle with a jack for headphones. Nearly dead quite in the room, but plenty clear in the headphones. Not a great fiddle, but decent enough for practicing.
# Posted on December 11th 2006 by Will Harmon
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Here's what I'm talking about. You should be able to find one through any violin shop.
http://www.ifshinviolins.com/store/accessories/mute/none_heavy_violinmute
# Posted on December 11th 2006 by Will Harmon
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Just had a look at the practice mute. What kind of sound do you get from a violin when you use one? And, if they are that heavy, don't they damage the bridge?
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
There aren't any sharp edges on that species of mute, it is polished and everything is rounded, so all you really have to worry about is if it 'drops' onto the finish. While weighty, it isn't in kilos or pounds... I've some really old mutes and one of the best ones I have, while an embarrassment to behold, being ornate, is a brass number... I agree with 'whoosis', and you can find them used, an electric is the quietist option for practicing... I wish I had one...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Loosely, mutes like that cut the volume by about half...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
With such a mute on, the sound always reminds me of something I did as a kid--put rubber bands around an empty kleenex box and twang on it like a ukelele.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by Will Harmon
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Thanks. I might have to see if Santa has one on his sleigh!
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
My heavy duty, nickel-plated Meisel mute (like the one in the link) is really useful for my early morning playing - I've yet to wake up our 11 mo. old baby or the missus. The tone, while soft, sounds purer and sweeter, less mushy, somehow, than with the rubber mutes. It's probably just what you're looking for.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by fidkid
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I have one of those and I never use it. It's so big it blocks my view of the strings, and it's very heavy, so even though it's never fallen off, it wouldn't be pretty if it did. It definitely works, though---kills more than half the sound, makes the fiddle sound far away and you can't really tell what kind of tone you're getting.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by kennedy
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Of course, if I had a baby like fidkid, the mute would be quite useful. It sits securely on the bridge, by the way---it's not like it slides around or anything.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by kennedy
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
It's not quite as bad as whoosis description...but almost... Keep your toes out of the way of the bridge, play with your legs apard if you're standing, to avoid breaking a toe if it slips off...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Hey Kennedy, the fiddle is supposed to be on your shoulder not against your cheek... If you really can't see the strings, go to the ol' chest hold, though you'd be stuck in 1st position you'd be able to see everything...
Bad tone is obvious, mute or not...though much more obvious and easier to get control of wide open...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Bowburner, I use a similar (but not identical) heavy mute, which I bought when it was brought to my attention that practising at 7:30 in the morning is incompatible with condo living. Someone listening to me play with it described the sound as "like someone's put a pillow over your fiddle", which I thought was pretty apt: it sounds a bit hissy and tinny, and I rather loathe the tone I get with it. But it works out ok for me: mornings are now when I focus on technique, because practicing technique is going to sound like crap no matter what.
Here's a picture of the one I use; sorry, I forget the brand name.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/ViolinMute.jpg/250px-ViolinMute.jpg
It fits very snugly on the bridge, and I have never had to worry about it slipping off. As for damaging the bridge - incidentally, it's my little orchestral mute - this one -
http://www.geocities.com/techfiddle/Tourtemute.jpg
- that has left a stain on the bridge between my D and A strings.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Do they still make those? ~ the metal one?
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I bought mine just a few months ago, new, for $10 or so, so I assume they do.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Even mute, you will still be performing.
Yeeooooooowwwwwwwwww!!!!!
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by bodhran bliss
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
My playing is so suspect I have half a dozen mutes from three different centuries and have even been known to use two simultaneously...
~ I've also practiced with a double sleeping bag over my head. Hey, that's an idea, but you have to be very careful with the bow... 
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Excuse me bodhran bliss, mute does NOT mean deaf and dumb! (Who have I offended now?)
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by oldstrings
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I've used both the rubber and heavy metal mutes, I don't find the sound of the fiddle unpleasant though it's obviously 'thin'. The problem I find is that when I take the mute off the fiddle sounds harsh and scratchy for a while - It may be just my perception of it, I don't know. I now have a cheap electric fiddle, which sounds ok through the headphones and like an early C20 recording without. When I need to be really quiet I use a mute on the electric fiddle - not a great sound but at least I can practise without causing problems for other people.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by c.g.
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
This is quite an education! It sounds as if there will always be a loss in tone through the suppressed vibration but the stability of the mute on the bridge could also be a problem. What we really need is someone who has good links with a music shop who could go in and try all the different types and let us know how they function complete with price guide. A bit like a Which Guide to violin mutes. I think the positive side of TD&M's metal mute would be that should some bodhran player start performing in a session, it would make a good missile!
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I'm pretty sure "The Strad" & "The String Player" magazines have already done that, but I can't help you with the exact dates...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
http://www.thestrad.com/
http://www.stringsmagazine.com/ ~ not "String Player", but "Strings"
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
"The problem I find is that when I take the mute off the fiddle sounds harsh and scratchy for a while "
That's interesting, c.g.. My husband reports the same thing - the fiddle sounds odd after he take the mute off (and this is a fairly light one). Is there any reason that a mute could have an effect that persists for a while?
Chris
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by spindizzy
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I'm not entirely convinced that a heavy mute necessarily has an after-effect on the sound when it is taken off. I could be wrong of course, but I think the player's ear gets adjusted to the lack of high frequencies (eg those caused by bow noise) when the mute is on, and when the mute is removed the high frequencies return with a bang and it takes a little while for the brain to reprocess the sound and filter out the scratchiness.
The way to resolve the issue is to do some live audio recording with a good mic and a recorder that can record 16 or 32 bit at 44100Hz. Examine and compare the wave forms on-screen with the spectral analyzer function of a good audio editor. You'll be looking for the presence/absence of the high frequencies, including those beyond your normal hearing range.
I sometimes use a heavy rubber mute on my fiddle if I'm doing some late-night playing at home. That's quite sufficient to get the required reduction in sound volume. You can get a variety of interesting tone colours out of the instrument depending how you put the mute on - lightly perched on the bridge, pressed further down, pressed further down on the treble side or the bass side, etc.
At home when playing the cello (a much louder instrument than the fiddle) I might sometimes use a heavy metal practice mute which really does shut the instrument down considerably. The ordinary orchestral mute is not useful for this purpose because it is primarily intended to alter the tone-colour of the sound rather than its volume - which is why you sometimes find in orchestral music a fortissimo sign when you're using the mute.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
It’s interesting that, practicing with a heavy metal mute, I’ve learned to milk the instrument for all the tone I can get. And I think it’s actually helped my tone when I play with the mute off. Yes, there’s definitely a period of adjustment to the “mute off” sound. I try to counterbalance the muted playing with extended periods during the evening, playing in the kitchen (don’t you just love the reverb from tile and metal appliances?) and going full bore.
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by fidkid
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Fidkid - me too, on all counts. For a few weeks (months..?) the main aspect of technique my teacher wanted me to work on was tone; in particular, that I needed to use more pressure on the bow. So when practicing with the mute, I used a LOT of pressure, just so I could hear *something*.
And while I am vigilant about not waking my neighbours in the morning, I am rather indifferent about ruining their dinners when I get home from work ;)
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by Tall, Dark, and Mysterious
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I agree with the hound... I think it is a bit like when you finally get that wax build-up flushed out of your ears. The way the world sounds is particularly odd but your brain soon adjust to it and starts filtering out all the background noise and things become 'normal' again...
I like the last too comments too... Yeah, again, I'm in an agreeable mood...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
On the earwax thing ~ a lot of what bothers you initially is barrage of white noise, high frequencies, the world sounds 'harsh'...
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I hear the harsh sound when I take the mute off too. Does that mean that it sounds harsh and scratchy all the time but we have just got used to it? Could explain the divorce papers.....(joking!!!)
# Posted on December 12th 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
No, it is just the 'transition', with the initial addition of the highs. Being close to the instrument we are always hearing those short waves, which decay quickly as they move out from the instrument. Uh oh, I think we're getting into 'psychoacoustics' now. Basically, out brain adjusts our impressions of the world, filters things out so we can focus on specific sounds. If we heard all the background noise as it really is we would have difficulty holding a conversation... Our brain adjusts for our close proximity with the instrument so that we seem to hear a more balanced and realistic sound, as if we were further away from it. So all those highs are 'tempered' ~ psycho-acoustically...
Do we all know the term 'waffle'?
# Posted on December 13th 2006 by ceolachan
It's the ear wax thing mentioned previously... Most of us will have experienced that...
# Posted on December 13th 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I can cope with psychoacoustics! It seems to work more quickly with a violin though. If I have my mute on for even just a few minutes I can hear the difference immediately, but, if I wear earplugs for the same length of time (not while I'm playing 'cos I know that won't really make the violin quieter) then I don't hear lots of extra sounds. Maybe I'll have to go and do some experiments.
# Posted on December 13th 2006 by bowburner
Articles about the testing of mutes ~
Don't forget the body, all those bones transmit noise as well, and the direct vibration is different than having your ear plugged up, whatever mute you use.
Sorry this is late, but here are the specifics regarding the previously mentioned magazines:
Articles about the testing of mutes ~
~ "The Strad" Magazine's supplement for young string players, Sfz, which is included with their September 2005 issue.
Back issue can be ordered calling +44 (0)20 8606 7506, or online...
The Strad, Orpheus Publications
Newsquest Specialist Media Ltd
Second Floor, 30 Cannon Street
London
EC4M 6YJ
http://www.thestrad.com/
~ "STRINGS", December 2005, & back issues are available...
"Tools for Tone: A variety of mutes can offer a wide palette of colors"
by Tyrone Greive, who has a collection of mutes...
This is an excellent article and covers all kinds of mutes and materials, while favouring some mutes that are no longer available, soft aluminium, but also the Heifetz mute, and concluding with suggesting we all start a 'collection'...to experience the wide variety of tonal colours different mutes make. He is more concerned with tone than quiet practice...
http://www.stringsmagazine.com/
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
I know a classical violinist (he leads a couple of orchestras and a string quartet) who swears that his ordinary orchestral mute makes his strings go down very slightly in pitch, and then up again when he takes the mute off.
I've tested for it myself on my fiddle and cello and can't hear the effect - and my sense of pitch isn't all that duff.
I can't figure out any physical reason for the alleged effect. I wonder if it's psychoacoustics at work.
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Sorry Ceolachan but I have to ask, you said that the bones transmit noise as well, does that mean that the fatter you are the less noise your fiddle transmits? Could be a good excuse over christmas for eating too much "Sorry I'm just increasing my muting capacity!"
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by bowburner
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
You should be able to feel,
1) the vibrations of the fiddle through your jawbone, when it is in contact with a chin rest (or the belly of the instrument itself if you're playing in a true baroque fashion),
2) vibrations in the bow stick, and
3) the vibration of the fiddle neck.
If you can't feel any or some of these, then your hold of the relevant part of the fiddle/bow complex may be too heavy and stiff; or, you may have a relatively unresponsive instrument, or a bow that absorbs too much vibration (and therefore affects the sound).
In particular, if your left hand grips the neck too tightly then it will deaden the vibrations of the neck and in turn deaden the tone of the instrument (this also applies very much to the classical guitar, btw). It is not for nothing that it's called the "death grip"!
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by Trevor Jennings
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Bowburner ~ only if you play your fiddle from the belly...
Nice breakdown hound dog...
But really, give the old ways a try, try playing from the chest as well as the shoulder, and compare the sound you hear... There isn't a lot of fat build up on the chin, and that, unless you've had it broken and wired, but even then, leads right up to the ears... There's no way it doesn't affect the tone you hear, as different from that heard by someone a few feet away... And you can't disregard the ear closest to the instrument and the direct vibrations that find their way down that canal...
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
Another test of madness, try playing the fiddle with your mouth wide open, then shut it and play, listen for the change...
Who's mad?
# Posted on December 22nd 2006 by ceolachan
Re: Whats the quietest mute you've ever found?
You'd have to play a tune like "Fish out of water" for that one
I still think that people with boney necks and shoulders would resonate more than people with very fat necks and shoulders. Perhaps it's time for a clinical trial of some sort...How do you test the resonant value of a fiddlers neck?
# Posted on December 23rd 2006 by bowburner