Home made erhu mute

[sanmenxia]

I made this erhu mute from a clothes peg:



It took a bit of trial and error to make the mute fit into the hole in the bridge so that it stays clipped on. The light blue stuff is a sort of putty used to sticks posters on a wall (Blu-tack), it increases the damping effect.

[davidmdahl]

The clothespin mute is clever. I have an erhu mute from Eason, but rarely use it. The volume is less, which is the idea of course, but the sound quality is also less. I would rather choose a time and place where I can play normally. It is good to have the option of using a mute when practice time would otherwise be hard to get.

Best wishes,

David

[sanmenxia]

I really only use the mute for left hand practice, like trying to memorise a piece with muscle memory through the fingers. I think using a mute is OK if you're aware of its limitations and any detrimental effects it might have on right arm techniques.

It would be nice if I could play without a mute at home and not disturb anyone else!