Heifetz Mute

The original Heifetz mute was designed by Henryk Kaston and Jascha Heifetz in 1947, and went through several modifications before it was reintroduced in 1989. The mute can be applied by placing it onto the bridge between the D and A strings. Although it is possible for the mute to sit on the string behind the bridge when not in use, it may be safer to place it somewhere else to avoid it rattling.

Mainly constructed from rubber, the unique point to note is the metal tension clip covering the mute. By sliding this or adjusting how far to insert the mute, players can adjust the tone and tension in the sound. However, you may struggle to apply the mute when it is fully tensioned. As with other rubber mutes, it may leave a black mark on the bridge over time.

When it is fully muted, it covers fully the bareness in the sound in the lower register making it rounder, although you may notice it being slightly rustic with a rumbling noise in the string when played with a certain level of force. A close comparison to this would be the Tourte mute; however, the Heifetz mute gives the violinist a stronger impression of being physically suppressed. The open D string can give a nasal quality but the middle range in general provides fuller presence in the sound compared to many other mutes; it has a clear solid core which is also much stronger in the higher register.

The sound can change significantly depending on how much you loosen the tension of the mute. In general, as you loosen it, the sound gets closer to the original senza sord. The problem with this is that it is very difficult to reproduce an identical sound when you reapply the mute having removed it from the instrument.