Reddit reviews Otto Musica Artino Practice mute For violin / viola

You want a practice mute. Regular mutes are used in orchestral and chamber music to change the tone, but they don't really affect the volume.

A rubber practice mute is lighter, and since it dampens less of the overtones, it sounds nicer but diminishes volume less than a heavier mute. A metal practice mute will give you maximum volume control, but since it dampens so much of the sound, it can mislead your ear if you ONLY practice with it on. The Artino rubber-coated metal mute came out a few years ago, and it's supposed to give you the best of both worlds. I find that it has a little bit nicer sound than a traditional metal mute, but mostly I like that it grips the bridge better and won't vibrate off while playing, which metal mutes will sometimes do.

A practice mute is definitely something you should own. But I wonder, why don't you want to annoy your family? Unless the only time you can practice is in the middle of the night, they should just deal. Practicing is important and necessary to get better; they need to understand that. Plus, they have to love you no matter how bad you sound. Being self-conscious just because they might be able to hear you is counterproductive. I hope you're concentrating on doing what you need to be doing when you're practicing, and not what anyone else is thinking.

That mute won't do much to reduce volume - if you really need to get it down use a metal one (or rubber covered metal). That will mute you to the level of an unplugged electric violin.

I recommend this one:

Otto Musica Artino Practice mute For violin / viola https://www.amazon.com/dp/B006GCNUHQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_xxFIAbXM5A1TZ

Here is Zack Rosenthal from Shar giving a demonstration of different performance and practice mutes. I have an Artino rubber coated metal mute and just a plain metal mute (one for each violin). I like them both. The Artino mute seems to have the least effect on the tone than the metal one. It is best to go without a practice mute, but sometimes they are just necessary. Especially if one lives in a thin walled apartment building like I do.

I like the heavy metal mute

https://www.amazon.com/Heavy-Practice-Mute-Violin-Viola/dp/B00CICR3H

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and the rubber-covere heavy metal mute
https://www.amazon.com/Otto-Musica-Artino-Practice-violin/dp/B006GCNUH

I use a metal practice mute, but with a rubber outer layer to prevent damage.

I bought this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006GCNUHQ/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

This works perfectly fine in the sense that it mutes the sound almost by half? Imagine playing an electric guitar that is not connected to the amplifier. However, the mute itself does not "fit" perfectly, out of the 4 legs, only 2 fits in? It still works though - and it is rather heavy. My only problem is that I'm new to the violin (4 months in) and I still have to see my bow on the strings to make sure its in the right lane. This prevents that, visually (unless you practice in front of a mirror, I guess). It's inexpensive so you have nothing to lose, really..

Another mute option, metal but with rubber coating...Here: https://www.amazon.ca/Artino-Practice-Violin-Viola-japan/dp/B006GCNUHQ

(Wilder & Davis doesn't carry it; I ordered mine from Shar eg:http://www.sharmusic.com/

I'm afraid of those metal ones because they are REALLY REALLY heavy. If you drop it on your violin you're basically screwed.
I currently use this one:
http://www.amazon.com/Artino-Practice-Mute-Violin-Viola/dp/B006GCNUHQ
It isn't quite as effective, but it feels less risky to use it.

The best violin brand to begin with is renting one from a local shop. Preferably one that specializes in string instruments only.

I don't know if that's reliable for your area, around big cities teachers tend to charge more. But if I'm getting the exchange rate right, it's the low end of an average rate.

Practicing with a practice mute rubber only mute or rubber covered metal mute and keeping it to more normal waking hours should be fine. The heavy mute makes it so you can hear, but dulls the sound so it doesn't travel as far. If you're in a big city sometimes libraries have rooms you can practice in too, I've also practiced at Churches in empty rooms (they knew I was there) and community college practice rooms (they didn't...)

this is a good idea.

there are three (or four) styles of practice mute

rubber - works pretty well, easy and safe: https://www.amazon.com/Ultra-USA-Rubber-Violin-practice/dp/B00ICK6D9C/

metal - even quieter, but balances more than it sticks, so you have to be careful that you don't let it fall off and scratch your instrument while using it: https://www.amazon.com/Mudder-Violin-Practice-Silencer-Silver/dp/B01N0GKLZR/

hybrid - i don't have one, supposed to be good combination of the other options, but i heard they don't always fit right: https://www.amazon.com/Otto-Musica-Artino-Practice-violin/dp/B006GCNUHQ/

DIY- till you get one of the others: https://www.amazon.com/Natural-Wooden-Clothespins-Shirts-Sheets/dp/B01KGBP6I8/

I've also been playing violin for about 16 years. I stopped studying violin privately after I graduated high school, but played in orchestra through college while practicing a bit on my own. Just orchestra music and random practicing wasn't enough to keep up technique and I started deteriorating, especially in bowing technique. I found doing very slow bow practice and etudes (Kreutzer and Sevcik) on my own helped, but the most useful thing by far was to find a teacher again. I'm in grad school and have very little money and time to take lessons, but just going to my lesson twice a month, even if I've only practiced once or twice in between, has been really helpful and I've had noticeable improvement in the last year. As for practice mutes: I really like the one I have. It's metal coated in rubber and it mutes mine enough to play in my apartment late at night.

1.) I bought this and I live in an apartment with very thin walls and floors. Speaking too loudly causes my downstairs neighbor to bitch, as does walking around for too long in a single session (pacing on the phone for example). I've been playing with this mute for about 2 weeks and I haven't heard a word from her. It doesn't fit my violin the way it does in the picture, but that doesn't seem to matter..

2.) I'm a new player, I started about 3 weeks ago and I can play 5 or so Suzuki book 1 songs decently. I practice from 20 minutes to an hour a day and focus on very particular problems each time. I'm 23 and rather pleased with my speed of learning the instrument.

3.) There's a lot of resources online, and being a beginner I might not be the best to advise but here's some things that have been working for me.

• When starting posture and good habits are key.
  
• Be very, very mindful of how your hand is holding the bow, follow online tutorials from (there are several youtubers, professorV, theonlinepianotutor, 1stfiddlerman are some).
  
• Play in front of a mirror or a webcam, make sure the bow is parallel to the bridge at all points during your bow stroke
  
• Some teachers say taping "frets" onto your violin help you learn the finger positions, again, many youtube videos on this topic.
  
  Last thoughts are: playing with a mute is sort of depressing. It barely sounds like a violin half the time, and you'll hear the bow friction on the string more than some notes which makes intonation sort of tricky but it's not insurmountable and it's good to find a place to play without it sometimes

In my (very limited) experience, violin is easier, though I did have guitar/bass experience first.

As far as neighbors go, as long as you're not a jerk about it, like playing at 3 in the morning, you should be fine. I have invested in one of these mutes recommended in another thread. They are much more effective than just a plain rubber one.

edit: I also am starting at the age 34. I always wanted to learn, and decided to pull the trigger. I'm taking an adult introductory group class at the Old Town School of Folk Music, and I think the average age is upper-30s/lower-40s, ranging from mid-20s to 60s. It's never too late to start.

What sort of price range/brand might you recommend? Is "solid body" generally the quietest type of electric violin?

I already have an acoustic violin that I practice with at home, so maybe a heavy mute is the way to go if they'll be similar in volume. Do you have any recommendation on heavy mutes? /u/Yawzsheek recommended this mute, would that be considered a "heavy" mute?

Or get a well heavy practice mute. With one, you can absolutely play without disturbing others. I have this mute, and it does a PHENOMENAL job of dampening the sound! It's rather inexpensive, and you can play as loudly as you want without disturbing your neighbors with it. Also, contrary to the reviews, you DON'T need it to be formed to the bridge. It doesn't need to clamp down on it at all. The cheaper rubber mutes are a different story, but this one? This one sits on top of the bridge and will do far more to muffle the sound.

I would say it's maybe 30-70% louder than an electric depending on which mute you are using. Just guesstimates, people are generally bad at comparing volumes.

Here's a recording of muted (this mute, different from the one I linked just now. this is a heavier one), unmuted vs the Yamaha YEV104 electric violin, which is not marketed as a silent violin.

https://soundcloud.com/user-924209568/recording-12


(pardon the crappy playing and the mic cracking on the unmuted violin, and also the order of playing, I only realised how retarded the order is in hindsight)