Adding mass to the bridge disrupts impedance matching and mutes the violin

Evidence

We have been describing the delicate balance of factors that go into good transduction of vibration into sound over a wide range of frequencies in a violin. Many of these factors are easily disrupted. A clothespin may be attached to a bridge as an ad hoc mute. The mass thus added to the bridge increases the impedance mismatch and reduces the sound level of the violin. It also changes the tone by altering the bridge resonances. More formal violin mutes of several types, some of which damp the string directly, are sold for practice and performance. — Eric J. Heller, Why You Hear What You Hear- An…, 1809

Categorization

• CANDY: The clothespin-as-mute trick is a light, approachable example of impedance physics in everyday life.