Nov 21, 20233 min
Strip muting is a method of isolating strings using a long piece of felt or cloth called a temperament strip. By inserting the strip between notes (usually done with a screwdriver or other thin, metallic tool), the outer strings are isolated, allowing you to tune the center string of each note individually. After removing the strips, you can then match the previously muted outer strings to the center strings.
Strip muting is simple. There are only three points of caution:
Depress the damper pedal the entire time you are inserting the strips. This protects fragile damper cloth from becoming compressed or misshapen - an annoying problem that you most certainly won’t want to deal with.
Use strips that do not excessively change the position of the strings. Very thick cloth will push the outer strings inward. This movement is inevitable, but excessive movement should be avoided if possible.
When inserting the strips, be careful not to knick the strings, plate, or soundboard with your screwdriver. We recommend using small screwdrivers for temperament strip insertion because they are easy to control.
Treble Section:
Start from either the tenor break and work up to the high treble, or from the high treble and work your way to the tenor break. Remember to hold down the damper pedal! Once the whole section is muted, gently push the temperament strip down so that the bottom is just touching the top of the dampers. With one hand, pull the dampers as far away from the strings as possible and push the temperament strip down between the strings and the damper. Once the strips are between the dampers, gently push the remaining loops slightly down so that the hammers have clearance to hit the strings.
You will have one open string at the break that can be muted with a wedge mute:
To remove the strips, gently pull the strip from the high treble down toward the tenor until you reach the dampers. Stop pulling the strip, and manually pull the dampers away from the strip in groups of three or four at a time, and gently pull the cloth free of the strings. If you do not manually clear the dampers, you’ll definitely damage the damper felt in the process of removing the temperament strip.
Tenor:
Start at the bass break and work your way up to the treble break. You may have some clearance problems as you approach the treble, so push the strip as far up as possible. If your temperament strip is tapered, make sure the thinner end is reserved for the treble. On smaller consoles, it may be impossible for the hammer to contact the strings. When this happens, simply use a single wedge mute instead of the strip.
You will have one open string at the treble break, and one open string at the bass break (unless the bichord scaling has mitigated this). You can mute both with a wedge mute.
Bass:
In the bass section, there are only two strings per note (bichord strings). Insert the strip between every four strings. This creates a tuning pin pattern that can be a little tricky to keep track of at first. Just remember, the open strings are pins 1 and 4. Pins 2 and 3 are unisons and are muted off.
To remove strips from the tenor and bass, depress the damper pedal, and slowly and gently pull the strip free of the strings.
Treble/Tenor Section:
Don't forget to lift the dampers
Begin at the highest note and insert the temperament strips all the way down until you get to the bass break.
You’ll have open strings at each break. At the bass break, use a single wedge mute (felt or hybrid is best) on the open string.
At the tenor/treble breaks, insert two opposing felt wedge mutes in the same direction to prevent the mutes from slipping through the open space and on to the soundboard:
It’s a good idea to have some forceps on hand in case this happens. It can be difficult to remove the mute from the soundboard.
Bass:
Just like on an upright piano, the bichord stringing will create a tricky pattern. It’s okay to be a little lost at first. Over time, you’ll begin to recognize the pattern quickly, and eventually, you won’t have to think twice about it.
To remove the strips, depress the damper pedal and pull the strips gently from the piano being careful not to graze any dampers with the cloth.
Inserting temperament strips can take a while at first, but with practice, you'll be able to strip mute the whole piano in under one minute.
For more muting tips, read Fast Muting Tips.