Trumpet Cup Mutes

The second most common brass mute is the trumpet cup mute. Cup mutes are similar to straight mutes, but have a cup portion attached to the end of the mute’s cone. This allows the sound to bounce back towards the instrument bell before making its way through the gap between the cup and bell, producing a more muffled darker tone. Traditionally, cup mutes are made from fiber materials and have a very distinctive sound. Cup mutes can be made from metal, plastic or fiber materials. Some metal cup mutes have an adjustable cup portion which can be moved towards or away from the brass instrument bell to further color the tone. Newer cup mutes now offer an adjustable cup portion although made from a fiber composite material, allowing the user to adjust the cup while preserving the traditional cup mute sound.