Violin Mutes for the 21st Century


Unfortunately we no longer produce the Swan Mute we recommend the Menuhin Shield mute which has similar characteristics.

The Swan violin mute is a new mute designed for demanding violinists and violists looking for a great mute which sounds fantastic and is easy to use in orchestral or solo settings.

Violin mutes are just weights used to dampen the vibration transmitted from the strings of the violin through the bridge.  They reduce the volume of  sound  produced by the instrument and to varying degrees alter what it sounds like as well.  It is possible to use a clothes peg as a fairly effective mute – indeed many of us have owned mutes that strongly resemble them!

Some violin mutes currently on the market are very inconvenient to use and trying to use them while performing is a nightmare. There are now numerous mutes that overcome this problem by having a design allowing them to be attached to the strings between the tail-piece and the bridge of the violin.

We think this is a really neat solution however we have found that, of the violin mutes available on the market today that have this sort of design, we could not find one that produced a satisfactory muting effect.  Also many violin mutes designed in this way are prone to rattle or vibrate when not in use, which is annoying at best and unacceptable for a mute which will remain on the instrument when not in use.

 The Swan Violin Mute is easy to use AND sounds great too

Through experimentation and the building of a variety of prototypes and testing by professional violin/viola players we have a mute which produces a very pleasing softening of the instrument’s sound and a lovely alteration in the voice quality of your violin.

Please note that because of the way that the mute works you might notice a tiny brightening in pitch of your middle two strings (if you have good ears and are listening out for it)  – as the mute wears in this will reduce.