THE IMPACT POINT BETWEEN MUTE AND STRING

String displacement is maximal at the strings centre. Therefore the amount of energy lost is maximised for impact points in this area and minimised at points of narrow displacement close to the bridge/nut/stopping finger. Consequently, distance between the impact point and the middle of the string is inversely proportional to energy loss.

C3 Preparing the string with a fixed object/mute

An object can be attached to a string so that it moves with the strings vibration. The object strikes the fingerboard (and possibly the other strings) as the string vibrates and essentially acts as a mute as it dampens the strings vibration. The loudness of the fast, repeated tapping of the object against the fingerboard increases with the mutes weight and overtone content increases with the objects density. For example a peg, relatively heavy and moderately dense, produces a louder tapping sound with fewer overtones than a light and dense paperclip, which produces a louder and more overtone rich sound than a (light, soft) piece of polystyrene.

Tapping sounds are loudest if the object is attached to the middle of the string and become quieter as the object is attached nearer to the nut/stopping finger. If the object is beyond the fingerboard, i.e. close to the bridge, no tapping is heard but the object dampens the strings normal vibration.

For heavy objects the sound might be distorted. This is especially the case if the mute is attached to the mid point of the string. Vibration becomes more stable as the point at which the mute is attached moves away from the middle of the string.

Explicatio C3
The loudness of the tapping sound is proportional to the weight and density of the object since larger, heavier objects hit the fingerboard with greater force. Increased density reduces damping and minimises the impact area between

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