Well, I can't resist! Even though I am not a picker, I did used to mute my vintage violin, which has a beautiful tone and has appraised for a not insubstantial amount, although it is not a Strad (sigh). Anyway, I like the subtlety of a muted sound, at times.

We might have the best collection of voices, in a choir, in the world, that doesn't mean we would want them all to sing fortissimo all of the time!

(Imagine this delivered in the reverent tones of Garrison Keillor when waxing on) Subtltey; shading; nuances; think of that one little cell of a grain which has a sweet, clear voice of its own that sometimes wants to stand out and be heard....solo. Ah, such sweetness, such dear, dear delight, to let the one petal of a rose stand for itself, just once, just once to be let to sing on its own; then, to blend back in with its compadres, blending in the beauty of multi-toned voices as a collective one; such bliss, such sorrow, such passion expressed in such disparate ways....in a little bit of rosewood called a Martin.

katlaughingsubbingforGarrison