I've heard the term used here quite a bit.What is a "ghost note"? Never heard that term before this board.

I just read today what a "Grace Note" was.I always called that one messing with the beat.

it's when you mute the note almost instantly and what you get is a thump with a pitch to it.

for lack of a better description

It's a note with no distinguishable pitch that you normally get by plucking (or slapping/popping) a string without fretting a note, but keeping your fingers on the string to prevent it from ringing. The result is a percussive sound which is commonly notated with an X in sheet music.

Hope this helps.

arent those mutes?

as far as i know, in notation ghost notes have parentheses around them.

i was under the impression the were just very quiet regular notes.

Ghost notes are great for making a percussive sounds. It is great if you can tie it in with your drummer. In tab you will often see it displayed as an --X--.

arent those mutes?

as far as i know, in notation ghost notes have parentheses around them.

i was under the impression the were just very quiet regular notes.

I think you're right. The thread's title made me think of "muted" or "dead" notes, which are different to "ghost" notes.

try victor wooten's stuff out, he uses TONS of ghost notes, Me and my bass guitar is an excellent example, also U Can't Hold No Groove.

ugh, you still thinking mute notes

they aren't mutes if used in a percussive manner like he uses them in the intro.

Ghost notes are notes that are quieted, and thusly very quiet like a ghost of a note. It does have a distinguished pitch and is not really percussive at all, because those are dead notes, not ghost notes.

Ghost notes are notes that are quieted, and thusly very quiet like a ghost of a note. It does have a distinguished pitch and is not really percussive at all, because those are dead notes, not ghost notes.
thank you

ghost notes are quiet and optional, remember that word optional

Before internet forums, dead and ghost notes were the same thing.

Before internet forums, dead and ghost notes were the same thing.

Hmm... from Guitar School magazine, March 1992, page 100 (Bass notes for Neil Young's "Southern Man" transcription by Michael DuClos):

(Greg) Reeves makes use of Dead notes ("X") and ghost notes (notes in parenthesis) throughout the tune. Dead notes are muted with the left hand by releasing your grip on the string just enough so there's no sustain nor definite pitch when you pluck with your right hand. Ghost notes are fingered, but so lightly that you really don't hear the note - you feel it. An understanding of these implied notes will come with a lot of listening and even more practice.


Maybe Internet fourums already existed back then, but they weren't as popular and influential as now, for sure.

^^ Exactly. Ghost notes have an implied tone, dead notes are simply a percussive sound.