Left and Right Hand for Ghost Notes

[greekbassist]

Hi Everyone,

I have been learning some funk lines which have Ghost Notes in them.

My questions are:

1. When muting with your left hand do you use two fingers (index, and ring) or your whole left hand?

2. If there is are three or four strings strings that have the "X" and need to be muted do you rake those strings (right hand) with your index finger?

Thanks, Greekbassist

[Cristo]

Not sure if it really matters, as long as you touch the string in more than one location to avoid unwanted harmonics from ringing.

I have not seen many instances where "X" is shown on multiple strings at the same point in time, at least for bass.

If it is, then it would apparently denote some sort of "muted chord" so I guess you would have to "strum" through it however you see best.

Is it:

--X--
--X--
--X--

or
---------X
-X--------
-----X----

?

[greekbassist]

Thanks for replying Cristo!

It is

--X--
--X--
--X--

However, each note/string is to be played seperately..It's almost though one would be raking with there index finger while muting each string....I guess I could rake with index finger, huh? Or is it best to alternate with I.M. finger?

[daffy]

I use all my left hand on the neck (well a bunch of fingers anyway - as soon as you stop to watch yourself, you don't do it the same way!!) and then rake.

Could be a bad thing, but it works for me!

[Dbassmon]

Ghosted notes, you know it's an interesting question, I use them a ton in my playing and I never stopped to analyize the various ways I create them.
In some instances it's a matter of releasing preasure (left hand) on a fretted note to the point where it is not making contact with the fret. When you pluck the note with the right an acutual note doesn't ring but a percussive "bap" does. Of coarse, completely muting with the left will give you all ghosted notes. Usually its the contrast between the harmonic and rhytmic component that makes the ghosted notes so interesting. I also use the heel of my right hand against the fingerboard.

[ryco]

Q 1: Whole hand - all four fingers anyway

Q 2: Middle finger in a raking fashion - but that's just me

[heath_the_great]

i love using ghost notes, a big part of my style.....i tend to either slap the fingerboard with my left(fretting hand), play std ghost notes with my right hand with one finger muting a string on my left hand, usually my middle finger....and when slapping i do the left hand slap thing, or do alot of muting with one or two fingers on my left hand....and i sometimes do this wierd palm mute slap and left hand slap to make it sound like im fast and i do the palm mute slap to get a wierd slap tone sometimes too