Muting Madness

bassman2020 · #1 05-09-2011, 09:03 AM

I'm sure this is a "Whatever is comfortable for you" question but I'm interested in the different methods of muting from experienced bassists. I know there must be some tried and true techniques out there. Thanks.

fourstringdrums · #2 05-09-2011, 09:17 AM

That's a pretty loaded question... For me muting comes from both hands depending on what I'm playing. Sometimes it's my left hand, sometimes it's my right hand with the thumb, sometimes it's my pinky or ring finger, sometimes it's a combination of all 3. So really the answer is "whatever is comfortable for you". Your body will find what you need to do in order to hear what you want.

lunarpollen · #3 05-09-2011, 09:25 AM

I like to keep some Blu-Tack-type substance handy for muting strings when I know I want a muted sound but I want to be plucking the strings up toward the neck and in whatever fashion I desire. Palm muting only allows you to pluck as far as your fingers can reach from where your hand is anchored, and only with a technique that such anchoring would allow. Using Blu-Tack allows for quick application and removal between songs, and you can mute only some of the strings if you desire (e.g., there's one song with my band where I mute just the E and A but leave the D and G unmuted).

TOOL460002 · #4 05-09-2011, 06:05 PM

left hand flat on the neck! arching your fingers has its place, but if you want to mute, you need to comfortably be able to have all four fingers of your left hand flat on all four strings, so you could mute them all if you so desired.

mambo4 · #5 05-09-2011, 06:44 PM

"Muting" is one of those slippery terms around TB. For some it means silencing unplayed strings to produce no sound, for others it means muffling the vibration of a plucked string to produce a "muted" sound. Which do you mean?

bassman2020 · #6 05-10-2011, 02:03 PM

Silencing unplayed strings. Thanks

Floyd Eye · #7 05-10-2011, 02:05 PM

Use fingers not being deployed on fretting hand to mute strings not being played. Palm mute. Play finger style and use fingers on plucking hand.

guroove · #8 05-10-2011, 02:12 PM

I like the old school technique of using the left index finger to fret most of the notes in really simple passages, and just letting the other fingers fall on the other strings. The nice thing about this technique is that you can use your left hand to mute the notes you are playing, if you like a muted sound. This is how Rocco Prestia gets that crazy thick, muted sound all the time.