Problem with muting, strings ringing when playing

[GreggBummer]

I play right handed, fingerstyle. The problem is, when playing a note on one string, the strings that are not being played tend to ring. For example, if I am playing an E on the 7th fret, sometimes the D string or G string will ring. This can be problem. My bandmates tell me that they don't hear it. I think the problem is getting worse with time, I am not sure why.

I tend to mute the strings I am not playing with my left hand. I do very little to keep the strings I am not playing under control with my right. I am sure that there is a better way to do this... but I am out of ideas. Any suggestions? Exercises?

I play blues/rock/jam kind of stuff.

[Nick Kay]

Use the fingers of the left hand (usually the index, lightly flattened out for wider coverage) to mute the strings above the one you're playing. Use the thumb of the right hand (either moving anchor or floating thumb) to mute the strings below the one you're playing. So, if you're playing on the A for a moment, your thumb is muting the E, and your left index is muting the D and G, whilst fingering on the A.

It might seem a little counter-intuitive, what with everyone lauding classical upright technique, but high rounded fingers just don't work on an instrument that needs as much control and muting as the electric bass. Your fingers should still be rounded, of course, but they should be flat enough to mute the strings they're not playing, unless you -want- them ringign out.

A good setup with low action will help immensely, as well. The less distance the string has to travel to be fretted, the less of a difference your fingers feel between the strings they're fretting and the strings they're muting.

[fearceol]

Nick Kay above, mentioned the "floating thumb" technique. It is ideal for muting, and as your wrist is straight, it has the added physical bonus. Todd Johnson demonstrates it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU

[Charles Obscure]

Excellent advice. I had this same problem until I discovered the floating thumb technique. Like any technique, it takes a bit of time to get the hang of it, but well worth the effort.
Good luck!

[GreggBummer]

Thanks everyone for the advice. As we have been recording more and more, I am hearing my bass isolated in the context of the band. I am identifying a lot of things that I find "wrong" with my playing. After 25 years of playing you would think I would have this kind of stuff under control.

My bass (a Fender Jaguar) is set up pretty low. I find it to be pretty comfortable to play.

It looks like the "floating thumb" may be a solution. I have tried it in the past and did not really find it comfortable. I will sit and work with it again... unlearning things is always tough.

My first bass teacher... back in the late 1980s.... drilled into me to keep my thumb anchored to the pickup. I still do.

[Ozzey]

I have had this problem recently, and it's definitely a hindrance, especially when I have to play walking jazz bass :S. But I realize that I'm doing something similar to the floating thumb technique already... I guess I just need to master it.

[GreggBummer]

Ozzey,

Your name made me think of this. When I started playing I was really into metal and punk music. I think that I didn't notice it because I was playing fast. Now, I am playing much more bluesy stuff... the Stones, Gov't Mule, Dead kind of stuff. Because the notes I am playing sometimes harmonize with what the guitar is doing... the string ring has become more noticeable. I am playing much slower now too.

I also think that playing a slow groove is much harder than playing a fast metal line... but that is another thread.

[Nick Kay]

Gregg, you don't necessarily have to use floating thumb. It's a good technique, but if it feels funky to you, the moving anchor thumb works pretty well, too. Instead of strictly anchoring on the pickup like what you do now, you anchor on the string below the one you're playing, and only on the pickup when you're playing your lowest string. String crossing is a little slower at first, but it's got most of the benefits of the floating thumb, paired with the power and stability of anchoring on the pickup. It's what I use when I'm playing fast and hard, even though I'm a floating thumb type of guy most of the time.

Furthermore, your original post indicates that most of your ringing troubles are coming from the higher strings. Focus in on that left hand muting - you'll see much more of a benefit from that. You might have to fudge where your thumb sits on the back of the neck to get a good seat, but you'll know it when you've found it. Once again, don't completely flatten that index finger, just enough to deaden the strings you're not playing.