Right hand / muting / six-string

[BataMusician]

First hello to everybody, this is my first post here.

I have trouble finding a comfortable right hand technique playing six string bass. I have played electric bass for a long time, though not that fantastic, so it might be about giving up bad old habits. I learned to mute the low strings when playing the higher ones so that they dont start ringing when hitting a harmonically related note. E.g., I rest the thumb on the ES or the AS when playing DS and GS, respectively. On the six-string bass (I play a Yamaha TRB6-P), this does not work and attempts to mute the low strings with the right hand just result in a very awkard or tight right hand position.

What are your opinions about (i) right hand muting (ii) necessity of having a different right hand technique for six string bass?

Maybe I should add that I play mainly free improv, the general volume is quite low, and the bass and drums dont have a time keeper function. At the same time this means that low volume side noises are quite audible.

Cheers
Armin

[Alec W. Conway]

I totally see what you mean. On my 5 I can reach around the fretboard with my thumb to mute the B, and sometimes the E, depending where on the neck I'm playing.

But the few times I've played on a 6, I was screwed. The neck was too wide for me to even reach the B with my thumb.

I found a solution to this while looking at my guitarist while he played : palm mute.

Even though I don't have to mute that much since my right hand thumb pretty much flies around the strings when I pluck, when I come to a faster string skipping part, its just not worth it to fly my thumb to the higher strings. That's when I just twist my hand awkwardly to mute the strings with the side of my palm.

Yes, its pretty awkward a position, but its only for 1 or 2 notes. If it more than that, I simply do hammer on or pull off and the heck with the rest of the plucking, or I'll simply fly my thumb up cause for more notes, its worth taking my hand to the smaller strings.

I have also found myself muting with my right hand thumb but not by sitting it on the strings solidly. This is for slower parts, smooth stuff. I just hug the side of my thumb against 1-2-3-4-5 string(s), depending what I need to mute. Again, this is for slow part, don't try to pluck anything fats with that, your hand wont be stable enough.

[frodebass]

I suggest using your ring and pinky finger as well as your thumb.
I have been doing this automatically for years before a student asked and we had a look together.

When playing on the B, the thumb is on a pickup. Left hand mutes the higher strings.
E and A string thumb is on the B string muting that, whenever you play the A string in this position, your plucking finger lands on the E string and keeps it muted.
The other strings are muted by left hand.

D string move thumb to E string and hold it in such a way that it mutes the B also. ie slightly angled but without applying any strain to it.

G string keep thumb on E string(and B like above) and add ring finger to A string.

C string same as above. For extended playing on C string with no G string playing, move ring finger to D string and add pinky to A string.

This is the way I do it, and it works fine and has become totally automatic.

I often also just let my thumb float over all the lower strings (without anchoring it) to mute them when playing solos on the higher strings. You don't need much power or force to play electric bass anyway, so this also gets the job done, and I feel it sometimes gives me even more freedom of expression.

Good luck!

Frode Berg