String dampening, left and right hand technique

Oobly · #1 08-01-2011, 01:53 AM

Hi guys,

I am having trouble with my technique and am hoping for some input from experienced players.

I have come from a background playing acoustic 12-string guitar, mostly folk, fingerpicking style with some strumming / rythm stuff.

I started practising bass without an amp. Now that I can hear what I am playing better, I realise I don't dampen the strings enough, especially when playing a fast track like Green Day's "Minority" (love the bassline, BTW, even though it is a bit more advanced than I should be trying to play at this stage). I tend to leave strings to ring when I change string.

I have tried using the left hand to dampen the strings, but I don't like the fret buzz that causes and open strings are a problem.

I have tried palm-muting, like on a guitar, but it doesn't feel right, as I have to change the angle of my hand to mute and I can't do it fast enough for individual notes, either.

I have had a look at Gary Willis' technique, but I don't think I am up for going through all of that just to get the dampening part of it. It seems to be really difficult and I don't want to commit myself to a technique this complex unless it is really the only one that can give me what I want.

I have been practising "floating thumb" technique and I like it, but that only dampens the lower strings, not the strings I am picking.

Please, does anyone have some advice on a technique to use that allows me to have an ergonomic left and right hand technique that I can dampen unwanted ringing strings with?

wideyes · #2 08-01-2011, 02:11 AM

Unfortunately, it's going to have to be a little from columns A, B and C. As a fellow guitarist coming over to bass, I found it daunting to handle a whole new set of problems controlling the instrument.

Floating thumb is great IMO and a good one to have from the outset. I'd recommend from here trying to get a feel for muting with the plucking fingers of your right hand. I.E. if you're playing a note on a string and you want to deaden it, rest the finger that would be plucking on that string next on the string to deaden it. It's counter-intuitive for a guitarist since you're so used to muting by de-fretting with your left hand, but bass calls for different technique. I'd say practice ONLY muting with your right hand for a while and get a feel for all the things you can do with your plucking fingers to control note duration. This takes fret noise out of the equation and gives you MUCH more control over the tone. In the end it takes both hands, but I'm coming to believe muting is more of a job for the right hand than the left. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in on that.

Oh, and one thing that helped me a lot was to SLOW DOWN. Play scales or simple note patterns very slowly and deliberately, trying to get maximum cleanliness with no ringing or buzzing. It's tough, takes concentration and lots of feeling with your fingers. It really pays off.

Antoanto · #3 08-01-2011, 02:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wideyes

Unfortunately, it's going to have to be a little from columns A, B and C. As a fellow guitarist coming over to bass, I found it daunting to handle a whole new set of problems controlling the instrument.

Floating thumb is great IMO and a good one to have from the outset. I'd recommend from here trying to get a feel for muting with the plucking fingers of your right hand. I.E. if you're playing a note on a string and you want to deaden it, rest the finger that would be plucking on that string next on the string to deaden it. It's counter-intuitive for a guitarist since you're so used to muting by de-fretting with your left hand, but bass calls for different technique. I'd say practice ONLY muting with your right hand for a while and get a feel for all the things you can do with your plucking fingers to control note duration. This takes fret noise out of the equation and gives you MUCH more control over the tone. In the end it takes both hands, but I'm coming to believe muting is more of a job for the right hand than the left. Hopefully someone more experienced will chime in on that.

Oh, and one thing that helped me a lot was to SLOW DOWN. Play scales or simple note patterns very slowly and deliberately, trying to get maximum cleanliness with no ringing or buzzing. It's tough, takes concentration and lots of feeling with your fingers. It really pays off.

Yes, using two fingers on the same string is very effective and also helps to mute harmonics. That means, if you just defret a string and keep the finger on it for muting it, you will still hear the harmonic if you are on the 5th, 7th or 12th fret. But if you have a second finger resting on the same string the harmonic will also be muted. My advice is to learn many ways to mute and use the one is more appropriate to the situation. I sometimes mute the E and A strings with the right hand, using the 4th and 5th finger while the 2nd and 3rd are playing the D and the G string and the thumb is resting on the PU. Or sometime use the tip of my left hand fingers to mute the string above the one I am actually fretting with the same finger. The more techniques you know the more cases you will cover.

staindbass · #4 08-01-2011, 05:11 AM

your on the right track, i use palm, floating thumb, and left hand muting. i dont think one method will work for everything. whenever possible, i use two muting methods at once, one left hand, and one right hand to stop the string even quicker !

Oobly · #5 08-01-2011, 06:11 AM

Thanks so much for the responses, guys!

Good to know I am heading in the right direction, I have been feeling a bit lost with what to do or where to go with my technique.

I will soldier on with floating thumb and try some simple note patterns, playing them really slowly and carefully, concentrating on how it sounds, damping in different ways, particularly trying to use the fingers of my right hand.

I am enjoying the journey of learning to play the groove machine

This forum is a fantastic resource.

Oobly · #6 08-02-2011, 01:11 AM

Hi guys,

Just thought I would pop in again and add that.... I am very happy! Now that I know there isn't really one "best" way to do it, I have started to relax more when playing and have started to find my own way of doing it. I am just going slowly and trying to get it to sound right.

Feels great to be over this mental hurdle I had created.

Thanks again

wideyes · #7 08-02-2011, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oobly

Hi guys,

Just thought I would pop in again and add that.... I am very happy! Now that I know there isn't really one "best" way to do it, I have started to relax more when playing and have started to find my own way of doing it. I am just going slowly and trying to get it to sound right.

Feels great to be over this mental hurdle I had created.

Thanks again

It's a pleasure to hear that. Relaxing and finding your own relationship with the instrument is something no teacher can show you. Best of luck to you, low-end brother

SoVeryTired · #8 08-02-2011, 06:58 AM

More experienced people have already said the good stuff, but I'd just like to agree (as another recent convert from guitar). It's all about the right hand - for me, that means floating thumb (or more like floating anchor at times) to damp the lower strings and using the plucking fingers to deaden the string being played.

TalkBass is such a fantastic resource for us relative beginners.

MNAirHead · #9 08-02-2011, 07:13 AM

IF you use a pinky to thud dampen a string you can really control the muting.

For the rest of the strings it kind of takes time and creativity to learn how not to have sympatehtic strings resonating.

Mark Perry · #10 08-02-2011, 03:07 PM

I use mainly the left hand to mute strings higher than the one I'm playing. And the right hand for lower strings.
When plucking i usually pluck into the string below and rest the other finger on the last played string when i need to cut it short.
I use floating thumb if i'm using more than 4 strings. Otherwise - when playing the G - I'll rest my thumb on the A and keep it angled, to mute the E at the same time.

The best way to practice any of these techniques is by playing open strings - crossing up and down, and any and every order. Basic but very effective.

Skitch it! · #11 08-02-2011, 05:48 PM

Keeping a flatter left hand shape works to contact and mute strings your not working on, I also find left hand non-fretting fingers contacting particular strings to keep them muted for the duration of time they are unplayed, whatever I can assign to keep things quiet really. I find the old hairband trick a little more useful than I had first considered for certain stuff too. As far as the right hand, I tend to switch thumb anchoring position between strings, not so much a floating technique rather just shifting.

wideyes · #12 08-02-2011, 06:04 PM

Just a note - I think opinions differ on whether playing "flat" (fretting fingers straight) versus using the C shape (knuckles bent on fretting fingers) is a good idea. I see both sides of the argument, but I think a lot of teachers would say the C shape is stronger and "better" (whatever that means to the particular teacher - I'm thinking mostly ergonomics). However, if you do use the C shape then you can't easily mute strings you're not plucking with your left hand.

Obviously there's no right or wrong way to play the instrument, so do what works for you.