What's the difference between a "ghost note" and a "percussive tone (muffled)"

[LowDown Hal]

please disregard my earlier thread titled Help A nOOB. I hit enter too fast and couldn't figure out how to go back and edit the thread title.


What is the difference between a "ghost note"
and a "percussive tone (muffled)"

And how do I (attempt) to play them.

fwiw - I'm seeing this in a Double Trouble Book. Listening to Tommy Shannon is quite humbling.

Anyway they use the "ghost note" represented by placing the note in parantheses. They also use the "percussive tone (muffled)", represented by an x on the end of the stem.



thanks

[Matthew Bryson]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

please disregard my earlier thread titled Help A nOOB. I hit enter too fast and couldn't figure out how to go back and edit the thread title.


What is the difference between a "ghost note"
and a "percussive tone (muffled)"

And how do I (attempt) to play them.

fwiw - I'm seeing this in a Double Trouble Book. Listening to Tommy Shannon is quite humbling.

Anyway they use the "ghost note" represented by placing the note in parantheses. They also use the "percussive tone (muffled)", represented by an x on the end of the stem.



thanks

A ghost note is a quiet note, kind of the oposite of an accent. I find that quite often I can skip playing them, or just play them as a normal note - it all depend. But, by definition, it's a note that is played very quiet.

The "percusive tone" represented by an X isn't really a note. You don't fret the note, you just hold your finger against the string to mute it and when you pluck it goes "thump" or "thud"

[LowDown Hal]

Am I right in guessing that for the percussive tone it doesn't really matter where you mute the string?

How do I keep the percussive tone from not sounding like a harmonic if my finger is just resting on the string? Is it slightly more pressure than a harmonic?

[JEDI BASS]

I use a lot of thuds....part of my funky influences bleeding in. I usually mute the strings with several or all of my fretting fingers. That keeps any harmonics from sounding.

[Calebmundy]

Originally Posted by LowDown Hal

Am I right in guessing that for the percussive tone it doesn't really matter where you mute the string?

How do I keep the percussive tone from not sounding like a harmonic if my finger is just resting on the string? Is it slightly more pressure than a harmonic?

A little more pressure works, and/or if you just aim away from a harmonic spot you'll avoid the note.