Got any good tips on muting strings for newbs?

[mid_life_crisis]

Anybody have links to good tips on muting strings for newbs?
I'm most concerned with after I strike the string and lift my fretting finger to go on to the next string. The pitch changes and I get fret rattle. What are the best techniques for muting the string without sacrificing fluidity and speed.
I'm slow enough as it is, thank you.

[Staccato]

There's no recent discussion in the archives. Let's hear some techniques, I'm new at it...

[colcifer]

Practice. I wish there was some trick I could give you but there's really nothing more to it.

[blakelock]

i want to hear some tips too. the only techniques i've heard described are:

(1) mute the string with your alternating picking finger just before moving your fingering finger. in other words, if you start by plucking with your index finger. mute with your middle finger, move fingering finger, then pluck with middle finger. this seems to work well but takes a good deal of practice to get it working at playing speeds.

(2) after playing the note, slightly raise the fingering finger till the note dies. i think the idea is that as you raise the fingering finger, you can deaden the note before the buzz occurs. i haven't really tried this technique though.

other ideas?

[MalcolmAmos]

Floating thumb is one choice, I don't think that was mentioned. Google Video, Floating thumb should get you several things.

I use a pick so a palm mute is easy, to make this even easier I also use some foam rubber under the strings right in front of the bridge. This does sustain the strings and gives a sound much like what you get from a stand up or double bass. That fits with the Country music I play.

Do some googling there are many videos on the subject, main thing is to find what works for you. http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...g+bass+strings

Good luck.

[wiggles64]

I rest my thumb on the strings not playing (ie. if your plucking the e string thumb rests on the b) for a four string thumb on e pluck a so on and so forth. all the techniques for muting are good learn them all!

[JimmyM]

this video is one of the best i've ever seen for learning muting techniques, featuring the great rufus philpot:

http://www.musictrainer.com/lessons/...nd-right-hand/

[Michael Campbel]

The floating thumb video everyone points to is this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPVMBPmrblU

[Shakin-Slim]

Does muting with foam at the bridge remove this problem altogether? I mean does it remove the need for muting with the hand.

[JB36]

Originally Posted by colcifer

Practice. I wish there was some trick I could give you but there's really nothing more to it.

Agreed....I've been practicing using all of the techniques in this thread. Plucking with my thumb anchored on the PU was the hardest to get rid of unwanted noise. I also had trouble with fret buzz. I still haven't had my bass setup yet, but practicing has eliminated most of noises in both cases. I can't really say exactly what the trick was, but just keep at it and you will improve and the noise will lessen.

[phillipkregg]

You might want to take a look at the muting techniques of Rocco Prestia - from Tower of Power.

Here is a clip from his "Finger Funk" video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6x--...next=1&index=4

Notice how he uses his right hand. His thumb mutes the open E string after he plucks it, and he uses the fingers that he plucks with to also mute the strings immediately after playing them. You have to watch closely because he's playing some pretty funky 16th notes.

Also, watch his left hand technique. He is mostly playing with his index and middle finger, and using the ring and pinky fingers to mute the strings - stopping unnecessary strings from ringing and creating those funky "ghost" notes (which are just muted plucks). Of course, you will want to be able to play with all 4 fingers of your left hand, but you'll also want to be able to use your left hand to mute in conjunction with your right hand.

It really just takes a lot of practice. I know that sounds cheesy, but it's true. If you really make yourself focus on just listening while you play and stopping extra notes from ringing, and stopping the notes you just plucked from ringing too long, eventually you'll get it.

One day, you'll just be playing and won't even realize you are muting. You're body will just do it automatically, and you may even have to slow down and watch yourself to figure out how you're muting your strings.

[Chris K]

Maybe I'm getting it all wrong, but the way I see it, most of Rocco Prestia's muting (except for the E-string) is done with the left hand.

I played that funk riff from the video in my own way, with floating thumb and left hand muting, in one and the same position all through. No big deal.

IMHO, the safest and fastest road to learn to mute without even having to think about is, is the floating thumb technique in combination with left hand muting. it's the healthiest and simplest way.

The left hand will define the lenght of the note, the floating thumb will do away with any 'after-ringing' of the strings.

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by Shakin-Slim

Does muting with foam at the bridge remove this problem altogether? I mean does it remove the need for muting with the hand.

Does not remove all of it, but, it does help. I still have to use the palm mute sometime.

[mid_life_crisis]

My concern is primarily not coming up on my own with something that works but is either inefficient or, worse, potentially harmful to my health if done for too long.
I've learned that there is a right way and a wrong way to do almost everything, and often there is a wrong way that seems to work but just takes a while to show its "wrongness". As the man said, only perfect practice makes perfect. I want to be sure I'm practicing something that is appropriate.
It sounds like for efficiency I should be muting the lower pitched strings with my right hand thumb or palm and the higher pitch with the left hand fingers that aren't actively holding down a string. That left hand technique is hard to implement.

[Chris K]

Just play simple stuff like a blues pattern. First let all notes ring, then play all notes short and muted by the fingertip that frets the note. After that play short-long-short over that same arpeggio. Use a metronome.

If you play on f.e.the D-string, mute G with your left hand and A and E with the floating thumb.

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

[mid_life_crisis]

As far as the left hand is concerned, I can prevent sympathetic ringing, but I cannot effectively mute a plucked string. There is simply too much mass of the string between the finger and the bridge to make it stop. What is the trick to this? Especially how do you mute with the same finger that did the fretting? If I lift up the finger or move it I get fret buzz during that critical instant when the string is only lightly in contact with the fret, unless of course I mute it with the right hand before lifting the fretting finger.
Muting an actively vibrating string with my left hand is an alien concept at this point. I'm mentally scratching my head trying to figure that one out.
During lunch I'll check out the videos that have been recommended and see if they shed any light for me.
The other thing I need to do is start recording my practices so I can hear exactly how much of this noise comes through the sound system.

[andrew1306]

With the left hand you can think about defretting the string and then doing the mute. Practice muting the string from an open note - no fret buzz (or you might really need to raise your string heights!). So you need to lift off the string relatively quickly, then stop just before fully letting go to mute, a light touch to the string is enough, just like muting an open string.

BUT - Also remember that if you finger is on a harmonic node then string will not stop (try open muting at the 12th fret to see what I mean), so move a half inch up or down.

[phillipkregg]

Ok, you're saying...

Originally Posted by Chris K

Maybe I'm getting it all wrong, but the way I see it, most of Rocco Prestia's muting (except for the E-string) is done with the left hand.

And I'm saying...

Originally Posted by phillipkregg

Also, watch his left hand technique. He is mostly playing with his index and middle finger, and using the ring and pinky fingers to mute the strings - stopping unnecessary strings from ringing and creating those funky "ghost" notes (which are just muted plucks).

It looks like we're saying the same thing right?

The point is, there are sometimes where your right hand is going to come into play when muting, and you should learn to use both the right and left in conjunction.

I agree that the "floating thumb" technique is a great way to accomplish this. And thanks for posting Todd Johnson's video demonstration.

The floating thumb technique has been attributed to Todd, but , if I'm not mistaken, Gary Willis originally presented the idea (who knows, someone may have even been using it before Willis).

But, there are also many players who don't use the floating thumb technique who are great at muting; Prestia being one of them - and Jaco.

Eventually, with practice, you'll develop a style of muting that works for you.

[phillipkregg]

Originally Posted by mid_life_crisis

As far as the left hand is concerned, I can prevent sympathetic ringing, but I cannot effectively mute a plucked string. There is simply too much mass of the string between the finger and the bridge to make it stop. What is the trick to this? Especially how do you mute with the same finger that did the fretting? If I lift up the finger or move it I get fret buzz during that critical instant when the string is only lightly in contact with the fret, unless of course I mute it with the right hand before lifting the fretting finger.
Muting an actively vibrating string with my left hand is an alien concept at this point. I'm mentally scratching my head trying to figure that one out.
During lunch I'll check out the videos that have been recommended and see if they shed any light for me.
The other thing I need to do is start recording my practices so I can hear exactly how much of this noise comes through the sound system.

I remember having this same problem when I first began playing.

Here's what I did: fret a note, pluck with the right hand, and lift your left finger that did the fretting slowly. Repeat this over and over. Eventually you'll get to where your muscle memory is learning to touch the string ever-so-lightly to give it a quick mute before it completely pulls off.

Sometimes you will get natural harmonics when you first practice this, but after a while, you'll get to where you know how much pressure to apply to mute and how much pressure to apply (very light amount) in order for a harmonic to ring.

Practicing this everyday, over and over again, seemed to help me a lot.

[mid_life_crisis]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

this video is one of the best i've ever seen for learning muting techniques, featuring the great rufus philpot:

http://www.musictrainer.com/lessons/...nd-right-hand/

Wow. Thank you for that site.