Hal leonard book one and it's complete failure to explain muting

[Damani311]

Maybe I'm missing it, but from page 10 when it starts giving you notes on the E string it doesnt give you crap for info on how to mute, which is what I'm really struggling with and the only reason I'm actually classically teaching myself to play.

I assume when you pull off an F or a G on the E string to play an open E, you would use your pinky laid across the ADG strings to mute while the open E rings?

B/c they don't mention this, and w/o the mute is sounds like ****

Thanks

[mward69]

Originally Posted by Damani311

Maybe I'm missing it, but from page 10 when it starts giving you notes on the E string it doesnt give you crap for info on how to mute, which is what I'm really struggling with and the only reason I'm actually classically teaching myself to play.

I assume when you pull off an F or a G on the E string to play an open E, you would use your pinky laid across the ADG strings to mute while the open E rings?

B/c they don't mention this, and w/o the mute is sounds like ****

Thanks

Are you trying to figure out how to keep the other strings quite when playing the E string, or whats explained in the book?
If it's to keep the other strings from sounding, it will come natural to you as you progress, but yes...the fingers your not using to fret the note help stop the others from ringing out. At least that's how I do it..I;ve been wrong before

[Nightwolf55]

I'm used to muting anything located below the string that i'm playing....i just developed that habit.... however, i don't think that the other notes are supposed to ring, but all basses are different... Does your bass need to be set up? I'm not saying it does, i actually could be way off.....


anyhow, good luck!

[Damani311]

Hey there

I dont think it's a setup issue, I'm pretty sure if you hit a low B and then mute just the B, the other 4 strings will still be ringing on their own without even touching them.

The fact that muting is such an important issue in bass playing and this book is neglecting that aspect right off the bat makes me want to switch to a more thorough course.

[Nightwolf55]

true. i unerstand that. i either ignore it or mute it with my left fingers...

[Chris K]

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

The easiest.
The healthiest.

[Plissken]

Yeah, try to learn thumb anchoring. A great way to mute.

[warnergt]

Originally Posted by Chris K

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

The easiest.
The healthiest.

+1 IMO, this is the way to go. The hanging thumb mutes all the
strings below your note. The only other thing you need to learn beyond
this is muting high strings. It's pretty easy to mute strings above your
note by laying your fretting finger on the higher strings.

The only somewhat challenging part is muting higher strings when you
play an open string. You need to use your fretting fingers (that aren't
currently fretting any strings) to mute the higher strings.

For example, when you play an open A (no fretting required), you may
need to be muting the the D and/or G strings. Your fretting fingers
don't always get a break when playing open strings.

Typically, you are thinking about where your fretting finger needs to be
to play a note. In these cases, you need to realize the need to place
your fretting fingers in an area that is not making the note.
In time, you don't really have to think about it.

[xzzy]

I like Gary Willis' technique too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=md8FCeqNrcM

Try both this and the floating thumb, see what works for you. I've fallen into a sort of hybrid of the two, using pieces from both.

[Chris K]

Originally Posted by warnergt

Typically, you are thinking about where your fretting finger needs to be
to play a note. In these cases, you need to realize the need to place
your fretting fingers in an area that is not making the note.
In time, you don't really have to think about it.

+1 and on top of that I trained my fingers to move to where the NEXT note is gonna come from.

Checked out Gary Willis too - cool. gonna try it. Both Gary and Todd emphasise to NOT rest the lower arm on the bass and to NOT bend the right hand wrist. IMO, it's critical.

[ajcrm125]

Originally Posted by Chris K

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

The easiest.
The healthiest.

I imagine this will get harder though as the tempo increases. Running your whole wrist up and down the set of strings seems like energy wasted.

[RCCollins]

i'm looking at page 10 right now and at the bottom of the page, in a highlighted box, i see the following:

"TIP: As you alternate fingers, place each finger down for the next stroke just slightly ahead of time, to mute the previous note."

seems to me that's all you need at page 10.

[Rickett Customs]

*Note* There are some things a book will not teach you. Seeing how this is the first time, It will happen in the future. Just an FYI, don't rely on the book to fail

[pretaanluxis]

Muting notes that have been played with the right fretting hand will produce a quiet harmonic noise much of the time, but muting by lifting your left hand finger off the note causes a quiet fret buzz. That's why I try to use both most of the time (with the right hand muting the note JUST before lifting off the fret causing the harmonic to mute).

Originally Posted by ajcrm125

I imagine this will get harder though as the tempo increases. Running your whole wrist up and down the set of strings seems like energy wasted.

I find it makes fast tempos actually easier because you don't have to be as concerned with unwanted strings ringing out - so you can focus more on the notes and the timing. It does get harder when skipping strings, but nothing that can't be overcome with practice.