How is this guy muting his strings while playing with a pick?

[DuckSoup]

My biggest struggle with playing with a pick is string muting, as much reading as I've done and watching videos, I can never seem to pull it off, and I pretty much stick to just fingers out of frustration.

I recently came across a video though of John Campbell (Lamb of God) doing a play through of some songs, and watching his technique, I cannot figure out how he is keeping his string noise down. I don't notice any muting happening on the plucking hand other than maybe like a floating pinky thing, and the fretting hand doesn't seem to have any obvious muting other than maybe his thumb jumping on the E string. I'm just trying to learn what technique he might be using.

Here's a snipit...

 

[bholder]

Lamb? Pass the mint jelly, please!

Seriously, I can't hear what he's doing over the noise, sorry, but if you pick near the bridge, you can mute with the back edge of the palm, I used to use that on songs that called for "plunky" bass.

 

[Dara O CARROLL]

He may not be muting at all, some metal bassists have a lot of "dirty" clanking string and fret noise in their signal, but in a band mix with distorted guitars it may actually be desirable.

Check out the isolated bass track of Cliff Burton playing Creeping Death on YouTube. I know I was surprised how messy it sounds by itself. But it's all about how it sounds in the mix.

I can't hear any bass in that video link. But I would imagine it's a similar scenario

 

[Watchootognbout]

Looks like his right hand pinky is on the E string near the bridge.

 

[JRA]

i'm listening through 12" reference monitors --- i can hear the bass just fine. but in this tune, the bass isn't very important: according to the mix. good muting in this playdown isn't that important...not to say that the cat isn't doing it.

 

[Malcolm35]

The muting used is dictated by the method used to sound the strings. With a pick it is normally palm mute. Do a Google.

Years ago I put on some flat wound strings and some foam rubber under the strings at the bridge and found it gave a sound I liked -- and that alone accomplished about 90% of the muting I needed.

Food for thought.

 

[Vinny_G]

If you play with a pick and do not like the sound of palm muting, you quickly learn to mute with your fretting hand. It's like gymnastics for the fingers.

 

[CatOnTheBass]

Left-hand thumb mutes the E string.

 

[DirtDog]

The muting used is dictated by the method used to sound the strings. With a pick it is normally palm mute. Do a Google.

Years ago I put on some flat wound strings and some foam rubber under the strings at the bridge and found it gave a sound I liked -- and that alone accomplished about 90% of the muting I needed.

Food for thought.

Yep - basic palm muting. The pinky seems to be involved and is moving from string to string - perhaps a guide and some muting added there.

 

[Roland GR 88]

I was taught - when I played guitar - to hook my pinky on the bridge. Palm muting then becomes second nature.
On bass I mute with my fretting fingers just by pressing and releasing gently as needed. You can’t see it but you can hear it.

 

[Beej]

I think he's muting with both hands. I can see palm muting with the pinky as extension, and you can see he keeps his fretting fingers across strings when playing specific notes on the A or D. I play similarly and can/do mute with both hands as needed.