how to mute strings

[Pachangita]

hello,

sorry for the newbie question but i got my first bass recently, and despite endless youtube videos and online tutorials promising to "fix" my technique (probably should have known better than to trust those), i still cant manage to stop the lower bass strings from ringing when i pluck a note. ive learned to drag my fingers across to hit the next string when playing, but all that seems to do is make the lower strings ring when i move the finger keeping it from vibrating. the technique of keeping the left hand flat while fretting a note comes pretty easily to me, but im having trouble playing multiple notes in succession when doing it, e.g. switching notes. (i should probably mention that i do play other instruments, so i do practice slow- im not just coming out the gate trying to play 140 bpm lol). if anyone could provide any tips or link me to any youtube videos, that would be helpful!

also, since this is really my first time posting to a forum, apologies if i may have broken any etiquette or unspoken rules or something

edit: also should probably mention that i do play guitar, and have for years, so i dont have any problem with a pick. its only fingerpicking that im having issues with

 

[JonathanPDX]

There are so many elements at play here, from your hands to your body posture to the angle of the bass relative to your body, it's really impossible to pinpoint a cause without seeing what's happening.

If you put up a video it might be possible for some of us to give advice, but nothing is going to beat a real teacher who can sit down with you face to face and give real time instruction while watching you play. Even a one hour lesson can save you months of work correcting poor technique or even prevent bad habits that could take years to break!

 

[Leigh Semmens]

The way I mute on my 5 string bass is to rest the thumb of my fretting hand on the lowest string like when you play the low F#on a D Chord. In some cases, that is impractical, so I also rest the thumb of my picking hand on the lowest strings not being played and often use my fretting hand as a light barre (to mute the strings) that are not being played. Of course this is off the top of my head, and I may not actually do all of that all of the time. I just use what ever is convenient to mute the other strings. That said, I rarely play open notes.

 

[steve_ss]

hello,

sorry for the newbie question but i got my first bass recently, and despite endless youtube videos and online tutorials promising to "fix" my technique (probably should have known better than to trust those), i still cant manage to stop the lower bass strings from ringing when i pluck a note. ive learned to drag my fingers across to hit the next string when playing, but all that seems to do is make the lower strings ring when i move the finger keeping it from vibrating. the technique of keeping the left hand flat while fretting a note comes pretty easily to me, but im having trouble playing multiple notes in succession when doing it, e.g. switching notes. (i should probably mention that i do play other instruments, so i do practice slow- im not just coming out the gate trying to play 140 bpm lol). if anyone could provide any tips or link me to any youtube videos, that would be helpful!

also, since this is really my first time posting to a forum, apologies if i may have broken any etiquette or unspoken rules or something

edit: also should probably mention that i do play guitar, and have for years, so i dont have any problem with a pick. its only fingerpicking that im having issues with

Hi, welcome to Talkbass. I don't have any suggestions for you, I just wanted to say Hello. Keep asking questions. A lot of people might benefit from the answers. What kind of bass did you get?

 

[SteveCS]

The way I mute on my 5 string bass is to rest the thumb of my fretting hand on the lowest string like when you play the low F#on a D Chord. In some cases, that is impractical, so I also rest the thumb of my picking hand on the lowest strings not being played and often use my fretting hand as a light barre (to mute the strings) that are not being played. Of course this is off the top of my head, and I may not actually do all of that all of the time. I just use what ever is convenient to mute the other strings. That said, I rarely play open notes.

I think the important point here is that there are several ways of muting and they all have utility according to what else is going on. Within reason, any part of the hands that isn't involved in sounding a note is a candidate for muting duties.

 

[dreamadream99]

Common practice holds that the fretting fingers mute higher pitched strings than the one you are playing, and the plucking hand mutes lower pitched strings than the one you are playing. There are two common ways to accomplish this:

1. Floating thumb. The thumb is flat against the strings below the one you are playing, and slides up and down depending on which string you play. Advantage: infallible muting. Disadvantage: imprecise perception of which string you are on, without looking.
2. Anchored thumb. The thumb has a stationary location, and the gap between thumb and fingers widens as you stretch for higher strings. In this case the trailing fingers of the plucking hand mute the lower pitched strings. Advantage: precise perception of which string you are playing. Disadvantage: trickier to master muting with the ring finger and pinky.

 

[Stylee Mousse]

You will figure it out! It takes time to develop the various muting techniques.

I, and probably most seasoned players, use a pile of muting techniques without thinking about them at all. Each one earned along the way the way all physical skills are.

For me, repetition is absolutely key. Second getting a teacher. I skipped doing that because I was a headstrong teenage dipstick when I started and wanted to get straight to playing in a band.

 

[gidbass]

hello,

sorry for the newbie question but i got my first bass recently, and despite endless youtube videos and online tutorials promising to "fix" my technique (probably should have known better than to trust those), i still cant manage to stop the lower bass strings from ringing when i pluck a note. ive learned to drag my fingers across to hit the next string when playing, but all that seems to do is make the lower strings ring when i move the finger keeping it from vibrating. the technique of keeping the left hand flat while fretting a note comes pretty easily to me, but im having trouble playing multiple notes in succession when doing it, e.g. switching notes. (i should probably mention that i do play other instruments, so i do practice slow- im not just coming out the gate trying to play 140 bpm lol). if anyone could provide any tips or link me to any youtube videos, that would be helpful!

also, since this is really my first time posting to a forum, apologies if i may have broken any etiquette or unspoken rules or something

edit: also should probably mention that i do play guitar, and have for years, so i dont have any problem with a pick. its only fingerpicking that im having issues with

When I transitioned to 5’ers I had a real problem with notes ringing

This was the best video that I found and it helped me fix it



Good luck!

 

[waveman]

Depending on what sort of progression you are playing and hand position. I use everything from my thumb, fingers, palm, and forearm

 

[MojoPin]

also, since this is really my first time posting to a forum, apologies if i may have broken any etiquette or unspoken rules or something

Proper capitalization goes a long way in helping make it easier to read what you've posted, just a heads up.

 

[Sam versus]

The more I think about muting strings, the less I can mute strings. My advice (as unhelpful as it may be) is "just let it come naturally." Let your ears tell your hands what sounds you don't want to hear. It may take some time, but as you become more familiar with the mechanics of manipulating your instrument, muting strings will just happen.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

A lower action and flatwounds might help some. String mutes can help as well.

 

[Low End Scum]

Have you already seen this? It's super cheesy but it's not bad information. I do very little thumb muting, and instead do lots of pull across muting as well as left hand muting. It seems like you're mostly doing the kind of muting I'm doing, but I think timing, familiarity, and muscle memory of just practicing it more will help.

EDIT: Also don't apologize OP, we're all on the musical journey here and sharing knowledge and techniques is half the reason we're on here.

 

[bearcore]

It's something that gets sorted out early on, and then you may never have to think about it again. In fact, I had to pick up the bass and watch what my fingers did to answer you. My thumb is usually resting on the string above the one I'm actively plucking, though it rests on the pickup when I'm plucking the lowest string, and sometimes it doesn't come down to the D string if I'm plucking a note or two on the G string. At the same time, my ring finger is usually resting on the string below the one my thumb is resting on. Sometimes my pinky finger helps out, like when I reach up to the G string. I do very little muting with my fretting hand.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

As mentioned above, nothing beats one on one lessons. For me, I use a floating thumb technique which is especially effective on a 5 string. please get some lessons and learn to play the right way. Good luck.

 

[Thumpin6string]

I've been playing bass for over 50 years and have tried all the techniques out there with no success. I finally gave up and started using one of these and they work great for me. I place it just below the nut (not as low as the first pic) and it works great, but still lets the open notes sound normal. Second pic is my bass.

 

[logdrum]

I just yell "Calla Te" - they respond to Spanish.

You will get there in time. So many good suggestions. Hard to explain but I also use my right/fretting hand as well, so almost like a 50 50 and just how the fingers are naturally positioned and specially on a 6 string and I have a 19mm spacing, so that helps. I figured out earlier when I started and so I partly use floating thumb, moving anchor (before I even heard those terms 37 years ago) and lastly, the right hand mute which really came about in playing ghost notes

 

[Isaac_James]

Welcome to Talkbass! The only unspoken etiquette rule that you are not following is posting a picture of your bass. We love bass pictures! Show your stuff off.

Playing bass fingerstyle is trickier than it looks and it really does take practice. It sounds like you are describing a floating thumb technique - this is what I use and it really does work, but it takes time to develop to the point where you do it without thinking. You are very clearly thoughtful about your approach and listening closely to your sound. These are excellent habits and a sure sign that you can and will master this technique with some practice. It's hard to give advice without seeing how you are doing it but here are a few things to think about and experiment with to see if they make a difference:

- how much pressure are you applying when you rest your thumb on the string? When I do this I pull my thumb back just a bit if I'm shifting up or down a string, but then press in again just a bit so the side of my thumb makes good contact. I don't think about this when I'm doing it - it's just something that came with practice.

- Where is your plucking hand positioned? If your thumb is right on a harmonic node that could lead to some ringing out. Try shifting your hand position slightly toward or away from the bridge, see if that makes a difference.

- Which part of your thumb is making contact with the string? The top side of the thumb has less padding on it than the bottom side and will not make as much contact with the string. You may find that subtly rotating your wrist helps.

- Think about how your index and middle finger are moving as you pluck. It is a different movement than plucking fingerstyle on a guitar, where you don't want to interfere with the string below the one you are plucking. Playing fingerstyle on a bass, you want to think about pulling your finger through the string, parallel to the body rather than pulling up from below. If you get this down then your finger will come to rest on the string below, muting it.

To go into a little more detail about how I play, if I am plucking on the E string I normally anchor my thumb on the side of the pickup. If I am playing on the A string, I shift up so that I am anchoring my thumb on the E string, which mutes it. If I'm playing on the D or G string, I shift up again so my thumb anchors on the A string and the side of my thumb rests against the E string. This doesn't always work; if I'm crossing strings quickly I have to adjust and anchor on a lower string, relying on my fingers stopping on the string below to mute it. I use a light touch with my thumb when it's floating like this so it can move quickly. It is simply something that you have to develop a feel for and that takes practice. It's ok if it doesn't sound right immediately. You WILL get there. Stick around, share your experience as a learner (we've all been there, even if it was many years ago) and of course, pictures of your bass

 

[DrBnz]

Even though there are many technique we could talk about, we're all a little bit different physically / mentally. Learn about them all and practice plenty (duh). But if I was to say one thing it is to learn to stay in contact or very close to the strings with both hands. In time it will all become natural and happen with little thought. Which technique am I using... all of them. Thumb, palm, finger, both hands. By being close to the strings I'm always in control/contact with them or I'm like a 1/16 inch away. If something were to buzz a finger or palm would quickly stop that

 

[LowendG]

It's something that gets sorted out early on, and then you may never have to think about it again. In fact, I had to pick up the bass and watch what my fingers did to answer you. My thumb is usually resting on the string above the one I'm actively plucking, though it rests on the pickup when I'm plucking the lowest string, and sometimes it doesn't come down to the D string if I'm plucking a note or two on the G string. At the same time, my ring finger is usually resting on the string below the one my thumb is resting on. Sometimes my pinky finger helps out, like when I reach up to the G string. I do very little muting with my fretting hand.

Same here, I just had to grab a bass to see what I'm doing as over time it's simply a subconscious thing. I usually have my plucking hand thumb anchored on the pickup if I'm playing on the E string. As I play notes on the ADG strings, my thumb just naturally shifts to anchor on the E string, muting it. Then for example if I'm playing a note on the D string, that plucking finger drags down and immediately mutes the A string below, while my left hand is also muting whatever else needs it. If I'm really playing up high then my RH thumb may move around, and sit on the A string. I do quite a bit of left hand muting--really comes in handy for funky fingerstyle. That said there certainly can be unmuted strings happening during all this, I just somehow play in a way where they don't get struck or ring out. I think my playing is pretty typical(?).
I do have one quirk that I don't see other players doing much: when I play with a pick (which I do about 50% of the time and how I started out), my picking hand thumb sticks out and often lays against the strings so I can palm mute also using the side of the pinky, while my ring finger is tucked under and I'm grasping the pick with thumb, pointer, and a little bit of middle finger. Sometimes the middle and ring are out and untucked but regardless that pinky is always sticking out like it's tea time. Been playing that way for 50 years so I guess it works. Carol Kaye might not approve but my recorded bass tracks are certainly clean and tidy!