Muting Unwanted Sounds? Advice Requested.

[viking power]

When I'm playing fingerstyle I have NO problem with muting un-played strings since I adopted the floating thumb system. However, I've been fooling around with the pick and I have some questions......

• Carol Kaye says it's bad technique to lay your pinky across the strings as a mute....How can you mute out unwanted noise if your right hand is curled up?
• How can you fret with the tips of your left hand if you've got fingers layed across the fretboard for muting?
• How can you get any kind of speed if you're gently lifting your finger off of a fret such that it mutes the note on it's way off of the fret?

Obviously, there is a trend to my questions. Any help you guys can give me as to how to kill unwanted noise while using a pick would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance!

 

[ArvindJayaram]

Use your palm for muting?

- Arvind

 

[Mushroo]

I believe Carol Kaye (as with many pick players of her era) put a strip of foam under the strings near the bridge.

 

[Duckwater]

I mute with whatever fingers I'm not fretting with on my left hand, it's not hard to fret with your tips after some practice.

 

[viking power]

Use your palm for muting?

- Arvind

If your right hand is curled...how?

 

[viking power]

I believe Carol Kaye (as with many pick players of her era) put a strip of foam under the strings near the bridge.

Would that work for a metal or punk tone?

 

[Duckwater]

^ I don't think so, you would end up with a trebly sound with no sustain.

 

[viking power]

I mute with whatever fingers I'm not fretting with on my left hand, it's not hard to fret with your tips after some practice.

And you can get good speed going that route?

 

[Duckwater]

Well maybe not shredding metal speeds jumping all around the fretboard but it works for me when I want a pick sound.

Use whatever technique feels best for you, check out this guy's pick playing.

 

[4StringShooter]

Like Duckwater said, but I use my middle, ring and pinky fingers laid across the neck as mutes AS Im playing.

Basically, whatever finger Im NOT using, is used as a mute.

 

[viking power]

Well maybe not shredding metal speeds jumping all around the fretboard but it works for me when I want a pick sound.

Use whatever technique feels best for you, check out this guy's pick playing.

Nice!

 

[viking power]

Any good videos out there regarding muting? Every search I do seems to come up with results for muting all of the strings for tonal reasons not for clean playing.

 

[Gasman]

I mute unplayed strings with my left hand when picking. I use my thumb or a fingertip to mute the E string, the lower part of my fingers for the others. I only use my right hand to mute for palm muted sounds or to deaden all the strings at once.

 

[RattleSnack]

^ this. Use your left hand fingers, press string with top, and angle the rest of finger so it lies on top of other strings.

 

[viking power]

Cool....starting to get the idea.