Muting

[ellipsie]

I'm an incredibly beginner bassist, and I've really taken a liking to playing the bass. One thing I have not taken a liking to is the ringing notes that keep happening when I play a string. Does anyone have any advice on good muting techniques?? Thanks!

 

[Bass]

Give some consideration to the floating thumb or movable anchor technique. When I switched to this technique a few years ago my muting improved noticeably. I wish I was taught this way in the first place.

floating thumb technique

With the left hand, try muting the note after releasing the string from the fret, but before releasing your finger from the string completely. It might be slow at first but it will become very natural very quickly.

 

[mapadofu]

Not that I’m proficient at it, but muting is one of the key aspects, and you’ll be working on it for years if not a lifetime. If you can’t arrange someone to actually teach you, look into technique resources like this Essential Bass Technique: The Definitive Technique Manual for Bass Guitar https://www.amazon.com/dp/0634032674/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_CQ0SYVC22VE4916XRQ88

 

[bass12]

This is the kind of thing that's best addressed by a teacher one-on-one. If you can't find a teacher locally there are lots of teachers who offer instruction via Zoom, Skype, etc.

 

[MCS4]

There is a lot of information out there, as others have already stated, but I will note from a conceptual perspective that muting is generally something that you will be doing constantly while playing, and typically will involve numerous different techniques for both hands (floating thumb/moveable anchor, rest strokes, palm muting, muting with unused fingers on fretting hand, etc.). No one does it exactly the same as anyone else, either, like a lot of things in technique, so it's mainly about learning and trying as many things as you can and developing a style that works for you.

 

[SoCal80s]

You will always be playing all 4 strings at the same time - you pluck 1 and you mute the other 3. There's no magic or perfect answer, just do what you have to do to mute the other strings. Basically, use the right hand to mute the strings above the one you're plucking, and use the left hand to mute the strings below the one you're plucking. The floating thumb method is probably the best, but it just doesn't work for me. I prefer to anchor my thumb to the pickup. So, if I am plucking the D string, I use my right hand pinky to mute the E string and I use my ring finger to mute the A string. I mute the G string by tilting my left hand fretting finger so that it touches the G string.

 

[Grinderman]

I mainly use the floating thumb technique (right hand thumb) to mute the low side combined with muting from the high side using my otherwise idle fingers on my left fretting hand. I also do what's called pulling across on the three highest strings with my right plucking hand. Another thing, when I'm playing over on the high side of the neck, I may also use one of my free fingers on my right plucking hand to mute with light touch contact on the string I wish to mute.

 

[James Collins]

What notes are ringing that you don't like?

 

[Les Fret]

-use rest strokes
-practice both left and right hand muting
-put your right thumb on the E string while playing the other strings. Not on the pickup.
-if you play more than 4 strings also practice floating thumb

 

[dreamadream99]

The idea is pretty simple, but takes a while to master:

• Use the fleshy part of the fretting fingers to mute the strings higher than the one you’re playing.
• Use the trailing fingers of the plucking hand to mute the strings lower than the one you’re playing.

 

[Grinderman]

I mainly use the floating thumb technique (right hand thumb) to mute the low side combined with muting from the high side using my otherwise idle fingers on my left fretting hand. I also do what's called pulling across on the three highest strings with my right plucking hand.

Correction: anchored thumb

Another thing, when I'm playing over on the high side of the neck, I may also use one of my free fingers on my right plucking hand to mute with light touch contact on the string I wish to mute.

P.S. I'm learning names for techniques I've long used; apparently this is called the sneaky finger.

 

[mambo4]

Basically, use the right hand to mute the strings above the one you're plucking, and use the left hand to mute the strings below the one you're plucking.

For me it's exactly this. I rest my Right hand thumb on the string lower (in pitch) than the one I am plucking, using pickup for the E string. The side of my thumb rests on the lower strings. For example when I'm plucking the G string my thumb tip is on the D, and the side of my thumb lightly brushes the A and E.

For strings higher (in pitch) than what I am plucking, I use the meat of my left hand fingers - whichever ones are not doing the fretting- to rest against the string. If fretting with my index finger than my left pinky and maybe others are lightly resting on the finger board, across the higher strings. If fretting with other fingers, my index finger lightly touches the higher strings.

It takes no pressure to stop a string from unwanted ringing. You just need contact.

I never practiced this muting directly itself. But what I did practice were 2 things that involve the same skills: 1.) Controlling note duration and 2.) Muffling (sometimes also called muting, confusingly)

1.) controlling note duration can be practiced with a metronome and quarter notes. Just play beats 1 and 3, but make sure you are playing rests on 2 & 4. In fact thinking explicitly of rests / silence as something you play with just as much attention and awareness as a plucked note is extremely useful for tightening up your rhythm. One "trick" I use often is to stop all my notes exactly before the snare drum hits on 2 & 4 -"leave room for the snare"

2.) Muffling is using your left hand (sometimes the right) to deaden the vibration as you pluck so you get more of a percussive thump - but not deaden so much that the pitch becomes vague. Muffled note make great rhythmic embellishments and anticipations. Inventing lines that alternate between full note lengths and Muffled can go a long way to making your playing more dynamic and expressive.

I also try to adopt a "Mute by default" stance while playing. I keep both hands on the neck and unless I am deliberately plucking a note, I am holding the strings still. Controlled playing starts with enforcing silence, IMHO.

 

[LBS-bass]

One thing to remember is that you can mute two strings at once using your right hand if you place your finger or thumb between the two to stop both from vibrating. I don't know why it took me forever to figure this out, but it has been helpful, especially when playing more than four strings.

I do a lot of left hand muting which involves dampening the strings as you lift your fingers on your fretting hand. Takes a good bit of practice but is very handy when playing faster staccato runs and so forth; I'd go so far as to suggest that mastering this technique is one of the things that separates the better players because it also draws the player's attention to note length, which many newer players have not yet learned to focus on.

All of these things begin to come naturally to you if you just play enough. I'm sure there are instructional materials out there that can help.

 

[mapadofu]