Slap muting technique - help!

[AndyPanda]

So I have just started to learn slap - and it is a lot of fun so far and I'm making some good progress but I'm really struggling with muting the strings I'm not playing. I am finding I need to combine several different techniques depending on what it is I'm playing and I'm not sure if I'm on the right track there - OR - if I should be sticking with and really refining the one muting technique to mute in all situations.

And part of the equation is that I'm an old guy with arthritis so I cannot get away with wrist contortions that I see a lot of players doing. I have to keep my wrists neutral and allow my fretting hand thumb to just go where it needs to go (usually aimed at the headstock) because of basal thumb old geezer worn out joint.

So when I watch the TalkingBass videos, he is almost always muting with his fretting fingers. If he's slapping the A string, his fingers are arching over the A while muting E-D-G strings ... and he bars his index and/or pinky to fret the octave for the pop while holding that same left hand position. In this picture his wrist looks relaxed and neutral - and this position works amazing for me if I'm only thumbing the E and A strings, but when I try to do octaves it really puts my wrist into a position that isn't healthy for my with my ancient joints. So I frequently have to mute the E with my palm or with my fretting hand thumb.

I kind of think I should stick with the method that TalkingBass uses and try to get really good muting that way. The hardest for me is when I want to do a hammer-on riff on the D or G --- I really want/need to use my fingertips for that. So the only way I know to mute the E is palm or thumb.

Any suggestions from you more experienced players is most welcome.

Here's a picture of the TalkingBass method that he does really well and I'm practicing it but find it challenging to master:

 

[Mushroo]

In the genre of slap/pop bass, the standard technique for muting the E string, is with your left-hand thumb. You have my "permission" to mute that way, if it's more comfortable for you.

Here's a pic of Victor Wooten playing slap style:

 

[Les Fret]

Or mute the E with your right underarm.

 

[WrapRough]

You can try the bass wizard technique for muting where he kind of uses the tips of his fingers to slightly push up the string above with the fretting finger. If that makes sense. It's hard to start with but it's very clean.

His course is amazing by the way

 

[Les Fret]

You can try the bass wizard technique for muting where he kind of uses the tips of his fingers to slightly push up the string above with the fretting finger. If that makes sense. It's hard to start with but it's very clean.

His course is amazing by the way

Yes that works for fretted notes but not if you use the open A string and need to mute the E string.

Also you shouldn’t push the string up because it goes out of tune. Just extend your first finger a bit without pushing the string up.

 

[WrapRough]

Yes that works for fretted notes but not if you use the open A string and need to mute the E string.

Also you shouldn’t push the string up because it goes out of tune. Just extend your first finger a bit without pushing the string up.

Yeah, push as in "apply an insanely small amount of pressure just enough to mute"

Can't say I ever slap an open A, but yeah fair point!