String Muting

General · 2 replies · 1405 views · 3 followers

Rich Winer

almost 8 years ago

I'm looking for suggestions on string muting. I pick much the way Barry does and in his right hand technique video, his palm rarely seems to contact the strings. So how come I don't hear any string overtones ringing? Any thoughts or observations.

I saw a great Bryan Sutton video on youtube where he talks about his picking technique and keeping a loose wrist. Like Barry, he drags his fingers along the pickguard and I'm not sure how he's muting the string overtones either.

Barry Greene Mod

almost 8 years ago

It's a combination of light palm muting or fret hand muting. I didn't spend time thinking about this, it just developed out of a need to stop the guitar from resonating. Practice with an amp or headphones to magnify the problem, this should help you remedy it.

Rich Winer

almost 8 years ago

Thanks, Barry!

Kurt in Austin

almost 8 years ago

+1 to "practice with an amp". I get lazy and find myself spending more time unamplified, and a clean tone on an amp will always keep you honest.

Barry is right about the left hand, I don't know if you can explain it because sometimes your fingers are muting adjacent strings. The picking hand muting will be different depending on how you play. If your hand floats over the strings it's going to be different than if you anchor your fingers at the pick guard. Obviously, if you're shooting for the staccato DiMeola sound, you have to press your palm against the strings near the bridge. But that is more of a dynamic technique rather than just trying to eliminate unnecessary overtones.