Muting Unwanted Noise on Guitar

[RiseClown]

I don't get it, HOW YOU MUTE WITH YOUR RIGHT HAND :(?

[NO11YOU]

I started using my thumb for muting, my thumb tends to brush the string i'm playing on, sounds the same but is this acceptable?

[FreepowerUG]

@NO11YOU if it sounds the same then I guess it's not a problem. :)

[Pierceher]

oi mate thanks for the lesson, do you recommend practicing with the gain up to 10 ? is it feasible to sound 100% clean like that?

[FreepowerUG]

@Pierceher You should practice with and without gain - and it's definitely possible to remain 100% clean using these muting techniques. ^_^

[master18666]

This is awesome but that last bit where you're ascending and muting with your right hand thumb i learned by myself without any lessons and it feels awesome to know that it's an actual technique. :)

[TheDeputydoodoo]

hii:) this questioon is guna sound amateur but im still pretty new to guitar...say im playing the d string...i wud mute the A string with my index finger...but wud it be acceptable to mute the E string with my thumb?

[FreepowerUG]

@TheDeputydoodoo Sure, but you can't keep your thumb over the top of the neck all the time, it'll kill your stretch. Your right palm should be able to handle that job pretty easily. :)

[vicpro1]

I've always muted with the palm of my hand, should I be using my thumb instead? I'm confused.

[FreepowerUG]

@vicpro1 Either/both. :)

[CalisCool]

Awesome video, helps a lot

[Fluffypopcicle]

jeez i feel stupid. what an amateur mistake, everybody who who has played a classical and an electric guitar should know the difference in width and how that affects everything. i guess i just wasn't thinking straight.

[FreepowerUG]

@Fluffypopcicle Nah, it's cool, oddest misunderstanding I've ever dealt with anyway. :D

And there's always the nuno bettencourt sig guitar anyway... :P

[mcskittle3232]

great video. i've been playing for a year and tried both of these techniques but never thought about putting them in use together lol. hopefully this will improve the way my playing sounds. i need to practice this asap.

thanks for the video!

[EpicB0]

Lets say you're playing a pentatonic scale descending. When you are supposed to move from one string to another, lets say D to A, do you move both your index and 3rd finger to thier position before playing the note that your 3rd finger is supposed to be playing or do you move your 3rd finger to its position, play the note, and then move your index finger to its position ?

[FreepowerUG]

@EpicB0 no, you only move one finger at once ascending or descending, doesn't matter. Sometimes it's useful to move both at once, but 95% of the time it's not necessary. :)

[Fluffypopcicle]

@FreepowerUG

any tips for people with small fingers? i have a ridiculous amount of trouble muting the g b and e because if i do... then i can't use any of my other fingers... just to give you a proper picture of how small my fingers are, they are smaller than than michael romeo's and they are very boney so i don't any advantages with muting. i do fine using a different muting technique that i use, but i would rather use this if it's possible. it's cleaner.

[FreepowerUG]

@Fluffypopcicle I'm not entirely sure I follow exactly what the problem is - if your index finger is fairly flat and you can reach the D string, the method from this video should easily allow you to mute at least the GBE strings, and almost definitely the A string too. What have I missed?

[Fluffypopcicle]

@FreepowerUG

i think you have missed that having small fingers is a completely different world for a guitarist. my fingers are so small that they can only make it to the d string if i put it flat across the neck. there is no way i could even reach the a string like that, i would have to un-flatten my index finger. once that happens i am usually not muting a string because i have no choice. that's why i usually use a finger im not using to mute a string or 2 along with my index. it's not simple.

[FreepowerUG]

@Fluffypopcicle Ok, I guess I just hadn't realised how small we were talking here... if you really have that little reach with the index you'll just have to do what you're doing and mute with the other fingers as best you can - I've actually never come across a guitarist with hands that small before, my hands are pretty average and as such I'm not really sure of what to suggest, sorry. :(

[Fluffypopcicle]

@FreepowerUG

no, i made another mistake. when i was typing that i was at disneyland and i was playing a classical guitar with an enormous neck. im doing just fine playing my electric guitar, i just need to work at it. looking at how small i implied that my fingers were i want to kill myself, that was horribly inacurrate. sorry.

[Fluffypopcicle]

@FreepowerUG

continuing: what i usually do is actually use the skin below fingers along with my index finger to mute the strings. i have come up with a couple of methods, but that's the one i usually use. i don't like it though, it can be uncomfortable sometimes. i prefer using my fingers and nothing but my fingers when it comes to my left hand.

[Fluffypopcicle]

@FreepowerUG

continuing again: regarding my first comment, i didn't really know what i did once it got to the point where i get to the a string, so i just guessed what i did, tried what i did naturally, and realized that the first method i gave was a method i never use and should never use because it is fucking awful lol.

[loosfoos]

damn ! i learned to play on acoustic guitar without worrying about that, and now i have to relearn to put this technique into my playing... seem hard as hell too !

[TheMetalGuy01]

LOL i palm mute so much that when i mute the unwanted noise i just keep the edge of my hand on the strings that im not playing

[outofslumber]

Very informative. Well for me anyway.

[FrozenSparky]

looks hard. how much time did u spend to get used to that? :o

[FreepowerUG]

@FrozenSparky It takes a month or two but once you get it down you sound much better, all the time! :)

[JoeHardy15]

You're good dude. Thanks!!!

[danielghero]

what about if you play say the 12 fret on the high e string, and then play the 15 fret on the b string and then switch back to the 12th fret e string etc how would you mute the 15th fret? cause when i play something like that it ALWAYS rings out. do i need to do something different with the pinky? am i lifting off to hard or something?

[FreepowerUG]

@danielghero If you follow the muting techniques in this vid then your index finger will be touching the b string and muting it while your pinky plays the 15th fret. You're probably pulling off with the pinky though. :)

[danielghero]

@FreepowerUG oh ok, i'll watch the vid with more detail when i get a chance. and i believe i am, but i don't really know how to stop doing it

[danyravi]

this is a lesson worth a 1000 $,, ,, thank u suuuu muchhhh .., m a intermediate player n dis extra ringing sound like pull off whn changing strings was so frustating dat i was abt 2 give up .... btw how many hours one should practice in ur opinion 2 be a good guitarist.. thnxx again

[BornNonconformist]

Top advice m8, thanks :).

[messerJ4H]

Very good and usefull lesson for beginers. You've done this video PROfessionally ;)

[wildnest1]

Hey man, what about palm muting.. i mean when i palm mute i usually mute the higher strings too , am i supposed to do this ? or should i just mute with the index finger on my left hand ? Because i find muting with my index finger kinda hard

[FreepowerUG]

@wildnest1 When you're palm muting you're often muting all the strings, but it's handy to have the index finger muting just in case. Nothing will make aggressive palm muting sound shit quicker than a ringing open string. :P

Secondly, if you want to play with any amount of gain, yeah, index finger muting is necessary. It's tricky at first but will make you sound much better, all the time! :)

[wildnest1]

@FreepowerUG So am i supposed to use the index finger all the time when playing with distortion? Like while sweeping and stuff... it's so damn hard :S

[FreepowerUG]

@wildnest1 It's not about "supposed". :P

If you can't hear any string noise when you play normally, you're either muting well enough already or you just aren't listening well enough. If you hear string noise and you want to correct it, a huge amount of it can be eliminated with the index finger flatter.

How'd you think pro guitarists just whack the strings and only the "right" note sounds? :P

[wildnest1]

@FreepowerUG Okay, thanks dude.. time to start practising this :S

[ison011]

great vid

[sujun1]

could u please elaborate on the picking hand muting? i cant seem to do it :(

[FreepowerUG]

@sujun1 Read the article in the info and recheck the section in this vid - and give it a bit more practice. It takes time to get this together. :)

[sujun1]

@FreepowerUG alright, i just wan to clarify something, was ur thumb parallel to the bridge? and am i right to say that u're muting the strings with ur thumb and not the side of ur palm?

[FreepowerUG]

@sujun1 My thumb isn't parallel to the bridge but I'm muting with my thumb, yeah. If you have a different hand position or pick holding style to me then you may want to use the palm, exactly the same principle applies - lightly touch the lower strings to stop them ringing out. :)

You can see it in close up from about 3:40 on. :)

[MrBean69er]

for right hand muting, is it better to mute with the thumb or the palm?

[iMihaiCiprian]

Dude from what I've previously searched this is the best thing like ever. Thanks a lot!!

[usojas1]

Thanks for that vid

[Phrygian12]

Great Lesson!

[Blckspawn0]

How would you use left hand muting with sweep picking?

I can't mute the strings whenever I decent the sweep.

[FreepowerUG]

@Blckspawn0 You're probably lifting your fingers too much and letting strings ring, or not releasing them at all and letting the notes ring on.

[Blckspawn0]

@FreepowerUG

So i should find like a happy middle and keep my fingers there?

[FreepowerUG]

@Blckspawn0 Nope - you need to fret the notes properly, and then when you're done with that note - release the pressure, but don't lift the finger. Obviously, you should do this along with all the other muting techniques in the vid and in the article in the info. :)

[Kwonnie34]

I shat myself at 1:34. I doubt I could play that hammering on, let alone pick that completely when playing acoustically.

[FreepowerUG]

@Kwonnie34 You mean you think I picked that? Cheers! ;)

Don't worry - if you do enough practice and give it time you'll have no problem with any of the licks in this vid. Promise. :)

[dajiaoma77777]

would have been more helpful with amplification so that we could hear it better

[vjr1113]

What I need help with is my arpeggios :/

[aalexcp]

mute them with your right hand palm

[whoomit]

Hey there, pretty good video!

Could you tell me what that descending run around 2:20 is you're playing please?

[Revival1]

awsome video man! best i've seen around on this topic

[ChristinaRicciLover]

when you have to mute between chords like in smells like teen spirit, I have this pacman-like sound when I lay my hand(the hand on the frets) on the strings , is that normal? Or shouldn't I mute the notes like that?

[joesimmons90]

That's the way it's supposed to be done. It's called scratching/scratch chords.

[clutchkirby]

You're might accidentally be playing natural harmonics. Make sure you're covering each string with the width of multiple fingers, not just one.

[aalexcp]

could you elaborate on this

[Trannsam]

Very helpful!

[sagyas]

Thx good lesson.

So you showed 3 thecniques.

-Mute with tip of the finger

-Palm Mute

-Mute with thumb

I think the first is the best and I'll use it.

[boxingin]

Hey FreePower.

You mute the bottom strings with your thumb and some mute them with their palm (pinky) what's the difference?

[FreepowerUG]

Hand shape or size makes things different, as does bridge design. Sometime the palm is useful to mute a lot of strings where the thumb wouldn't be big enough.

[boxingin]

This guitar playing thing is very tricky, man. Had I known this beforehand I think I would've chosen Alligator wrestling or something.... Oh well. It's too late now. Thanks for the advise and keep up the good work.

[blayze101]

go home and cry then

[xXDrVanillaXx]

how do you mute the D,A, and low E strings without palm muting them?

[degozaimasu]

Actually you DO palm mute them but you're not playing those notes.

Let's say you want to play a note on the D (4th) string. You palm mute the A (5th) and the low E (6th) string, but not the D string! (meanwhile, the index finger should mute the G, B and high E (3rd, 2nd and 1st) strings)

Muteing is very easy in theory. In practice...

[boxingin]

I'm new to electric guitar and I was wondering how to stop all that extra noise. Uhhmmmm, now I know how. Thanks alot, man!

[Qwertz1234512]

Where exactly is the difference between anchoring and muting the lower strings with the right hand?

[coldironhands1]

i hold the pick between my index finger and pinky it's easier for

[ChristinaRicciLover]

Ehh?

[yoeasypunk]

Quick question. Is it better to pick/mute with your right hand your way with all your fingers in a fist or the way I do it is holding the pick with my index and thumb with my other 3 fingers out?

[FreepowerUG]

Not really a big deal as long as your hand is relaxed. Take your hand, relax it totally - apart from holding your pick, that's what it should look like.

[Joereillymusic]

dont close your fist because that takes more effort, take your hand and hold it wide open, now touch your index finger to your thumb in the place you would hold a pic... see where the rest of your fingers are now? thats where they most comfortably reside.

[FreepowerUG]

I have to disagree - improving technique involves minimising tension - by relaxing your hand totally you can see how your hand looks when it has 0 tension. Add the pick between finger and thumb, sorted.

Holding your hand wide open =/= relaxed.

[Joereillymusic]

im not advocating a wide open hand, im basically saying what your first comment says, your hand needs to be relaxed

[haneeshclairvoyant]

thnx !!! a lott!!!

[ghostofgar]

Excellent vids mate, when you are descending from the high e with say 4321 do you still only mute with the tip of the index?

[slyneph]

Hey Freepower i just wanted to say that your lessons are the good stuff , i started playing guitar april 08 but had to stop april 09 so im Teaching my self at the moment so A BIG! thank you you pretty much answer all the questions i had about the subjects that you cover ESPECIALLY POSTURE !! thanks again

[whoahyeah]

Hi Freepower, do you have tabs on UG for the legato runs at 1:35 and 2:20?

Great lessons, by the way! :)

[KonigRodskjegg]

Hi Freepower :)

First of all, I wanna say that your vids have really helped me out with the fundamentals of guitar technique. I've been flailing around like an idiot until I found your lessons via UG!

Regarding using the picking hand's thumb to mute the lower strings, I've found that not only is this good for muting but it lends my hand much more stability, allowing me to pick more evenly and quickly. I don't feel like this is hindering movement, but could this be considered anchoring?

[KonigRodskjegg]

To clarify, I'm wondering whether this apparent increase in stability means I must be resting my hand on the strings too much.

[FreepowerUG]

I'm afraid this is one of those things you have to answer yourself, just figure out how much flexibility and looseness you have and adjust if necessary. :)

[KonigRodskjegg]

Alrighty. :] Well it seems to be okay, so I guess I'll roll with it. Thanks!

[CoolioCallum]

This was sweet.

[Pivovarit]

The best muting video on the net.

btw, how do You keep strings from ringing when doing sweeps?

People told me to use palm muting, but I do get it. It's not accurate.

[FreepowerUG]

You use all the muting techniques in this video along with palm muting, and you have to relax your fngers after playing each note. :)

[StrikeBlack]

Hey..... I'm trying to play a song called given up by Linkin Park and in the intro i'm suppose to left hand mute the strings to produce some sort of crunchy sound but i cant instead some weird sound comes out..........HELP plz.........

[FreepowerUG]

You're thinking of palm muting - it's done with the right hand and it's not what this lesson is about. Search "palm muting" and you should get some good lessons. :)

[JSAddict]

So, with this method do you even need to use the other fingers to mute? For single notes I mean, for chords and whammy bar abuse you would need them, obviously =]. Also, do you feel that using the palm of your right hand works as well as the thumb?

[FreepowerUG]

Palm works fine and other fingers may be necessary in some places, but in general this will do the job without them. :)

[koen37]

I have some kind of problem. When playing slow, I have no problems at all with unwanted string noise. When playing fast I do, especially because my fingers have to be like 90 degrees on the lower strings because of a curve in my pinky which I can't use if I don't put my fingers in that angle. Now I am playing this song "Stratosphere" by Stratovarius, and after the intro the riff from the intro continues but with a fast lick in between. You'll understand what I mean when you listen. Anyway NC

[guitar10726]

well f me! it didn't work...nevermind i'll figure it out on my own hopefully.

[guitar10726]

Your lesson was too basic for me but you seem to be pretty good at guitar so maybe you can help me. I'm doing a sweep pattern that makes a fair amount of unwanted noise and i believe i have to mute with my right hand. I'll post the tab above.

[z0mgzt0m]

how the fudge is your legato so fecking fluent

[FreepowerUG]

Well, A) it isn't all that, and B) practice and paying attention to what I'm practicing. :)

[z0mgzt0m]

since your liek a wise teacher, waht should i play to a metronome, cos ive been playing modes

[FreepowerUG]

The metronome is a tool to help you practice - the metronome is just to keep time and allow you to track progress. As for what to play to it - take anything you want to know how to play and make it PERFECT to the metronome at a comfy speed. :)

[z0mgzt0m]

hmm, i play metal, so i want to improve my soloing, in terms of composing and speed so what would you recommend? i play metalcore and deathcore btw to be more specific :D

[FreepowerUG]

To improve composing, compose. To get faster, improve your technique. To improve your technique, observe, analyse, practice, repeat. :)

[z0mgzt0m]

lol, know any places where i can learn lots of arpeggios, sweeps and scales? not in terms of websites, but threads on ug xD

[FreepowerUG]

Exercises/what song thread in Guitar Techniques. :)

[z0mgzt0m]

thanks :D

that will be all for now xD

lol sorry for the questions

[flrtf4rfn]

Nothing to do with the muting, but do you know how many bpm you're playing there? Does it sound shredded when it's plugged into distortion? and what scale is it? good lesson thanks

[FreepowerUG]

No idea, probably and G major, IIRC. :)

[ScorchinBeats]

Wow. I've been playing for over 3 years and I just realized how much I FUCKING SUCK.

Haha

[xIIxMAJORxIIx]

Good, clear lesson, 5/5.

[3dpaper]

Im alittle confused, are muting all the strings higher and one string lower than the string u're picking with the index finger?

[FreepowerUG]

Yep. :)

[Lrb193]

I've got a question here FP. I have a deep arch in between my first and second knuckle of my thumb. This generally allows at least on strings to ring out. Sometimes more.

I've tried to mute with my palm and this is terribly uncomfortable and, according to UG, you should always be comfortable with your playing.

I'm stuck here. I'm not exactly sure what to do. Help me out please?

[FreepowerUG]

Can you use a little bit of the flesh of your palm to mute the strings? That's probably best. As goes comfort, experiment plenty with posture - sometimes a small shift in hand position makes a big difference. :)

[Lrb193]

Sweet. Thanks mate!

[Jag117]

Good lesson. 5/5.

[xMASdestructionx]

Thanks mate this vid is awesome

I gave up using picks because I became assimilated with the feel of my hand, but when I handle it, I always make unwanted noise.

I can start picking now!

[redevil4evr]

I'd just like to say that your lessons on UG helped me a lot, especially legato. Thanks a lot man.

[FreepowerUG]

Thank you! :)

I really must do more video lessons...

[XaexSoulForged]

like some guy already said, nice lesson, but it would probably have gone better with some distortion to really notice the effect

[holleywood25]

If you are always muting the string above you with your pointer fingertip, then how are you fretting the note correctly? I was under the impression that guitarists played with their finger tips, not fingerpads.

[Ravez43567]

damn I love this lesson man, thanks alot for making it

[JSAddict]

This is an awesome lesson! I have a question though. I have fret hand muting down pretty good. My index finger does the goal keeper thing you talked about(all strings above and one below), but I can't keep the low e string muted with my thumb\palm. As soon as I move my hand to play the high e,b,or g string it starts to ring out. I can't keep it quiet for some reason! Oh and I should point out I don't practice with noise gate or any compression and I play it on clean.

[FreepowerUG]

Focus on this issue and practice slowly until you can get it right. :)

[PyroShade]

fun, though you're contradicting yourself concerning the anchoring part everyone is so big about. You're not anchoring but the part where you use your thumb to mute the strings, is creating friction wich is one of the major arguments on not anchoring. The rest of your technique(both picking and fretting) is perfect as far as I can see. Keep it up, Fretboardtoash.

[Lrb193]

This may be. However, like palm muting, it's a technique that is almost required to play cleanly. It is close to impossible NOT to do this. Muting unwanted string noise is definately going to create friction, however you do it.

[RazzleFr]

Is it important to mute with both the left hand and right hand or is it possible to do it with only right? and by learning muting would that mean that i pretty much have to relearn my picking technique and left hand technique?

[FreepowerUG]

Much better to mute with both hands than only one, and it's only a small addition to your playing unless you have a really weird fretting or picking style. :)

[RazzleFr]

i think i have always played with the index part put the whole muting with the palm all the time seems difficult or atleast weird to get used to. Is it supposed to feel like palm muting all the time cause i palm mute on the bridge and i play floated otherwise

[aalexcp]

can this technique be used when sweep picking?

[FreepowerUG]

Pretty much has to be, or else it'll sound like mush. :)

[tedhellcaster]

i like ur lesson. but i think it couldve been better if u used some amp with distortion

[Lrb193]

UG RULZ!

Anyways great lesson Freepower. I have always had some difficulty muting. Hopefully this will help me out.

[AnteaterUV]

what about when sweeping up? how do you mute in that case?

[FreepowerUG]

Learn whatever you like - if the stretch is too large, tap it. :P You can also refinger the notes (see my theory vids) and posture is a major help when stretching (posture vid). :)

[llwayneio]

hi love your vids they are very helpful i have a question though, you say that you mute the strings with the 1st finger on your left hand but what if your were playing say 4-3-2-1 with the fingers to match, would you then have to must with the pinky? should i work on muting the strings with all the fingers i use? i used to play with my fingers totally arched the entire time so all the strings would ring out, which was a pain on a high gain amp setting.

[FreepowerUG]

If you play 4321 you still mute with the first finger. :) With the other fingers it's important to make all your movements are as small and neat as possible. In some situations you can actually use other fingers to mute in the middle of chords or similar, but it's not as common. :)

[llwayneio]

oh well i actually do accidently mute with all my fingers except when playing chords that require open strings in which case I arch them. should i work at arching them all the time then? I am really confused with technique as there are so many, michael angelo batio seems to mute his strings with all fingers but he has meat fingers and mine are girly. im gunna try and get a teacher soon and try to get some help as i feel a bit lost in the world of guitar lol :)

[FreepowerUG]

It's not bad to mute with all your fingers, if you can do it it's cool. :)

Using the tips of your fingers is good for legato and chords, using the pads for stuff like bends or muting. :)

[llwayneio]

so its okay but with legato i should try to use the very tips of my fingers. have you heard of andy james? he has a quite weird style where he appears to use the pad of his pinky. Do you know any songs to learn for someone who has been playing 6 months and has really small hands? i have been trying surfing with the alien, the intro with the 3 to 8 fret stretch is a lot for my little hands. i can reach but i have to use the pad of my pinky to get there :( il keep trying tho

[aalexcp]

hey, i find really hard to do vibrato with my index finger when its muting the lower string, because i am not fretting with the tip of it is there a way to solve this problem?

[tomschelfaut]

Great lesson, I do still have some questions though...

When arpeggiating let's say 3-string chords on the higher strings, how do you mute the strings when switching chord positions?

And another: How do you mute the surrounding strings when doing something like this (legato): b--7-0-5-0-3-0 and so on?

grtz and could you do a lesson on legato playing?

[FreepowerUG]

A) muting while changing chord positions is more about changing with accuracy than anything else. Small, perfect movements. :)

B) once again, small movements, mute the lower strings with right hand.

C) no legato lesson for a while. :)

[tomschelfaut]

Yes, but it's like it doesn't matter how small the movements are, the strings will still make noise whenever my fingers lift off them... . Could you just make some sort of short video in which you explain/demonstrate these small movements?

grtz!

[Chiger23]

Great lesson, I've always blocked the lower strings with my picking hand, but never thought about using my index to block the higher strings. This helps, although it would have been better if you played plug because it really shows how noisy it can be with the unwanted strings ringing over.

[aalexcp]

i found that if i try to mute with the left hand on the second string i have to have my wrist completely straight so that my index finger touches the first tring.

is that ok?

[aalexcp]

soo... do you always pick with the thumb muting the lower strings?

[FreepowerUG]

Most of the time. Sometimes I get a bit sloppy. :(

[aalexcp]

Do you always have to be muting the lower and higher strings, i thought you should have your hand floating above the strings, and i find pretty hard to mute and then again put my hand over the strings, even harder when playing fast, could you please explain me?

[FreepowerUG]

If you just watch my right hand, you can see it isn't attached to any part of the guitar, but the thumb moves over the strings and mutes the noisy ones. :)

[aalexcp]

how do you mute with the thumb if you hand is supposed to rest above the strings, and what if you want to let all the notes sound?

[FreepowerUG]

You can see the answer to your first question in the video, and you don't have to use your thumb - some people prefer to use their palm, for example.

Secondly, if you want to let all the notes ring out you just do the exact opposite of what's in this vid. :)

[en4sm8zn7g8]

I've really been looking for a tutorial on this technique! Thanks a lot mate! 5 stars!

[Elintasokas]

Great lesson man

[DMac604]

appreciate the lessons/tips :D

[thebonedance]

Hey very informative video! Thanks for doing that FP.

Question about right hand muting though: Just for simply palm muting the string you are currently picking (not the one above or below it), what part of your hand are you using to mute that? Is it always the right side of the palm? The fleshy part of your hand vertically underneath the pinky?

[FreepowerUG]

Both, depending on circumstance, but I haven't given it much thought tbh. :)