Palm muting

Music Lesson: Exploring Palm Muting Technique

Introduction

Okay, so I hope you're feeling a bit more confident with the basic techniques of the right and left hands now. We've covered:

• Chords
• Right and left hand positioning
• Picking patterns
• Rhythms
• All sorts of things

Focus of the Lesson

In this lesson, we're going to take a look at some more fun techniques you can get from the guitar. We're going to start with a right hand technique called palm muting (abbreviated to PM in tab).

Importance of Right Hand Position

This technique is another benefit of getting your right hand position exactly right on the bridge. It enables you to come in and out of palm muting really easily.

Exercise: Practicing Palm Muting

Now, I'm going to show you an exercise to practice palm muting. We will focus on:

• The bottom E string (the thick E string)
• Alternate picking in eighth notes

Steps to Follow

1. Begin with open E as normal (no muting):

   • Count: 1, 2, 3, and 4.

2. Adjust the position of your right hand:

   • Slowly move the back of your palm to rest on the string. This provides a cool muting sound that you've likely heard before.
   • As you move your palm back, you will notice that the sound transitions from muted to unmuted.

3. Observe the muting:

   • Keep moving your palm toward the headstock for less muting until it reaches the point where it's not muted at all.
   • Moving forward onto the strings again causes the muting to get heavier.
   • Be cautious, as moving too far forward will result in excessive muting where the pitch of the string is lost.

Key Points

• Palm Placement: The effective muting area is tiny, probably about a centimeter.
• Minimal Positioning: You don't want to bring your palm onto the string any more than that to maintain definition when fretting different notes.

Dynamic Control and Practice

• Palm muting can help control dynamics and is a great-sounding technique for various styles.
• Practice the following:
  • Begin unmuted.
  • Slowly bring your hand forward onto the string to achieve muting.
  • If you lift your hand up, you should feel your palm touching the string right near the bridge.

Moving Across Strings

• When practicing, remember:
  • You may need to flatten your palm or move it down the bridge for the top strings.
  • Listen to how much muting you want.

Conclusion

This is a great technique to master. If you solidify your right hand technique from the start in a good position, it will be easy to dip in and out of palm muting. You can switch between muted and unmuted sounds within a riff, and it'll sound really, really cool!