BC-019 • Palm Muting

[justinguitar]

Questions...

[Dikiwaza]

I've been playing for around a year now and have primarily learnt through reading and watching the content of justinguitar.com  and am trying to get to grips with palm muting.  I find that when I try this technique that the strings sound really dead (sort of a thunk sound).  I think that I am pressing too hard on the strings or may have my hand in the wrong place?  I rest my hand about an inch from the end of the strings and strum above the middle pickup on my guitar. 

Cheers

[rich]

I've been playing for around a year now and have primarily learnt through reading and watching the content of justinguitar.com  and am trying to get to grips with palm muting.  I find that when I try this technique that the strings sound really dead (sort of a thunk sound).  I think that I am pressing too hard on the strings or may have my hand in the wrong place?  I rest my hand about an inch from the end of the strings and strum above the middle pickup on my guitar. 

Cheers

Ok man lemme give you some advice.
1)Turn your amp up. For some reason palm muting was easier to learn for me with louder volume.
2)Press the side of you hand against the string toward the bottom, press nice and hard though.
3)Different guitars have different places for nice clean muting, mine is at my double pickups, your gunna have to move your hand around to find it.
When you find it, it should sound nice and thick.
4)You pluck the strings just like normal, the only thing changed is that the side of your hand is muting (or thickening, so to speak) the sound.

Anything else?

[Dikiwaza]

Cheers, I'll give that a go. 

[rich]

Cheers, I'll give that a go. 

Lemme know how it goes.

[Tomps]

A video would be good for this lesson. I know that you are busy, but it would help alot. I miss some kind of tips that you could show on the video and show exactly that why part of hand should be muting the strings and then maybe some strumming tips, if there are any. But If someone could explain some tips here I'd be vaery happy .

-Tomps

[rich]

Ok man lemme give you some advice.
1)Turn your amp up. For some reason palm muting was easier to learn for me with louder volume.
2)Press the side of you hand against the string toward the bottom, press nice and hard though.
3)Different guitars have different places for nice clean muting, mine is at my double pickups, your gunna have to move your hand around to find it.
When you find it, it should sound nice and thick.
4)You pluck the strings just like normal, the only thing changed is that the side of your hand is muting (or thickening, so to speak) the sound.

Anything else?
[/quote]

Dude there's not really more to it, it's pretty simple. Not worth a lesson, hardly worth a thread.

[Tomps]

One more question . I have a little problem with the strumming. Justin says, that I should "let my hand rest lightly on the edge of the bridge." Maybe this doesn't cause a problem with stratocaster model guitars, because the bridge is inclinated, but since I have Les Paul model guitar the bridge goes straight down and so its hard to palm mute while I'm sitting. Maybe it's easier while standing 'cause the guitar can be turned to right position. But any tips for "sit playing with LP" ?

-Tomps

[rich]

One more question . I have a little problem with the strumming. Justin says, that I should "let my hand rest lightly on the edge of the bridge." Maybe this doesn't cause a problem with stratocaster model guitars, because the bridge is inclinated, but since I have Les Paul model guitar the bridge goes straight down and so its hard to palm mute while I'm sitting. Maybe it's easier while standing 'cause the guitar can be turned to right position. But any tips for "sit playing with LP" ?

-Tomps

I wasn't aware statocasters had inclinated bridges. To tell you the ruth i'm not a startocaster enthuisiest.
I don't get how it could be harder sitting down...harder in what way?

[Tomps]

oh right... sorry, my bad ^^'. It wasn't a strato, it was only shaped like one and the "mark" (?) is some never heard random. So forget my question, but thanks anyway

[Jens]

Hi Justin,

i would like to know when the vids for BC 19 will be uploaded.
Also BC18 and BC20 are concerned.

Greets from Germany, Jens

[andrewcorby3]

alright ive been playing for around 4 months now. im starting to get a lot of things down and learning new things every day. but for some reason i cannot learn to palm mute one string and power chord two others.  for example i wanna learn how to pplay the song Orion by metallica and i just cant get that part down.... any suggestions?

[Mahly]

This is being done at the SAME time? or is this just a palm muted pedal note (often the low e, or a) then chords between it?
If it's the latter, you simply raise your palm off the bridge to let the chords ring out. Metallica LOVES pedal notes (and i LOVE Metallica \m/) very often your hand is bouncing between palm muting and open ringing (is there a term for letting the chords ring out vs. palm muting? I just woke up LOL).

[andrewcorby3]

explain pedal notes for me plz???  how would it work for one string only to ake it sound like its palm muted?

[Mahly]

By pedal notes, I mean all the palm muted single string notes you hear between chords. Metallica uses this technique VERY often. Check Justin's vid on Seek and Destroy. First riff has a couple , the next 2 are FULL of them!...they are used pretty much though the whole song. Watch Justin's vid, and you will answer all your questions about palm muting.