How To Mute A Guitar String

By Ron Jackson

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The problem

Y'all experience unwanted, sometimes distracting string racket when you play guitar. Don't fret. Every guitarist deals with string racket at some signal. Here's how to tackle it head on.

The solution

Make some subtle adjustments to your technique—modifications that will minimize string racket while helping you lot play more cleanly. Consider using different types of strings likewise.

one) Practise muting unplayed strings on basic open and barre chords

Try the I–Four–2–V (C–F–Dm–G7) progression in Ex. 1, which contains a agglomeration of unplayed strings. You lot have 3 options for muting: a) Use any complimentary fret-hand finger, including your pollex, to finish the sound of the strings; b) hit only the intended strings with your option or fingers; or c) use a combination of these 2 approaches.

Certain chords take notes on non-adjacent strings that crave simultaneous muting. To play the C chord on the downbeat of Ex. 2, for example, you'll need to mute the outset cord with the side of your first finger, while using the side of your third finger to mute cord 6. Similarly, in Ex. 3, on shell 1 of bar 2, mute strings 4 and v with the side of your offset finger, also used to fret the sixth-cord G.

Ex. 4 contains an Fmaj7 chord and a Gmaj7. The former is a practiced case of a chord with both an open up string and an interior unplayed string. To mute the fifth string, touch information technology lightly with your fret hand'south showtime finger, making sure not to silence the open outset string with the side of your fretting hand. On the Gmaj7 chord, utilize your muting techniques to silence strings 1 and 5.

2) Practice muting unmarried-notation patterns

Ex. 5 depicts the A minor pentatonic calibration (A C D Eastward G) in 5th position, and offers a good style to piece of work on keeping unplayed strings silent during unmarried-note passages.Throughout this example, use whatsoever available finger(south) to mute the strings that aren't being played. As you move toward the start cord, y'all might notice it useful to use your thumb to silence the strings.

iii) Do some lifting

The fret hand can make a lot of noise when shifting between chords and notes. You can attenuate the noise by lifting the hand slightly off the strings when doing so. In Ex. vi, you lot'll discover the C major scale (C D E F G A B) played in harmonic sixths. You will see that each pair of notes has an unplayed cord in the middle. The fox is to work on muting that cord while also lifting your fingers when moving between the sixths.

Ex. 7 shows a full 6th-cord-rooted barre chord played upwardly the cervix, one fret at a time. Recollect to lift the grip slightly when moving between the chords, and proceed the pattern equally high as your guitar volition permit.

Now endeavour some lifting in context. Ex. 8 shows a i–VII–Vi–VII progression (Am–Thousand–F–G) plant in many pop and rock tunes. That two-fret jump between the chords has the potential for a lot of cord dissonance, which y'all tin can largely avoid with the lifts when switching between chords.

Ex. 9, a i–iv–Iii–5 progression in C minor, has your fret hand really jumping effectually. You'll make a tremendous corporeality of string noise if you don't lift those fingers when switching. The challenge is to practice it just in time to land on each chord without disrupting the rhythm.

iv) Experiment with your equipment

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Sure strings are more prone to squeaking than others, so if you're still experiencing too much cord noise afterward attempting to address it with guitar technique, try throwing on some different strings. D'Addario's Flat Tops, for instance, take flattened playing surfaces designed to cut down on noise.

Or, y'all could simply acquire to embrace string dissonance. These transient sounds practise, after all, assistance give the guitar a certain character—and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Ron Jackson is a New York Urban center–based chief jazz guitarist, composer, arranger, producer, and educator who's played with Taj Mahal, Jimmy McGriff, Randy Weston, Ron Carter, and many others. Find more of Jackson's lessons at practicejazzguitar.com.