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Struggle with palm muting
I struggle with palm muting. Are there any additional resources on this technique you can recommend?
– I can palm mute the lower 3 strings just fine, but I often have weird flubs or ringing notes in the upper strings, specifically the B string.
– I can do the down strums well, but the up strums my pick seems to get stuck, especially when playing full chords.
– I struggle to play all the strings when playing upstroke palm muted chords and usually only hit the top 3 strings.
I wonder if I’m missing a fundamental part of the technique.
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3 Replies
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Practice, practice, practice. Palm muting skill don’t happen overnight. Just keep on trying.
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I used to be there, and sort of figured palm muting just wasn’t my cup of tea. But then I decided I would try anything Tony threw at us. So the next time it came up in a lesson, I worked out the best position for my hand up against the bridge. It might mean shifting your hand slightly during the stroke in order to affect all the strings. It is a bit awkward at first to keep the palm on the strings while holding the pick, let alone move it up and down, but it is a skill you can learn.
As far as the pick getting “stuck” on up-strums, what I found is to slant the pick in such a way that it doesn’t “catch” on the strings. That means changing the slant on each down- and up-strum. You have to do this consciously for a while until it becomes a habit.
Hope this helps!
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@J.T. struggle with palm muting, even after four years of playing, but it does get easier. I’m not sure all ever be really comfortable with it, but with practice, you will be able to eventually do it. You can always google palm muting instruction or technique, and you might find something that helps you out with that. <div>
It surprises people to learn that strumming is not easy as many would think, but it does get easier with practice. I agree with @BarbaraM that angling the pick at an angle to skim across the strings, whether downstrumming or upstrumming, is key. When you’re upstrumming, you want to lightly brush upwards. You should not be hitting all the strings. You only need to hit a few. Your pick is also catching on the strings because you are probably strumming too heavily.
Whether down strumming or upstrumming, the key is lighter is better. Being too heavy handed is a common problem. I’ve been accused of it many times myself. You’re playing will sound more natural when you’re able to lighten up on the strums. It is more important know the root note in hit all the strings going downward, and then to just brush upwards. And it typically is just a string or 2, sometimes 3 that you’re hitting.
I remember when I first learned to strum at how frustrated I would become for the same reasons. What helped me was watching youtube videos of guitarists strumming and their technique. I would really try to study the positioning of their pick in hand and the motion of their wrist and arm. I have a pain disorder and I have chronic tightness in all my muscles. So trying to relax my wrist enough to where I was strumming from my wrist and not my whole arm has been challenging. Someone at one of my jam clubs recognized how difficult it was for me. He’s a drummer, and he suggested that I purchase a set of drumsticks. Holding it I then put a pick in fingers. I rock thee drum stick back-and-forth using my fingers and wrist only it mimics the natural hand position of a guitarist. This greatly helped me, and I still practice with it, especially when my muscles are very tight.
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