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Guitar Lessons - Palm Muting Guitar Strings

Palm Muting the guitar strings will inject attitude into your playing!

Palm Muting Tips:

1. Lay the right edge of your palm(opposite your thumb-see picture) on top of the bridge(see guitar anatomy).
2. As you are strumming (with palm muting), get more wristy so that guitar strings will "snap".
3. You can add more or less muting depending on how much you let the guitar string ring. For less muting - move the palm towards the bridge. For more muting, move the palm away from the bridge.
4. The palm mute should sound like a "thunk" when you play it. Try to mute all of the guitar strings equally!
5. In TAB Notation, the symbol for palm muting is P.M.- - - -

Mute Strumming:

1. You can also use your palm to perform mute strumming(see Mute Strumming)
2. As you are strumming, lay your palm over all of the guitar strings(wherever your hand happens to be)to mute a strum. Be sure to use a lot of wrist motion!
3. You can hear all of the greats do these types of palm muting on the guitar: Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty (Credence Clearwater Revival), and Blink 182.

Examples

TUNE THAT GUITAR!

Bridge Muting HEAR IT!

• Practice the Bridge muting with the metronome or practice tracks

• Now try the entire E Blues Rhythm and E Blues Shuffle Rhythm with palm muting

• Try palm muting using different guitar chords (Look at Power Chord Basics)