Paul Gilbert had a great tip to help practice this. He said to practice with your amp gain turned way up and try to play clean. The excessive noise will instinctively drive you to try to control the strings you don’t want to hear. Try this for a few days then try to go back to normal gain or clean and it will be so much easier to control. This type of practice finally got me to understand and incorporate string muting into my playing and that one thing alone made me sound a hundred times better.
This is such a big thing. One of the things I struggle with the most, is other strings ringing out when they aren't supposed to be. It's annoying and I totally agree that it's an underrated skill that needs to be worked on.
Try holding power chords with your index finger on the low string and just your pinky on the higher two instead of pinky and ring finger. The way you have to hold your hand in order to keep the pressure on the strings forces you to mute the strings you don't want to play. Or that works for me, anyway.
Hahaha, that's just what I was thinking! It's one of those songs that lets you know you NEED to get better at a certain technique, in order to play it and make it sound good.
this is probably the MOST important lesson for anyone who gets a few years in to their playing/ writing. It's not just about the notes you play, but also the notes you don't play. Look at a player like Kurt Cobain. there is no way he could play with the amount of gain he used unless he had a mastery of which notes of the chords he wanted to play and which he didn't. I would add that the pick attack itself can help with this, as eventually you learn that you don't need to hit all six strings on every strum, but may only want to hit the three low strings on the down strum, and the three high strings on the up strum. It really does separate a real musician playing a song on an acoustic from that friend of yours playing around the campfire. This realization completely changed my playing.
I'm sorry, but Kurt Cobain is not a good example of a clean player. He was a very good example on how to play noisy and still sounds great. He was dirty. If you play his songs with a clean technique, it does not sounds good, you cannot reach the nirvana.
@Cesar Mora i don't know what you mean by 'clean player' but if you mean that he couldn't sound exactly the way he wanted to, then i would disagree with that. I used him as an example specifically because many people think that he 'sucked at guitar'. My contention is that he liked how he sounded and strove for that sound. You yourself said that you have to play the way he did in order to sound like he did.
When people learn the very basics of guitar, open/ cowboy chords, it is highly stressed not to touch a single other string in any way, shape, or form. “In absolutely no way can you touch any of these other strings if you want to play an open C chord. Only touch the fretted notes. You can’t mute any other strings if you want to play cleanly.” We have to internalize that and make it an ingrained and automatic habit. Then when you get more advanced, you have to throw that out the window because you realize that half the time, pros play only parts of open chords and chord fragments and so many lead lines and chordal lead guitar riffs require your fingers to touch the other strings. Now it’s “you have to touch every other string if you want to play cleanly.” I think this is why it’s hard to mute: it goes against the foundations of technique we learn as basic beginners.
Very true. Great point. You search for clear tones on all six strings, or at least five for years, and all of a sudden, you are supposed to do the opposite.
On bass, after I learned how to mute everything all the time, I sounded too controlled, especially if chords were needed, so I learned how not to mute and let the strings ring where needed.
Muting is especially important for distortion. Its common knowledge but as a beginner, I never heard how bad it sounded when I let unwanted strings ring.
You're just too excited to play something, and sometimes you just focus on other things like the strumming rhythms. And that's ok for beginners, you need new goals like muting down the road.
Some of SRV's tone comes from his insane muting ability when soloing. He banged on all the strings for one note, and it thickened up that note like rue in gravy.
Being self-taught, and having played exclusively acoustic for 22 years, I never knew this was a thing. Then I started playing electric, and the unplayed strings rang out horribly. So learning how to mute quickly became imperative, and I've been working on it for the past two years. This video was the most useful I've seen about teaching specific techniques for muting under different circumstances.
I agree. Learning this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. It took me a while to get the basics of this. Even now, whenever my playing's sloppy, it's because I'm not paying attention to mute properly. And yeah, It IS difficult but keep at it. You will be rewarded, guaranteed!
Excellent Rick! Probably your most important lesson in a long time. I've been trying to get this stuff over to my students for years. I've tried to get over to them that this is often the main reason why their playing doesn't sound as good as they want it to - particularly when they record themselves. I've also warned them that there is relatively little coverage of this important subject on the Internet. At least I can point them at something now. By the way, I often like to draw a comparison between the guitar and the piano, which is of course damped by default, and where you have to press the sustaining pedal to allow the strings to ring.
This is a nice video. To the young guitarists watching this: it is of equal importance to be able to pick with accuracy. You should be able to pick a power chord, or any chord, in the manner Rick lays out here-you should also be able to pick chords without your pick touching the other strings. If your goal is to only play aggressive rock riffs, you can probably ignore my comment.
Great lesson Rick. I've been doing a lot of Doc Watson/Chet Atkins alternating bass with a thumb pick and proper muting is extremely important to the sound. It definitely takes a very specific amount of palm muting to articulate the note without it fully resonating. And for sure, muting is essential for those Wes style octaves. The intro to the Road Song is a great workout for those looking to get into octave soloing. I really appreciate it. Take care! -Mark
He's right. The greats are great at muting. After 30 years of playing, I've concluded that the hardest thing to do well is mute unwanted noise, especially when bending with a lot gain. I was actually thinking about this the other day before seeing this video. You bend into other strings and strings sound when releasing bends or with wide vibrato. It's easy to play FAST, though it takes some time to work up to high speeds. Playing FAST without ANY additional string noise is NOT easy. Playing very fast with lots of wide bends without ANY additional noise is nearly impossible when playing very loud with high gain. Always practice with an amp turned up fairly loud. If you practice electric unplugged a lot, you'll find that when you plug in and turn up you are a very "noisy" player.
Excellent points, Rick. The amount of muscle memory knowledge you need to control a high gain amp really makes you clean up your playing and your muting skills. It's very unforgiving, which is exactly what you want for practicing and growing in your playing because any and all mistakes are glaringly obvious. Great video, man!
I'm curious about this statement though, because with the chord position he's in when he says that, if he frets instead of mutes all the strings in line with his index finger, it's a straight Am chord, rather than a flat-out "mess"
Most important guitar video of the year and the best invested 10minutes if everyone's practicing it. THIS is influencing. So many thousand guitar videos on gear on TH-cam, but this awareness about muting is essential to be placed into the minds. Thank you Rick!
Thanks Rick. My big problem is hitting extraneous strings with my fingertips or nails when I’m doing really heavy bends. Frequently I’ll accidentally pluck one of the lower strings when releasing a bend, which is OK acoustic but sounds really bad with any kind of distortion. Any advice?
I agree...have played for 46 years, 40 years in bands. Muting is the process of taking away what's not wanted/needed. Like sculpting - taking away what doesn't belong, and you have a statue! In my early teens I didn't take lessons but played with some older really good guitarists and noticed this technique and how clean they played. LOVE your posts, and thanks for this one.
I don't tape the strings to mute them. I loosely tie a sock at the top of the fretboard, to the lowest possible place where it is not in the way. It works awesomely.
I totally, totally agree! I picked this up from my guitar teacher when I was 12. I'm 56 now and it is the most important technique for all string players.
If you’re a beginner I’d say before muting you need to make sure you sync your hands so that you hit the right string at the right time. That way you only really need to mute the surrounding strings rather than all of them. But I agree with everything else that you said!
Couldn't agree more. I actually reached an advanced level of playing without paying much attention to string muting, and after a while I noticed that I just didn't sound as "clean" as my favorite players. My right hand was working things pretty well, but I guess nobody ever told me how important the left hand was to making things sound polished, and so I just never paid attention to that. When I finally figured it out, I worked on it, and in about 6 months I went from kind of messy to crystal clear, and the difference was amazing. I emphasize left-hand muting with all my students and it helps them sound nice and polished too. I would agree that this is one of the most important things to learn, if not THE most important thing.
I never had a guitar teacher. I am a self educated musician. but I instinctually learned this just by listening to music and watching live shows and trying to mimic the guitar players. muting is one of the most techniques which helps creating new ideas when improvising. I hope you make another video for electric guitars. thanks Rick.
When people ask me what the difference is between playing acoustic guitar and electric guitar, I say the main thing I've noticed is that with an acoustic you have to focus on playing the strings you want to hear. With an electric you have to focus on muting the strings you don't want to hear.
I grew up learning guitar on acoustic. I spent a lot of time pounding out open/cowboy chords on all 6 strings. I found the transition to electric guitar to be very frustrating. I thought it would be easy but it was always a noisy mess. Took me a long time to finally figure out how to get control of the strings on an electric and how important string muting was.
@@thehoser55 That is the place I am now... I started playing a while ago but never upgraded from a TERRIBLE (never setup) acoustic. I used to think action was for pros and low action was for bums.... Now my picking on a nice acoustic or any electric is SO bad. Super aggressive. All this is also why my dynamics are trash (well, that and a lack of playing ability lol)
@@MichaelBazik I used to be very ham handed as well. It took way less work to play on an electric than I had ever imagined. The touch took a while to develop. I even played on really thick strings (13s) for a while to help with the transition. I play 10s now. Thinking about going to 9s or maybe even lighter now that I have the dynamics under control. Light strings are fun to play once you learn you don’t have to strangle them. The book that really helped me was “Single String Studies for Guitar” by Sal Salvador. That, a metronome and about 15 minutes or more a day really got my hands in sync and under control. The Guitar Grimoire Exercise book is also another great option. Keep practicing and it will come. If I can do it anyone can. Good luck!
I love how varied of an impression I get from your videos. Most of them are things I need to learn that keep my ego in check, then there's the occasional video like this that boosts my self-confidence. It's nice to see a technique I taught myself in the last 12 years called "pro" by one of the greatest music teachers on TH-cam.
Palm muting and string muting were the first things I focused on when I started watching Kiko Loureiro's (Megadeth / Angra) old guitar lessons. Got used to muting 5 strings while playing one note, even if I don't need to, it's become automatic, especially for solos. Great video!
I learned this technique years ago when teaching myself “Cheap Sunglasses” by ZZ Top. I found myself doing it all the time after that and my playing went to another whole level. When we played our biggest live gig at a major civic center (about 8,000 - 10,000 people - not bragging, just providing context) with a HUGE sound system, the muting technique allowed me to sound very powerful and yet clean. I quit sounding sloppy and really, started sounding “professional”. So I can’t say enough to everyone how important this is to advancing your playing. It’s really that big a deal. Especially on a distorted electric. Many thanks for Rick and this lesson! There’s a reason his channel is one of the best things on the web right now.
He does a cover of New Dawn Fades by Joy Division too which also requires a lot of muting. I just learned Skin Blues by him which has a pretty fast paced bit in it which requires a lot of muting. These three have definitely assisted with my muting!
Voodoo Child too... I also like to practice playing random melodies or bass parts while strumming all strings -- regardless of the original song. I sometimes practice the same thing using octaves too.
On playing octaves, thank you for NOT stressing that the 3rd finger had to play the top(higher) note like Wes Montgomery did on the lower strings. So many guys out there STRESS this. I've been playing for 55 years years. Since learning "Bumpin' On Sunset", when it came out, I've ALWAYS used my pinky to play octaves on the lower strings. THANK YOU!!!
After playing for 3 years now, muting is still something really difficult to do. Learning and mastering it helps rhythm and lead playing with enhance tenfold.
Rick, when I moved from piano to bass a number of years ago this concept was instantly evident to to me. This one is timely as Santa gave my daughter a guitar this year. Thank you.
High gain tips: - Practice without noise gates or fret wraps - Avoid left-hand muting over natural harmonic positions - Use as much skin as you can --Mute further from bridge for tightness -Learn to alternate left and right muting for free dead notes -Practice muting different strings within a chord
I've picked up the guitar like 4 or 5 times in my life but always end up not having the time to devote to it. If acoustic guitar was a skill you could buy I'd pay damn good money to have it. I need to pick another one up and just chill with it for a while. I never was any good but maybe I can get some nice easy stuff to relax with. Thanks Rick!
learning guitar comes down to ONE simple word: "passion'. can't tell u how many times friends/family have asked me to teach them how to play. i always say no. if they ask a 4th time, i know they've got "some" passion. i will not bother with someone who thinks they want to learn. we're both pissing in the wind. i will teach someone who is burning with desire... who must start NOW! if you have passion, you will learn. same in golf, chess, or any other pursuit.
YES!!!!!Thank you Rick! Too many "lead" guitarists are so focused on the string they are playing that they are not watching (or more importantly, listening to) the other 5 strings!! Most of the time, I don't even think they notice the consequences until they listen to their own music. That's why anytime I give lessons, I teach in the very first lesson the importance of recording yourself, listening back, and picking out things you don't like. I think that practice is the vital to improving quickly. I think it is important to record the audio with no video, as video will give you something else to focus on. Maybe focus on how cool you look in those sunglasses with the sticker. Guitar _AFTER_ you've perfected your sound. But hey, this is only my first comment of the video. I'm just getting warmed up!! 🤐😎
Rick, you mentioned ‘getting the right angle’. I think the key to this is that we all learn to play chords and notes with our fingertips, and quite often you need to go below the tip to mute successfully. That gives you the angle to soft touch neighbouring strings and mute them. Advanced muting really kicks in when trying to cover Wes Montgomery or George Benson ‘C’ shaped octaves where you have 2 strings muted between 2 fretted strings. Perhaps that’s a Muting Pt2 video?
Truer words were never spoken in a TH-cam video. Been playing off and on for almost 33 years now. Never improved as much as I did the 2nd half of 2020 when I started really focusing on my muting. Still a ways to go, but so much better than I ever was at muting, and it makes a ton of difference.
@@retired4365 Speaking of which. I pretty much learned to automatically mute with my fingers thanks to playing bass, on which it is even more important than on a guitar, if you don't wanna sound like a complete noob. Surprisingly, that basic bass skill translates well to a guitar.
@@Wolf-Spirit_Alpha-Sigma that's actually a notable point! Learning/playing bass guitar, in particularly finger style, will naturally incorporate various left & right muting techniques as a component within an arrangement, riff, and/or groove, as opposed to primarily focusing on cleaner execution for guitar!
When I bought my first Ibanez superstrat, I was shocked how sloppy my muting was. String muting is underrated, until you are exposed! Lesson 1 in the book Let's Rock by Peter Autschbach is learning to mute unplayed strings. It takes some serious training to master these left hand routines and unlearn old habits. Right hand muting is probably easier to learn, but less accurate and it limits your right hand freedom of movement. Thank you you Rick for a valuable video.
I love how you say “it’s insane”, or “it’s extremely complex”, then proceed to do the impossible with that sly smirk of yours...you are a true pro Mr. Beato.
Rick, the second thing you are teaching but didn't say is "the rake". SRV was the master of the rake. Both Cory Congilio and Texas Blues Alley show great rake lessons. You showed the how and those guys show the why. If you want to sound like Stevie it's a must. Like you said it is essential in rock and blues playing. The best example of the octave you showed is Mike Campbell's opening on "American Girl". Classic.
I've learned how to left hand mute when playing some standard chords that omit one or two strings, but I've had trouble when playing single notes and double stops because there are so many strings you don't want to ring out. Thank you so much for demonstrating how this is done and also for validating my instinctive suspicion that this is an important skill. I remember one teacher who I asked about muting, and he pushed back and said I shouldn't concern myself with it.
1,000th!!! Oops...😬 Seriously, though - amen on this! When I started teaching myself to play at age 11 or 12, somehow this came naturally to me and I wasn't even aware of what I was doing because I didn't have instructional books/internet/TH-cam... just me, a Guitar, record/tape/radio and desire to learn. Didn't know if I was doing anything right/wrong/neutral...(some things I still don't know what I'm doing! 😂😂😂). But string muting IS essential and key in playing Guitar! Great video and lesson, Rick!!!
LOL, my muting needs so much work. String muting was the example I thought of and then thought "nah, that's waaaaay too basic for a Rick Beato video, there's no way that's it." Thank you for everything Rick, and I hope your Christmas was a good one.
I often fret too hard. I end up hurting my fingers way too early and just have to play through to keep practicing. Don't get me wrong, the searing pain coming from my fingertips is a good reminder, it always just comes too late. XD
I would say classical finger picking. So much versatility in chord shapes, implied multiple harmonies, and dynamic control. Can truly fill out an entire song with that technique alone and will not sound empty or like it’s missing something. Of course that’s a direct response to the video title 😎👍🏻
Cool lesson! I’ve been playing guitar for many years, and I’m no virtuoso, but this is one thing I sort of did instinctively. No one ever showed me, or even told me to do it. I thought it just sounded better. I picked up my guitar when you started showing how you do it, and I do EXACTLY the same thing! Made me feel like I know what I’m doing for a second! Heheh!
Muting has always been one of my stronger suites, however single note lines, and even octaves don't necessarily require you to hit all 6 strings, often times you get by with just 3 or 4 strings. It really depends on the style you are going for and the attack. Frusciante does the whole 6 string approach very well on a lot of RHCP albums. Sounds especially good on cleaner to mild overdrive tones, because it really gives it that edge. If new young players can learn string muting, and string vibrato early on they will be in great shape as they develop.
I really wish Rick did more examples of actual songs. Octaves and power chords are some of the easier examples of muting. I kept waiting for him to bust out a song, but he probably didn’t want this one to get demonitized.
Can't Stop is a perfect example of this. He is strumming all 6 strings during much of it but only allows the exact ones he needs to ring out. It adds a unique rough effect to each note. Frusciante is also an excellent example of using the thumb to mute the low strings.
This is exactly right! Whenever I give someone a guitar lesson, and they’re just starting out, the first thing I usually notice is that they’re really not muting notes properly. What you don’t play is just as important as what you do play! Very helpful
I’m a very strong and confident singer, but I’ve always been self conscious about my guitar playing because of my inability to control extraneous string noise. Thank you for this video I’m going to practice this for the next two weeks. Also I have really enjoyed a bunch of your videos and plan on getting your book. Thank you, again 🙏
Great lesson. One of the most important ways for me to mute is if I'm bending with the 3rd finger, to avoid accidentally making the next string chime out because my finger touched it during the bend, or on the release of a bend. I extend the index finger to mute the next strings up. So if I'm bending the 3rd string, I would extend my index to mute the 4th, 5th and 6th strings. It kind of feels comfortable to extend the index finger out like that while bending with the 3rd finger, with the 2nd finger on the string for support.
Growing up playing mainly rhythm in punk, ska and reggae.. folks usually tell me I mute too much.. and I guess my fingers are small so my pinky finger is stronger than my ring finger (in most cases). I wish this format was around in the mid-late 90s when I was learning! Still you create great videos and honestly this is easily one of the best channels on you tube!
Hey Rick Beato, 3 Months ago I have gotten into guitar At the age of 18 and i love it, I find that i do have a natural talent for it and i am progressing at what i hope is a good rate. I love it so much so that I want to pursue music in life . I at first had doubts because all the people to who make it seem to have started at 2 or 14. I wanted to learn guitar at the age of 6 but unfortunately things got in the way... but then doing more research there are people do make it. Sid Vicious wasn't that great of a bassist( Or that great of a person). Chuck berry (But he could sing very well) , The Ramones rhythm guitarist , And there's also people who lost body parts and still did it. Tony Iommie lost the tips of his fingers and found a way to push on past his limitation And ended Creating metal. Heck there's even a guy with no hands that plays blues guitar with his feet, And is amazing. Some of these people who pick up guitar later in life did sometimes dabble with it as a kid or teen but as to put it "Fate got in the way" I'm wondering if you Could do a video going in depth into these late bloomer guitarist, Singers, Pianist, Composers That made it big. And you can Give us more insight into there technique and skill level. And Advice to late bloomers
Great video! Great subject! I've got to be one of the worst players on the planet. But muting helps hide a lot of that. Just wish I could move the volume knob into the next county... Cheers!
I showed a friend of mine I've been teaching the basics to these exact things a few weeks ago! I had no idea you considered it the most important guitar technique. Theory can always come later.
Well theory doesn't coincide with technique, for theory focuses solely on the craft applicable to any/all melodious instruments, and technique exclusively applies to mastering the technical facility of a specific instrument. Nonetheless, I'm not in contention with your closing statement. Theory can wait!
The reason why i love your video is because you get into the topic in the very first of the video unlike other youtubers who take almost 5 minutes to get into their video's topic
Ive recently realised, during lockdown, that for me , it doesnt actually matter if i never get to be a great guitar player. I just play for my own pleasure, not going to play in a band or record. So all that matters is that i enjoy it. Sounds obvious but its removed a lot of frustration. It might also mean i wont improve much but it doesnt matter . I cant be the only one in this boat. So just relax, enjoy playing and stop beating yourself up about it, is what im trying to say.
Hey Rick. Im a fourteen year old aspiring blues guitarist and I’ve been teaching myself to play guitar for three years now. Your channel has helped me a lot by giving me inspirations from your top ten solos list, riffs lists and your what makes this song great series. I want to thank you for that and I also want to ask do u have any advice that you would give me?that would be great thanks.
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Paul Gilbert had a great tip to help practice this. He said to practice with your amp gain turned way up and try to play clean. The excessive noise will instinctively drive you to try to control the strings you don’t want to hear. Try this for a few days then try to go back to normal gain or clean and it will be so much easier to control. This type of practice finally got me to understand and incorporate string muting into my playing and that one thing alone made me sound a hundred times better.
Thanks! that's really usful to me, going to do that.
EXACTLY.
Great tip, thanks 👍
Really good tip, thanks
Sorry im not a native english speaker hahha, with gain you mean in the volume, dont you? Please it would be very useful, anuway thanks for the advice
Great lesson!! Thanks Rick!!
Great to see one master supporting another!
Another legend is here!
@TomoFujitaMusic I’m still struggling with “Just Funky “ rhythm, my problem is not muting strings properly, thanks Rick Beato for your lesson.
if you say that, must be
Hello sensei
This is such a big thing. One of the things I struggle with the most, is other strings ringing out when they aren't supposed to be. It's annoying and I totally agree that it's an underrated skill that needs to be worked on.
Try holding power chords with your index finger on the low string and just your pinky on the higher two instead of pinky and ring finger. The way you have to hold your hand in order to keep the pressure on the strings forces you to mute the strings you don't want to play. Or that works for me, anyway.
@@donmackie6086 For me, palm muting when pick individual notes is tough
Playing "Can't Stop" by RHCP really helped me to improve in muting.
Same! Really helped me grow as a player.
A string muting masterclass!
Same! I recommend "Give it away" for another challenge :D
Yes! That's a great one to help with muting! Can't be done otherwise!
Hahaha, that's just what I was thinking! It's one of those songs that lets you know you NEED to get better at a certain technique, in order to play it and make it sound good.
this is probably the MOST important lesson for anyone who gets a few years in to their playing/ writing.
It's not just about the notes you play, but also the notes you don't play.
Look at a player like Kurt Cobain. there is no way he could play with the amount of gain he used unless he had a mastery of which notes of the chords he wanted to play and which he didn't.
I would add that the pick attack itself can help with this, as eventually you learn that you don't need to hit all six strings on every strum, but may only want to hit the three low strings on the down strum, and the three high strings on the up strum.
It really does separate a real musician playing a song on an acoustic from that friend of yours playing around the campfire.
This realization completely changed my playing.
Thanks Rick!
I’m just started learning guitar to help my songwriting. Excellent teaching!!
I'm sorry, but Kurt Cobain is not a good example of a clean player. He was a very good example on how to play noisy and still sounds great. He was dirty. If you play his songs with a clean technique, it does not sounds good, you cannot reach the nirvana.
Really not with you on this example, just check out some live videos. He was awsome although his playing was messy!
@@cesardmora86 also I think a lot of the notes/chords he played happened to sound great with open strings.
@Cesar Mora i don't know what you mean by 'clean player' but if you mean that he couldn't sound exactly the way he wanted to, then i would disagree with that. I used him as an example specifically because many people think that he 'sucked at guitar'. My contention is that he liked how he sounded and strove for that sound. You yourself said that you have to play the way he did in order to sound like he did.
When people learn the very basics of guitar, open/ cowboy chords, it is highly stressed not to touch a single other string in any way, shape, or form. “In absolutely no way can you touch any of these other strings if you want to play an open C chord. Only touch the fretted notes. You can’t mute any other strings if you want to play cleanly.” We have to internalize that and make it an ingrained and automatic habit. Then when you get more advanced, you have to throw that out the window because you realize that half the time, pros play only parts of open chords and chord fragments and so many lead lines and chordal lead guitar riffs require your fingers to touch the other strings. Now it’s “you have to touch every other string if you want to play cleanly.” I think this is why it’s hard to mute: it goes against the foundations of technique we learn as basic beginners.
Very true. Great point. You search for clear tones on all six strings, or at least five for years, and all of a sudden, you are supposed to do the opposite.
On bass, after I learned how to mute everything all the time, I sounded too controlled, especially if chords were needed, so I learned how not to mute and let the strings ring where needed.
Use your ears and let your fingers do the talking
You've got to know the rules before you can break them.
Muting is especially important for distortion. Its common knowledge but as a beginner, I never heard how bad it sounded when I let unwanted strings ring.
Me too, in fact as a beginner I thought distortion was the last tone you needed to worry about stray notes. So wrong of course.
You're just too excited to play something, and sometimes you just focus on other things like the strumming rhythms. And that's ok for beginners, you need new goals like muting down the road.
Some of SRV's tone comes from his insane muting ability when soloing. He banged on all the strings for one note, and it thickened up that note like rue in gravy.
Jack White is also really good at this I think
Cold Shot is the tune that really made me realize how important this is.
Roux?
@@MikeyBakerMusic Playing the Pride and Joy verse riff properly requires lots of this
@@SnookiePookums9 You'll rue the day...
I’m so glad I showed you how to do this long ago!
Underrated comment :D
It is becoming more clear just why I am not a rock star.
Muting schmuting, right. 👍
Who wants to be a rock star, anyway? All that money, fame, lots of attention from the opposite sex. Oh, . . . yeah. Me? 😒
I suck at guitar and my hair is perpetually in the awkward stage between too short and too long.
@@alfonsomunoz4424 - I would not have been able to post that, about having hair.
Lol
Comment muting is also important :-P
Being self-taught, and having played exclusively acoustic for 22 years, I never knew this was a thing. Then I started playing electric, and the unplayed strings rang out horribly. So learning how to mute quickly became imperative, and I've been working on it for the past two years. This video was the most useful I've seen about teaching specific techniques for muting under different circumstances.
Rick: goes from a G power to a C power chord
Me: IT'S MORE THAN A FEEEEELIIIIIIIIIING
My ears were hearing anarchy in the UK the whole time :D
@@freesk8 Boston used the I, IV, vi and V chord progression before it was cool...("cool" as in "outrageously overused")
Kiss kiss Molly’s lips
@@evansteidtman962 Which one? More Than A Feeling goes G-C-em-D
String muting is important, but don't fret about it.
Badum tish.
One thing you should take note of is that string muting is key.
I was worried I’d never get this, but then I stopped fretting about it.
Please pin this, Rick.
YES! Ten points for you, sir.
Best comment
I finally landed one lol.
You must stop right there!!
I agree. Learning this is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. It took me a while to get the basics of this. Even now, whenever my playing's sloppy, it's because I'm not paying attention to mute properly.
And yeah, It IS difficult but keep at it. You will be rewarded, guaranteed!
Excellent Rick! Probably your most important lesson in a long time. I've been trying to get this stuff over to my students for years. I've tried to get over to them that this is often the main reason why their playing doesn't sound as good as they want it to - particularly when they record themselves. I've also warned them that there is relatively little coverage of this important subject on the Internet. At least I can point them at something now. By the way, I often like to draw a comparison between the guitar and the piano, which is of course damped by default, and where you have to press the sustaining pedal to allow the strings to ring.
This is a nice video. To the young guitarists watching this: it is of equal importance to be able to pick with accuracy. You should be able to pick a power chord, or any chord, in the manner Rick lays out here-you should also be able to pick chords without your pick touching the other strings. If your goal is to only play aggressive rock riffs, you can probably ignore my comment.
Great lesson Rick. I've been doing a lot of Doc Watson/Chet Atkins alternating bass with a thumb pick and proper muting is extremely important to the sound. It definitely takes a very specific amount of palm muting to articulate the note without it fully resonating. And for sure, muting is essential for those Wes style octaves. The intro to the Road Song is a great workout for those looking to get into octave soloing. I really appreciate it. Take care! -Mark
He's right. The greats are great at muting. After 30 years of playing, I've concluded that the hardest thing to do well is mute unwanted noise, especially when bending with a lot gain. I was actually thinking about this the other day before seeing this video. You bend into other strings and strings sound when releasing bends or with wide vibrato. It's easy to play FAST, though it takes some time to work up to high speeds. Playing FAST without ANY additional string noise is NOT easy. Playing very fast with lots of wide bends without ANY additional noise is nearly impossible when playing very loud with high gain. Always practice with an amp turned up fairly loud. If you practice electric unplugged a lot, you'll find that when you plug in and turn up you are a very "noisy" player.
"Getting the angle right with your finger," now there's some solid advice! 😊
Excellent points, Rick. The amount of muscle memory knowledge you need to control a high gain amp really makes you clean up your playing and your muting skills. It's very unforgiving, which is exactly what you want for practicing and growing in your playing because any and all mistakes are glaringly obvious. Great video, man!
@Rodney McMinge also shows up a bunch of others.
“You don’t want to do that because it sounds like a mess.”
- Rick Beato, 2020
Its my mess though Rick!
Class act.
Put this in epitaph
I'm curious about this statement though, because with the chord position he's in when he says that, if he frets instead of mutes all the strings in line with his index finger, it's a straight Am chord, rather than a flat-out "mess"
@@cjstevens6405 now that is attention to detail.
Most important guitar video of the year and the best invested 10minutes if everyone's practicing it. THIS is influencing. So many thousand guitar videos on gear on TH-cam, but this awareness about muting is essential to be placed into the minds. Thank you Rick!
Thanks Rick. My big problem is hitting extraneous strings with my fingertips or nails when I’m doing really heavy bends. Frequently I’ll accidentally pluck one of the lower strings when releasing a bend, which is OK acoustic but sounds really bad with any kind of distortion. Any advice?
omg I have the exact same, it's so frustrating
@@vincentsmit8436 same
Same. I've always wondered about this..
You have to mute with your picking hand with bends, it’s pretty similar to palm muting!
I would have never expected to see you here! Love your videos.
I feel attacked, Rick
Me googling "how to play piano" after watching this
@@gwkonyoutube that’s too funny.
Your playing is very good Mike.
You’re not alone.
@@yonitznkc lol.
Another excellent lesson from Rick.
Stevie Ray Vaughan's muting skills have always blown my mind, he's the best I've ever seen on this technique 6:35
Yes! Your video about how important this is for bass players is always in my head.
I agree...have played for 46 years, 40 years in bands. Muting is the process of taking away what's not wanted/needed. Like sculpting - taking away what doesn't belong, and you have a statue! In my early teens I didn't take lessons but played with some older really good guitarists and noticed this technique and how clean they played. LOVE your posts, and thanks for this one.
I don't tape the strings to mute them. I loosely tie a sock at the top of the fretboard, to the lowest possible place where it is not in the way. It works awesomely.
Hmm, I thought about doing this but it seems like running away from learning muting to me :D
That only works if you don't plan on playing any chords that need open strings to ring out.
You instantly lose 20 respect points among seasoned players with that move
That's a trick shredders use. They'll put a scrunchy/pony tail holder behind the nut.
@Rodney McMinge That's classic, I 'am writing that one down!
I totally, totally agree! I picked this up from my guitar teacher when I was 12. I'm 56 now and it is the most important technique for all string players.
If you’re a beginner I’d say before muting you need to make sure you sync your hands so that you hit the right string at the right time. That way you only really need to mute the surrounding strings rather than all of them. But I agree with everything else that you said!
Yup thats a good tip
Couldn't agree more. I actually reached an advanced level of playing without paying much attention to string muting, and after a while I noticed that I just didn't sound as "clean" as my favorite players. My right hand was working things pretty well, but I guess nobody ever told me how important the left hand was to making things sound polished, and so I just never paid attention to that. When I finally figured it out, I worked on it, and in about 6 months I went from kind of messy to crystal clear, and the difference was amazing. I emphasize left-hand muting with all my students and it helps them sound nice and polished too. I would agree that this is one of the most important things to learn, if not THE most important thing.
i was just getting into string muting when playing single notes and this video comes out. Thanks Rick :)
I never had a guitar teacher. I am a self educated musician. but I instinctually learned this just by listening to music and watching live shows and trying to mimic the guitar players. muting is one of the most techniques which helps creating new ideas when improvising. I hope you make another video for electric guitars. thanks Rick.
When people ask me what the difference is between playing acoustic guitar and electric guitar, I say the main thing I've noticed is that with an acoustic you have to focus on playing the strings you want to hear. With an electric you have to focus on muting the strings you don't want to hear.
I grew up learning guitar on acoustic. I spent a lot of time pounding out open/cowboy chords on all 6 strings. I found the transition to electric guitar to be very frustrating. I thought it would be easy but it was always a noisy mess. Took me a long time to finally figure out how to get control of the strings on an electric and how important string muting was.
@@thehoser55 That is the place I am now... I started playing a while ago but never upgraded from a TERRIBLE (never setup) acoustic. I used to think action was for pros and low action was for bums.... Now my picking on a nice acoustic or any electric is SO bad. Super aggressive. All this is also why my dynamics are trash (well, that and a lack of playing ability lol)
@@MichaelBazik I used to be very ham handed as well. It took way less work to play on an electric than I had ever imagined. The touch took a while to develop. I even played on really thick strings (13s) for a while to help with the transition. I play 10s now. Thinking about going to 9s or maybe even lighter now that I have the dynamics under control. Light strings are fun to play once you learn you don’t have to strangle them. The book that really helped me was “Single String Studies for Guitar” by Sal Salvador. That, a metronome and about 15 minutes or more a day really got my hands in sync and under control. The Guitar Grimoire Exercise book is also another great option. Keep practicing and it will come. If I can do it anyone can. Good luck!
I love how varied of an impression I get from your videos. Most of them are things I need to learn that keep my ego in check, then there's the occasional video like this that boosts my self-confidence. It's nice to see a technique I taught myself in the last 12 years called "pro" by one of the greatest music teachers on TH-cam.
Its very Zen really, "to play like a master, one must master the art of not playing many strings"
Palm muting and string muting were the first things I focused on when I started watching Kiko Loureiro's (Megadeth / Angra) old guitar lessons. Got used to muting 5 strings while playing one note, even if I don't need to, it's become automatic, especially for solos. Great video!
Awesome video, Rick!
I learned this technique years ago when teaching myself “Cheap Sunglasses” by ZZ Top. I found myself doing it all the time after that and my playing went to another whole level. When we played our biggest live gig at a major civic center (about 8,000 - 10,000 people - not bragging, just providing context) with a HUGE sound system, the muting technique allowed me to sound very powerful and yet clean. I quit sounding sloppy and really, started sounding “professional”.
So I can’t say enough to everyone how important this is to advancing your playing. It’s really that big a deal. Especially on a distorted electric.
Many thanks for Rick and this lesson! There’s a reason his channel is one of the best things on the web right now.
“This seems really complex because it is”
Rick Beato
I was starting think I was just a moron and it was a little too much about 5 seconds before he said that :)
Thanks for the lesson Rick
"You just have to get gud."
-Rick Beato, 2020
Right 😂
Haha was looking for this comment
the coolest triplet slap bass is all about the muting. very insightful video as always.
*Can’t Stop* by RHCP is a good song to demonstrate this technique. It’s a simple, repetitive riff but my god it’s DIFFICULT.
Couldn't agree more!
Def good suggestion, I remember learning that one way back when.
He does a cover of New Dawn Fades by Joy Division too which also requires a lot of muting. I just learned Skin Blues by him which has a pretty fast paced bit in it which requires a lot of muting. These three have definitely assisted with my muting!
Voodoo Child too... I also like to practice playing random melodies or bass parts while strumming all strings -- regardless of the original song. I sometimes practice the same thing using octaves too.
On playing octaves, thank you for NOT stressing that the 3rd finger had to play the top(higher) note like Wes Montgomery did on the lower strings. So many guys out there STRESS this. I've been playing for 55 years years. Since learning "Bumpin' On Sunset", when it came out, I've ALWAYS used my pinky to play octaves on the lower strings. THANK YOU!!!
After playing for 3 years now, muting is still something really difficult to do. Learning and mastering it helps rhythm and lead playing with enhance tenfold.
After playing for 35 years now, muting is still something really difficult to do. So naturally, I had to get a 7 string to make it even harder.
@@zunapalooza Ahh haha. Yeah it's definitely difficult. But it can be done!
@@maelvogue Cheers man!
Great video. Thank you for all your educational content. Dave Matthews is one great example of the left hand muting.
this is a subject I've wanted to know more about for a long time
Rick, when I moved from piano to bass a number of years ago this concept was instantly evident to to me. This one is timely as Santa gave my daughter a guitar this year. Thank you.
5:57 Rick: 'That's insane, right? You just have to get gud.'
Once again, great info! Thank you!
Thanks so much. I'm getting into the Acoustic Guitar and this was so great.
High gain tips:
- Practice without noise gates or fret wraps
- Avoid left-hand muting over natural harmonic positions
- Use as much skin as you can
--Mute further from bridge for tightness
-Learn to alternate left and right muting for free dead notes
-Practice muting different strings within a chord
I've picked up the guitar like 4 or 5 times in my life but always end up not having the time to devote to it. If acoustic guitar was a skill you could buy I'd pay damn good money to have it. I need to pick another one up and just chill with it for a while. I never was any good but maybe I can get some nice easy stuff to relax with. Thanks Rick!
learning guitar comes down to ONE simple word: "passion'.
can't tell u how many times friends/family have asked me to teach them how to play. i always say no. if they ask a 4th time, i know they've got "some" passion.
i will not bother with someone who thinks they want to learn.
we're both pissing in the wind.
i will teach someone who is burning with desire... who must start NOW!
if you have passion, you will learn.
same in golf, chess, or any other pursuit.
Its just practice thats all and it will probably take you 2 weeks to get it somewhat
Treat yourself to some lessons to get you started and motivated!
YES!!!!!Thank you Rick! Too many "lead" guitarists are so focused on the string they are playing that they are not watching (or more importantly, listening to) the other 5 strings!! Most of the time, I don't even think they notice the consequences until they listen to their own music. That's why anytime I give lessons, I teach in the very first lesson the importance of recording yourself, listening back, and picking out things you don't like. I think that practice is the vital to improving quickly. I think it is important to record the audio with no video, as video will give you something else to focus on. Maybe focus on how cool you look in those sunglasses with the sticker. Guitar _AFTER_ you've perfected your sound. But hey, this is only my first comment of the video. I'm just getting warmed up!! 🤐😎
What Makes This Song Great?
“The Things We Do for Love” by 10cc
Rick, you mentioned ‘getting the right angle’. I think the key to this is that we all learn to play chords and notes with our fingertips, and quite often you need to go below the tip to mute successfully. That gives you the angle to soft touch neighbouring strings and mute them. Advanced muting really kicks in when trying to cover Wes Montgomery or George Benson ‘C’ shaped octaves where you have 2 strings muted between 2 fretted strings. Perhaps that’s a Muting Pt2 video?
This needs to be displayed at every guitar center from the moment they open until the sun burns out
Truer words were never spoken in a TH-cam video. Been playing off and on for almost 33 years now. Never improved as much as I did the 2nd half of 2020 when I started really focusing on my muting. Still a ways to go, but so much better than I ever was at muting, and it makes a ton of difference.
This is the only guitar technique that comes natural to me, everything else i have to struggle with 🤣
That's why my big hand ass went to playing the bass. 😉😂🤣
@@retired4365 Speaking of which. I pretty much learned to automatically mute with my fingers thanks to playing bass, on which it is even more important than on a guitar, if you don't wanna sound like a complete noob. Surprisingly, that basic bass skill translates well to a guitar.
I agree 100%!
Same for me!
@@Wolf-Spirit_Alpha-Sigma that's actually a notable point! Learning/playing bass guitar, in particularly finger style, will naturally incorporate various left & right muting techniques as a component within an arrangement, riff, and/or groove, as opposed to primarily focusing on cleaner execution for guitar!
When I bought my first Ibanez superstrat, I was shocked how sloppy my muting was.
String muting is underrated, until you are exposed!
Lesson 1 in the book Let's Rock by Peter Autschbach is learning to mute unplayed strings.
It takes some serious training to master these left hand routines and unlearn old habits.
Right hand muting is probably easier to learn, but less accurate and it limits your right hand freedom of movement.
Thank you you Rick for a valuable video.
Been playing in reggae bands for 20 years. Not possible without knowing how to mute with both palm and strings.
I love how you say “it’s insane”, or “it’s extremely complex”, then proceed to do the impossible with that sly smirk of yours...you are a true pro Mr. Beato.
This is cool stuff a lot of players don’t think about. Very useful and practical tips.
Rick, the second thing you are teaching but didn't say is "the rake". SRV was the master of the rake. Both Cory Congilio and Texas Blues Alley show great rake lessons. You showed the how and those guys show the why. If you want to sound like Stevie it's a must. Like you said it is essential in rock and blues playing. The best example of the octave you showed is Mike Campbell's opening on "American Girl". Classic.
Really can't thank you enough for the free education
I've learned how to left hand mute when playing some standard chords that omit one or two strings, but I've had trouble when playing single notes and double stops because there are so many strings you don't want to ring out. Thank you so much for demonstrating how this is done and also for validating my instinctive suspicion that this is an important skill. I remember one teacher who I asked about muting, and he pushed back and said I shouldn't concern myself with it.
1,000th!!!
Oops...😬
Seriously, though - amen on this! When I started teaching myself to play at age 11 or 12, somehow this came naturally to me and I wasn't even aware of what I was doing because I didn't have instructional books/internet/TH-cam... just me, a Guitar, record/tape/radio and desire to learn. Didn't know if I was doing anything right/wrong/neutral...(some things I still don't know what I'm doing! 😂😂😂). But string muting IS essential and key in playing Guitar! Great video and lesson, Rick!!!
LOL, my muting needs so much work. String muting was the example I thought of and then thought "nah, that's waaaaay too basic for a Rick Beato video, there's no way that's it."
Thank you for everything Rick, and I hope your Christmas was a good one.
Another one is: don't fret too hard so you don't bend the notes.
Guilty! ✋
Yes! I had this issue when I started playing with an electric guitar with jumbo frets
I often fret too hard. I end up hurting my fingers way too early and just have to play through to keep practicing. Don't get me wrong, the searing pain coming from my fingertips is a good reminder, it always just comes too late. XD
That's why we love Beato. No clickbait, even gives the gist in the description.
Great video!!!
I would say classical finger picking. So much versatility in chord shapes, implied multiple harmonies, and dynamic control. Can truly fill out an entire song with that technique alone and will not sound empty or like it’s missing something. Of course that’s a direct response to the video title 😎👍🏻
This is the most useful video on the Interwebs.
Cool lesson! I’ve been playing guitar for many years, and I’m no virtuoso, but this is one thing I sort of did instinctively. No one ever showed me, or even told me to do it. I thought it just sounded better. I picked up my guitar when you started showing how you do it, and I do EXACTLY the same thing! Made me feel like I know what I’m doing for a second! Heheh!
Muting has always been one of my stronger suites, however single note lines, and even octaves don't necessarily require you to hit all 6 strings, often times you get by with just 3 or 4 strings. It really depends on the style you are going for and the attack. Frusciante does the whole 6 string approach very well on a lot of RHCP albums. Sounds especially good on cleaner to mild overdrive tones, because it really gives it that edge. If new young players can learn string muting, and string vibrato early on they will be in great shape as they develop.
I really wish Rick did more examples of actual songs. Octaves and power chords are some of the easier examples of muting. I kept waiting for him to bust out a song, but he probably didn’t want this one to get demonitized.
Can't Stop is a perfect example of this. He is strumming all 6 strings during much of it but only allows the exact ones he needs to ring out. It adds a unique rough effect to each note. Frusciante is also an excellent example of using the thumb to mute the low strings.
This is exactly right! Whenever I give someone a guitar lesson, and they’re just starting out, the first thing I usually notice is that they’re really not muting notes properly. What you don’t play is just as important as what you do play! Very helpful
Oh definitely
malaysia says gd mng🇲🇾🎄🎅..merry xmas and a happy new year.
I’m a very strong and confident singer, but I’ve always been self conscious about my guitar playing because of my inability to control extraneous string noise. Thank you for this video I’m going to practice this for the next two weeks. Also I have really enjoyed a bunch of your videos and plan on getting your book. Thank you, again 🙏
I thought I was going to hear Rick say, "Hey everybody, I'm Johnny Cash."
Vlad Impala I love your name! Currently imagining a vicious gazelle.
But instead he said "Hey everybody, I'm Rick Beatos" Play it again and you'll see! lol
Great lesson. One of the most important ways for me to mute is if I'm bending with the 3rd finger, to avoid accidentally making the next string chime out because my finger touched it during the bend, or on the release of a bend. I extend the index finger to mute the next strings up. So if I'm bending the 3rd string, I would extend my index to mute the 4th, 5th and 6th strings. It kind of feels comfortable to extend the index finger out like that while bending with the 3rd finger, with the 2nd finger on the string for support.
Most important lesson in music is how to make less noise. Seems appropriate.
Yes, the best musician is the one who knows what not to play.
great lesson.
You should do a video like this but for muting on bass!
Growing up playing mainly rhythm in punk, ska and reggae.. folks usually tell me I mute too much.. and I guess my fingers are small so my pinky finger is stronger than my ring finger (in most cases). I wish this format was around in the mid-late 90s when I was learning! Still you create great videos and honestly this is easily one of the best channels on you tube!
RHCP's Can't Stop is a good song to practice muting.
Hey Rick Beato, 3 Months ago I have gotten into guitar At the age of 18 and i love it, I find that i do have a natural talent for it and i am progressing at what i hope is a good rate. I love it so much so that I want to pursue music in life . I at first had doubts because all the people to who make it seem to have started at 2 or 14. I wanted to learn guitar at the age of 6 but unfortunately things got in the way... but then doing more research there are people do make it. Sid Vicious wasn't that great of a bassist( Or that great of a person). Chuck berry (But he could sing very well) , The Ramones rhythm guitarist , And there's also people who lost body parts and still did it. Tony Iommie lost the tips of his fingers and found a way to push on past his limitation And ended Creating metal. Heck there's even a guy with no hands that plays blues guitar with his feet, And is amazing. Some of these people who pick up guitar later in life did sometimes dabble with it as a kid or teen but as to put it "Fate got in the way"
I'm wondering if you Could do a video going in depth into these late bloomer guitarist, Singers, Pianist, Composers That made it big. And you can Give us more insight into there technique and skill level. And Advice to late bloomers
Great video! Great subject! I've got to be one of the worst players on the planet. But muting helps hide a lot of that. Just wish I could move the volume knob into the next county... Cheers!
This lesson is gold!
I've been playing guitar for quite a while now. And I still have problems with muting at times.
Tom Bukovac is a master of this technique and I’ve really been noticing in his plying. Awesome to now see this lesson from Rick.
I showed a friend of mine I've been teaching the basics to these exact things a few weeks ago! I had no idea you considered it the most important guitar technique. Theory can always come later.
Well theory doesn't coincide with technique, for theory focuses solely on the craft applicable to any/all melodious instruments, and technique exclusively applies to mastering the technical facility of a specific instrument.
Nonetheless, I'm not in contention with your closing statement. Theory can wait!
The reason why i love your video is because you get into the topic in the very first of the video unlike other youtubers who take almost 5 minutes to get into their video's topic
Damn, hitting extraneous notes was the only thing I could do well.
kind of like bonus notes. I do it too!
I consider it a win when I play any chord without extraneous notes.
@@hanreality.7266 BONUS NOTES! 🤣
Isaiah Marquez yes, either that, or I miss the top strings.
Ive recently realised, during lockdown, that for me , it doesnt actually matter if i never get to be a great guitar player. I just play for my own pleasure, not going to play in a band or record. So all that matters is that i enjoy it.
Sounds obvious but its removed a lot of frustration. It might also mean i wont improve much but it doesnt matter .
I cant be the only one in this boat. So just relax, enjoy playing and stop beating yourself up about it, is what im trying to say.
“You just have to get good”
Ah, that’s why I’m having an issue.
Hey Rick. Im a fourteen year old aspiring blues guitarist and I’ve been teaching myself to play guitar for three years now. Your channel has helped me a lot by giving me inspirations from your top ten solos list, riffs lists and your what makes this song great series. I want to thank you for that and I also want to ask do u have any advice that you would give me?that would be great thanks.