How To Palm Mute Options

[Azzaboi]

How to Palm Mute

Heavy Metal and Rock requires a lot of palm muting to sound from okay to great! It is one of the basic techniques you should first learn when rocking. You use the right hand (if you are using a right handed guitar) to mute the strings and get an aggressive 'chucky' sound. Once you've got the hang of it, it's just a matter of getting it to the way you want to sound.

Palm muting is indicated on sheet/tab music normally by the letters 'P.M.' under the notes followed by ' - - - - - ' a line for all notes to be palm muted.

First while holding the pick, make like a karate chop just lightly over the bridge just near the back. Rest the palm of your over the end of the strings, to slightly deadening (muting) the ringing out of the strings when picked.

To get a tighter palm mute, move your hand slightly towards the neck of the guitar, so that the palm covers more of the strings.

Don't press down to much on the string or you will mute them fully or the pitch of the notes may raise.

It's a good idea to hold the other strings not being played quiet, by touching and holding them slightly with your left hand spare fingers. Again don't press down too hard or you might play extra notes.

CODE

E||----------------------------|--------------------------|
B||----------------------------|--------------------------|
G||----------------------------|--------------------------|
D||----------------------------|--------------------------|
A||----------------------------|--------2-3---2-0---------|
E||---0--0--0--0--0--0--0--0---|---0--3------------0--0---|
     P.M. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Playing Accenting Chords

Playing strong un-muted power chord accents amidst a group of muted notes, normally the 'E' String for heavy bass notes, is the next step to heavy rock!

Imagine your hands as opposite ends of a see-saw. When your left hand is pressing down to fret the chord, your right hand will be up and vice versa. Right hand palm muting the strings, the left hand will be up slightly.

Lift your right hand up and off the strings fully for the full length of the chords, but then go right back to a tight mute. During the mutes, your left hand should be holding the other strings quiet.

CODE

E||--------------------------|---------------------------|
B||--------------------------|---------------------------|
G||--------------------------|---------------------------|
D||-2------------------------|---------------------------|
A||-2------------------------|---------2-3---2-0---------|
E||-0-----0--0--0--0--0--0---|---0--3-------------0--0---|
        P.M. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -        

---------------------------|--------------------------|
---------------------------|--------------------------|
---------------------------|--------------------------|
-2-------------5-----------|-2------------------------|
-2-------------5-----------|-2------------------------|
-0----0--0-----3----0--0---|-0--0--0-----0--0--0--0---|
     P.M. -        P.M. -       P.M. - - - - - - - -

Some video exercises and lessons to practice...

Basics of muting:
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...g-101-tutorial/

I got rhythm guitar - palm muting:
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/rhythm-gu...r2-palm-muting/

Palm Mute Workout:
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/palm-m...workout-lesson/

This post has been edited by Azzaboi: May 30 2009, 02:26 AM

[sted]

Cool lesson mate, thanks for taking the time to contribute!

[Muris Varajic]

Very, very nice work Azzaboi!!

[Lian Gerbino]

Bravo!!! good job man!

[Bogdan Radovic]

Good job one the lesson! You should write this into GMC Wiki too!

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Very good work man, nice coverage!

[Azzaboi]

Thanks guys, it's the basics, but the way I learnt and improved a lot when getting into rock music.
I actually didn't really know about the GMC Wiki, looks kewl. I'll check it out.

[Ivan Milenkovic]

Check it out and perhaps write an article or two, why not

[Vasilije Vukmiro...]

Great lesson Azzboi! Muting is much more difficult then people think!

[Carlos Carrillo]

Nice job my friend,really cool and useful.

[Oxac]

Something I like to do when palmmuting is to tilt the pick a little bit more, to get some sharp attack that you lose otherwise. Good information for beginners getting confused why their playing doesn't sound like it should.

[Fran]

That was an awesome read Azzaboi, specially since I've been working on palm muting accents lately on some lesons here at GMC.

I'd like to include that in our Guitar Wiki if it's ok with you

(Or you can do it yourself, just let me know!). It would fit perfectly in the techniques section.

[Marcus Siepen]

great job man, very well done

[Azzaboi]

Sure you can add it to the Guitar Wiki.
Not too sure what to do to add it myself?

[-Zion-]

great how to there..

adding some pictures on how to do the karate chop would make it go from great to AWESOME... ^^

[djohnneay]

Nice work man !

[kaznie_NL]

"SI lesson"

Cool stuff!

[Emir Hot]

Great work man.

[Fran]

Sure you can add it to the Guitar Wiki.
Not too sure what to do to add it myself?

I'll add it and send you a PM later letting you know how for future references

[Dejan Farkas]

Well done , you covered the topic very good

I made one palm muting lesson if you wish to add

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/palm-m...workout-lesson/