On my acoustic guitar, I always tried to let every string ring out as long as possible. That doesn't sound very good on the electric


I know how to do palm muting but whenever I start to play scales with distortion cranked up, the first 3 strings always seem to make noise when I don't want them to. When I play the pentatonic minor scale, by the time I get to the high B string, the G string still vibrates. When I play a note on the high E string, the B string vibrates.

So far I can't silence any of those three strings without also muting the note I want to ring out. Is this a technique that will come with time, or is there a trick to this? I've only been using my right hand to mute the strings.

(oh yeah, I can easily mute the 4th, 5th, and 6th strings. It's only the first three I'm having problems with)



Thanks for the help, and sorry if this has been asked a few million times by now.

You might be pulling off the frets too vigorously since the action and string gauge are both larger on an acoustic than an electric. I sometimes do this while playing quickly, I'd always get this problem during the faster run in the Fade To Black solo so now I'm really careful with how I pull off. I'm sure this is something you'll adjust to with time. You can also palm mute as you said.

This post has been edited by Zee Deveel: Jan 24 2007, 10:27 PM

Thanks for the advice. I slowed everything down even more, and now I'm not getting as much string noise. I think I was pulling off the strings a little too hard, just like you said.

I set my guitar up with 12's, and now it fits my style of playing a lot better.

Slowing down tends to be the solution to most gutar problems. Then you practice the stuff over and over and over untill your hand keeps doing it as you sleep, eat and write your exams (which can have funny results) and then its in your muscle memory and wham you kick ass at guitar.

Seriously though, slowing down and practice solves it. I still have some unwanted string noise because I was too fast in the beginning. It's a constant struggle being self-taught but its definatly worth it.

The first guy who introduced me to lead electric guitar taught me my first technique (although it was a while before I started using it). This was to have a small amount of pick exposed between your thumb and pointing finger so that as you go up the scale, the bottom of the palm of your hand and the wrist damp the lower strings.

Its a bit hard when going to the highest B and E strings but it does work.

If anyone knows more about this technique or its validity please let me know cos it may be a bad habit for some reason for all I know.......