Ok, let’s take a look at a technique that is great for a few styles but especially for Rock and Metal, and that is Palm Muting. The definition is fairly self explanatory as it’s just resting the palm on the strings to mute the sound, but when it comes time to actually play it can get a little tricky for newer players. Hopefully by the end of this you’ll have a clear idea of how it works and how you can use it in your own playing.
When learning how to play lead guitar you can get away without knowing this technique, but once again it is something that will spice up your solos and give them an extra dynamic so you should really know what it is and how to use it.
The technique – This is completely a picking hand technique and is played by resting the right side of your palm (for right handers; left handers just reverse it) on the strings close to the bridge, giving the strings a muted or deadened sound. Some people recommend playing by resting on the bridge itself so you’re just touching the strings, but if you know what causes the sound and how to play it you can do it anywhere. I personally mute over the pickups a little further back from the bridge as it’s where I generally pick everything else, so it’s a matter of ease to play as much as I can in the same position. Play around with different positions and see what is comfortable, and I do recommend staying in the same position as you pick everything else.
When using this in your lead playing; whether composing your own or learning how to play lead guitar from someone else, mix it up with everything that you do. As a general rule (and the only real rule in guitar is what sounds good!) keep the deadened sounds like muting for the scale runs and the bulk of the passages, and for anything you want accented that’s where you open up the sound (this works with things like the Wah pedal too, having the pedal up with the closed sound for the majority and opening it up on the accents) – try it and see how it works for you.
That’s it! It’s an easy technique to explain and not so difficult to execute, but be patient with yourself and get it right at slow speeds and it will serve you well in the future…
Here’s palm muting put into practice so you can see it and hear how it actually sounds.
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