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Country guitar - Palm Muting
What is palm muting, and how do you do it on country guitar?Get your guitar out, and pick a string. The sound rings out for a few seconds. Now, slightly lower the edge of your palm onto the string (The area near the bridge is the best.) I repeat, SLIGHTLY. Now pick a string. Sounds short and like a percussive beat, but still retains the tone of the actual note, doesn't it? That's a palm mute. You probably won't get it right the first time 'round. Practise. A deeper lookOk, in wonderland, you would have done it right the first time. Sadly, this is Planet Earth. Let me walk you through the whole process. Let's say we are playing an A power chord. Fret it. Now, rest the heel of your palm on the country guitar strings VERY slightly. (Just the 6th, 5th and 4th string would do) Now pick the 3 strings, while keeping your palm in the same position. If you just hear an indiscernible "Chick" sound, it means you're resting your hand too heavily on the strings. Make sure you're resting your palm near the bridge, and try again. Still sounds "wrong"? Try holding your hand up, while the heel of your palm just touches the strings. Make sure you aren't resting your hand on the strings completely. This works from some guitarists. For now, stick to only down-strums. Up strums are quite hard to do while palm muting. And finally, relax! I've seen too many people tense up while palm muting. This results in an even more inflexible wrist. Needless to say, that's BAD! MutingMuting is a technique not often used in country music. This is just extra info. Remember that "chick" you dreaded while trying to do a palm mute? That's what we're gonna be studying now. Muting can be used very effectively in country music. Mute, and strum very fast (6 times) and proceed to the actual chord (without palm mute or muting) and carry on singing. The best time to use this would be when there is a pause in the song. Then, right before starting the song again, mute and strum very fast, proceeding on to the rest of the song. Try it, and you'll know what I mean! Ok, so how do I mute?Instead of of muting with your palm (as in the case of palm muting), you mute by resting your fretting hand on all the strings, and strumming simultaneously. You'll probably get the "chick" sound on the first try. If you don't, try pushing the strings a liite bit down, making sure you don't actually fret them. There! You've got muting down. Now go and practise your palm muting on your country guitar!
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