string noise!

[callen3615]

Hey, I have a noobish question... I have been a scratch golfer for about 4 years and I attribute all of that success to being a technique stickler. It is my belief that if you pay attention to technique life will be easier and you will accomplish you goal faster. I am learning glasgow kiss and when I play the main licks I get alot of noise off of open strings. And yes...sigh...I suck and have only been playing for about 9 months. I am trying to mute with my fretting hand, should i just dampen the whole bridge with my picking hand? I want to get this right, just like alternate picking, palm muting, bending, and tapping, I did it completely wrong and now I have fixed it It was weird at first, and now i don't think about my technique, it just happens. I am VERY anal about technique, I have been cleaning up my play, but lately and this is bothering me. One day I would like to look at the way I play and not have any problems with my technique....like golf. I would like to learn this the right way, thanks.

[Foulacy]

this is something I didn't try to learn on purpose. like you alluded to a little, I just kind of adjusted my technique over time to minimize other noise. really it's a combination of both your picking hand and your fretting hand that mute the notes.

[callen3615]

well i have adapted to muting the bassy strings with my palm and muting the trebbly ones with my fretting hand. Im trying to lift up off the strings with a more fluid movement instead of just pulling straight off them.

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by Foulacy

this is something I didn't try to learn on purpose. like you alluded to a little, I just kind of adjusted my technique over time to minimize other noise. really it's a combination of both your picking hand and your fretting hand that mute the notes.

I did notice on playing songs that i have known forever that it sounded great, like sweet child o mine has zero noise on it.

[callen3615]

Ok can we focus on the right hand some? When playing some scale, (lets say harmonic minor) should my wrist be fixed on one spot on the bridge, letting my wrist pivot to reach the lower strings? or should my whole hand slid up and down the bridge, moving it vertically? Another thing should I hold the pick really tight and turn it to the side? or keep it flat(parrallel to the strings) and let the pick be moved by the strings?

[CalledToArms]

while i am far from a technique expert (sadly it is my downfall), I will say that your first questioned can be answered by saying its a mixture of a bit of both. I think youll find that if you start on your low E and are just doing 3 notes per string across 6 strings, If you do nothing but pivot your wrist, the angle of your pick versus the strings when you get to the high E will be severely different than it was at your Low E which imo is undesired. Instead, a little bit of pivoting with some vertical (parallel to/along the bridge) movement as well seems to be the best for me.

[callen3615]

Originally Posted by CalledToArms

while i am far from a technique expert (sadly it is my downfall), I will say that your first questioned can be answered by saying its a mixture of a bit of both. I think youll find that if you start on your low E and are just doing 3 notes per string across 6 strings, If you do nothing but pivot your wrist, the angle of your pick versus the strings when you get to the high E will be severely different than it was at your Low E which imo is undesired. Instead, a little bit of pivoting with some vertical (parallel to/along the bridge) movement as well seems to be the best for me.

exactly, my tone changes from bright and loud to warm and i hear no attack. I am working on sliding my wrist along the bridge.

[Foulacy]

Definitely move your whole arm up and down some. you don't want to use your elbow muscle when you pick though (you can use it a little), you want your wrist to do the pick attack. secondly, I pick in only a few different places it seems, probably by habit. But mainly it's above the neck humbucker or right behind it, sometimes I find myself playing chords and stuff almost over the 24th fret area. I don't brace my wrist unless I'm palm muting I guess. And with that it's more of a bracing of the forearm really.

[teokiatuan]

hey man im working on that song too. have been playing for a year plus though. can play the main riff to solo section. havent got the whole solo yet though. its really hard.

great song eh.


start slow bro. best advice i can give you. if you hear problems, drop the speed to where it sounds good, then slowly work your way up.


good luck!

[callen3615]

hey ive been working on it alot and i can play it up to tempo. its still not perfect but i am happy with it.

[Pursuit]

I found personally that the mutign at the bridge didn't feel very comfortable, so I came up with an equal alternative.

For example... You're playing an A (I mean the 5th fret on low E string). Obviously to get this note you are pushing on the 5th fret. Now you rest another finger lightly on the 6th fret, and there you go... muting!

When it comes to opens you just put the restign finger on the 1st fret.

Try it out... I found it more comfortable.

[MattyCakes]

ur pickup also might be too high