My dear Justin, I've been playing guitar since I was 14 years old. Now I'm 35 years old, and you just keep saving my life!! Thanks a lot for all you have done for people all around the world, we relly appreciate your effort!!
I've been playing for 15 years and unwanted strings ringing really annoyed me. You just opened a whole new world for me. I feel really stupid and very happy at the same time. Thanks Justin!
I played some metal riff with my guitar and it sound weird. Im still thinking is it me, my guitar or my amps? Now after watching this video, I think ill just care less about it keep practicing since this will improve over time. Also the song is metal anyway. I played electric with distortion 60% from max
Even though im an intermediate player by now, i always watch Justin's lessons since you can always learn something no matter how big or small. Even if you don't they serve as a good reminder how to play or if you need practice.
I have always wondered how blues players like clapton, bb king and john mayer do that really aggressive scrub down all the strings yet retain the sound of just the note they want. Now i think I know how. Thanks justin. You the best
Just recommended this Video to someone and I am SHOCKED this only has 66,000 views. The techniques described in this video can improve the sound you get out of your instrument TEN FOLD if not more.
I just CAN'T mute with my right hand when picking from 6th string all the way to 1st string. My left hand is good, but I can't find a proper place to rest my hand on without it also muting the string I'm trying to pick. It's getting on my nerves.
Try nesting the side of your little finger's knuckle between D and G....or there abouts, whatever works for you. And then use it as a pivot point.whilst curling your little finger. If you see. That could be a start...
Just incorporated this and my playing in the last hour has sounded a billion times better than my whole guitar time (aka 3 weeks). My bends dont make noise anymore and picking notes sound so much cleaner. Justin is an OG
Goshoryu it might be too late since its 6 years later but i found that if u rest the ‘karate chop’ area of ur hand in between the bridge and the bridge pickup (i have a gibson les paul) and pick with a very slightly higher angle, u can feel the strings vibrate with the hand and u can mute low to high that way.
Been teaching myself on and off since 2011. Always wondered as I got into heavier riffs how the pros keep it from ringing out so much. Thank you for this lesson!
Good lesson Justin, I've been following your lessons for a while now and I can honestly say they are the best on youtube. My favorite lesson was the fast rock lick on the pentetonic scale, which I practice ALOT, but ironically the biggest problem that I have with playing it fast is excess string noise, but this lesson has given me good insight and I will apply this technique to my playing, but won;t obssess over it. Thx again for posting and explaining as thoroughly as you do :D
Thank you Justin! Yor last words have a weight in gold! I almost get obsessed. But the truth is, it is technic wich is developed through the years. Practicing 5min in the day would be enough.
Great tutorial Justin, thank you very much. Your positive energy and teaching skills are perfect, and that makes you a good teacher, that and your knowledge and excitement about guitar! :D
Holy shit thank you so much for this video. I'm a beginner and following your beginner's course, but also figuring out some other things for playing songs. The "touching the string above" blew me way (I never understood how to mute the low E when playing an A or C chord apart from muting it with my thumb) and that was only 2 minutes in haha. You're the only guitar teacher that explains things incredibly clearly, gives different options and explains WHY as well as HOW. Thank you thank you thank you.
Thank you so much for this and all your lessons--I have learned so much from you! They are so clear and helpful, and the camera angles help make everything really clear. 👍
Great lesson. Took me a long time to figure this out, and here it all is in one lesson. Just a suggestion, Justin. Do a quick follow up video with an electric guitar on high gain. String noise is HUGELY amplified in those conditions. Really makes you pay attention to playing scales cleanly.
I was really lucky cause when I bought my 1st electric guitar, the 1st time I tried to play something with it and it was a mess because of the noise, I thought to myself: "be aware of the need of muting the strings but for sure you'll figure out something little by little without worrying too much". So I applied your advice then and it is just like that. Just by being aware of it your playing gets clearer progressively almost without noticing it.
Justin you're the best thanks for the lesson, I was getting really aggravated with hearing unwanted noise. Great lesson and even better advice at the end.
Hi Justin. do u have a Video about "how to mute the strings (fingerstyle-fingerpicking)? For a non-nativspeaker, i have to say: its realy easy to follow u. Your pronunciation is absolutly clear. Thx a lot.
Just incorporated this technique and honestly it sounds hard but its not. He is exactly right not to worry about it and prioritize music but i found that when picking with my strumming palm on the string by the bridge/on top pf my bridge pick up(like he teaches), u automatically unmute the strings ur plucking because the palm raises ever so slightly when picking lower strings. This concept combined with muting bends is really helpful and i wish teachers would introduce the idea of muting right away.
Hey, Justin! Ok, I'm on the lesson of strings muting now. Interesting stuff. I've been "back" playing fo about 1-1/2 years. (Back story: I played a lot 30+ years ago, was pretty good at playing, but sloppy. I was completely self-taught, and didn't develop goid habits. But, i could "make good music." Then i quit all those years. Couldn't stand it, needed to be able to play the music in my head, so i tried to start playing again more recently. But now, i had nerve impingement in my neck that affected my (left) hand, so i couldn't play for a minute w/o my hand cramping. Had fusion surgery (Dec 2021) then it took almost 8 mos. before i could actually have enough strength to play. So, i count from that first day that i played for sbout 45 minutes.) So anyway, i never developed string muting techniques. But I've learned SO MUCH now that YT is around! I was watching a guy play, and liked the way he made his bass notes sound. How was he doing that? Selective "palm muting." So i started working in that. Meanwhile, i had been watching other videos where they talked about the importance of string muting (unplayed strings), but nobody ever drscribed HOW to do it in detail like you did in THIS video. THANK YOU! So, I've been working on both "selective palm muting" and "muting unplayed strings" (without knowing the details how) for over a month. I've gotten pretty good with the palm muting technique, even with strumming! It has really helped develop my style! Along the way, somehow I've learned some unplayed string muting techniques, too. But now that i know the deets, i can make much quicker progress! Here's my main point: The "tip" you gave at the end, about learning the technique, but then just being aware, without paying too much attention to it... THAT'S SPOT ON! Somehow I've been doing that by accident, and it has developed "naturally." Now that i know more details, i can work on it better for a bit, focused, then move on. I'm very disciplined with everything, including my music. So i make quick progress. I'm gonna practice now before i hafta get ready to leave! Thank you! 👌 👍
I just got started with scales but I think I will incorporate this into my practice routine. I'm kind of obsessed with technical perfection. Sorry about that Justin.
Hello Justin, I just wanted to say thank you for always providing such great content. I especially enjoyed the Sweet Child O' Mine, Hotel California, and Slow dancing in a Burning Room tutorials. You're extremely talented, brother. Please keep sharing.
it's funny, as a rock and metal player, Yeah, Muting becomes important. but it's something that if you focus on it too much it's just a frustration, The only time I actively think about it is if I play something and go "Okay which one of these ******s is ringing" it's usually the B string lol but the only time I worry about it is if it's noticeably impacting the sound of what I'm playing, and I do a lot of high gain, where it's very notable. So honestly The last part of advice in this video is the real important part. Be aware of it. Don't stress over it, fix it as needed. eventually you'll find yourself going "I meant to let that ring out.... Better practice it with a lighter palm."
great lesson this has been doing my head in on electric guitar i was searching not so long ago for a lesson on the subject but couldnt find a decent one, i kind of knew about the technique using the palm and everything but i think i have been thinking about it a bit too much, i even started putting a hair band on the nut of my guitar ( youve probly heard of that lol) but im definatley gonna try not concentrate on it as much, cheers justin
just wondering why you need to mute the string above with your finger when you palm is muting it as well? Is it just good habit given that is the technique used for power/bar chords played on the 5th string and also for certain chords?
hey justin awesome lesson. this technique is really difficult when im using electric guitar and especially with high gain settings and with distortion. could you plz do a muting tutorial with an electric guitar including high gain and distiortion? cheers
Hi Justin, just noticed the nut on your Maton, it seems to be cut diagonally?- is that a modification you have had made? ...Just curious as to why. Big fan of your lessons- they are much appreciated
Hi Justin, Do you have a requests section anywhere?? I have been searching for a lesson on the solo for Hotel California an old classic from the Eagles....but find mostly covers only and I have tried to follow these but not too successfully......I would really enjoy learning this solo properly and I think you would be able to teach it better than anyone else...........Vic Australia
My problem is hitting the wrong strings with the picking hand, not extraneous string noise. Not sure how much this will help, but will try. You could really obsess about this as he says
PLEASE Do one of these in relation to string bending. It's a serious problem I'm having difficulty with where whenever I bend, say, the 3rd string, when I release the bend, my left hand finger seems to catch on the strings lower (4th, 5th, 6th) and they start ringing out. Please help me out, Justin
@MetalSwitch95 While it may not be a lesson for you, I'm pretty certain this helped alot of lesser guitarists. Surely the title of the video would have given it away, and youd know your own skill enough to know you dont need muting tips?
hey justin, your lesson is really good. But i could not implement this technique when i was playing electric guitar with distortion higher up the fretboard (at 7-10 frets) while standing as it makes the index finger to curve and not straighten even if i put effort,thus making it difficult to mute the strings present physically below the one i m playing. i tried to find ways but couldn't do anything. What would u recommend in this scenario?
Hello Justin. I have been playing guitar for 3 years now almost 4 and I play really fast stuff. I can play a few Yngwie songs and stuff however, when I economy pick I get some extra noise, will this also apply to someone like me? Isn't a flat finger bad for when you play fast?
![Guitar String Muting Techniques - How To Play Guitar - Stage 3 Guitar Lesson [IM-134]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/oe8J-rcYf0c/mqdefault.jpg)
![Guitar String Muting Techniques - How To Play Guitar - Stage 3 Guitar Lesson [IM-134]](/img/tr.png)
"dont get obsessed about it..." - thanks for that advice, i was already focusing on that technique for a whole week, haha!
great tutorial!
My dear Justin, I've been playing guitar since I was 14 years old. Now I'm 35 years old, and you just keep saving my life!! Thanks a lot for all you have done for people all around the world, we relly appreciate your effort!!
I've been playing for 15 years and unwanted strings ringing really annoyed me. You just opened a whole new world for me. I feel really stupid and very happy at the same time. Thanks Justin!
*WATCH THE VIDEO TILL THE END BECAUSE LAST ADVICE IS REALLY VERY IMPORTANT*
indeed. I was just thinking of quiting electric...
I played some metal riff with my guitar and it sound weird. Im still thinking is it me, my guitar or my amps? Now after watching this video, I think ill just care less about it keep practicing since this will improve over time. Also the song is metal anyway. I played electric with distortion 60% from max
you are so right. It really shows that he cares about his students.
@@anakzerdadu metal music is like 80% muting techniques. Took me way too long to realize that
Yes!!! To this!
What a wonderful person and teacher you are man!! Its so clearly evident how much heart you put into teaching guitar.
The last advice is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. watch it till the end
Yes very
10:38
Yes
Even though im an intermediate player by now, i always watch Justin's lessons since you can always learn something no matter how big or small. Even if you don't they serve as a good reminder how to play or if you need practice.
Great lesson with a lot of useful advice! Thanks for all the effort you put into your lessons and your website, it's appreciated!
I have always wondered how blues players like clapton, bb king and john mayer do that really aggressive scrub down all the strings yet retain the sound of just the note they want. Now i think I know how. Thanks justin. You the best
best explanation ive seen so far. all the others made it seem like it was insanely hard to do
Hey Justin,
Your lessons have improved so much over the years, and im not saying they were ever bad. Great teacher, thank you.
Just recommended this Video to someone and I am SHOCKED this only has 66,000 views. The techniques described in this video can improve the sound you get out of your instrument TEN FOLD if not more.
I just CAN'T mute with my right hand when picking from 6th string all the way to 1st string. My left hand is good, but I can't find a proper place to rest my hand on without it also muting the string I'm trying to pick. It's getting on my nerves.
Try nesting the side of your little finger's knuckle between D and G....or there abouts, whatever works for you. And then use it as a pivot point.whilst curling your little finger. If you see. That could be a start...
Just incorporated this and my playing in the last hour has sounded a billion times better than my whole guitar time (aka 3 weeks). My bends dont make noise anymore and picking notes sound so much cleaner. Justin is an OG
Goshoryu it might be too late since its 6 years later but i found that if u rest the ‘karate chop’ area of ur hand in between the bridge and the bridge pickup (i have a gibson les paul) and pick with a very slightly higher angle, u can feel the strings vibrate with the hand and u can mute low to high that way.
@MetalSwitch95 not everyone is as brilliant as you.
best guitar teacher on youtube, the string muting technique really made my day, thanks alot man!! :)
Keep going Justin, you have opened a new chapter in the history of guitar teaching. Thanks buddy!
This is the best instructional video I've seen on string muting. 10 Thumbs up.
Been teaching myself on and off since 2011. Always wondered as I got into heavier riffs how the pros keep it from ringing out so much. Thank you for this lesson!
"Don't get obsessed about it." Just what I needed to hear. Thank you!
Thanks so much for your advice...I've been quite obsessed with this for some days and am feeling kinda relieved after watching this
Chan Sin Ki same.. how long did it take you to finally master it if you did
Good lesson Justin, I've been following your lessons for a while now and I can honestly say they are the best on youtube. My favorite lesson was the fast rock lick on the pentetonic scale, which I practice ALOT, but ironically the biggest problem that I have with playing it fast is excess string noise, but this lesson has given me good insight and I will apply this technique to my playing, but won;t obssess over it. Thx again for posting and explaining as thoroughly as you do :D
Thank you Justin! Yor last words have a weight in gold! I almost get obsessed. But the truth is, it is technic wich is developed through the years. Practicing 5min in the day would be enough.
Great tutorial Justin, thank you very much. Your positive energy and teaching skills are perfect, and that makes you a good teacher, that and your knowledge and excitement about guitar! :D
Holy shit thank you so much for this video. I'm a beginner and following your beginner's course, but also figuring out some other things for playing songs. The "touching the string above" blew me way (I never understood how to mute the low E when playing an A or C chord apart from muting it with my thumb) and that was only 2 minutes in haha. You're the only guitar teacher that explains things incredibly clearly, gives different options and explains WHY as well as HOW. Thank you thank you thank you.
I've been struggling with this problem for awhile now and really needed help, this really helped, God bless and thank you!!!
had two teachers and neither could show this properly over zoom. thank you for the camera angles.
Wow. this really works! Started trying this out right after I watched the video and I can tell a difference.
Thanks for the lesson! This ALWAYS confused me before but now I can do it!
Thank you so much for this and all your lessons--I have learned so much from you! They are so clear and helpful, and the camera angles help make everything really clear. 👍
Great lesson. Took me a long time to figure this out, and here it all is in one lesson. Just a suggestion, Justin. Do a quick follow up video with an electric guitar on high gain. String noise is HUGELY amplified in those conditions. Really makes you pay attention to playing scales cleanly.
Super useful lesson to help me soloing, now I don't have to struggle with this anymore. Very good lesson, thanks Justin.
My problem is that when I mute I end up getting rid of too much sound
When i see your videos, learning the guitar doesn't seem to be complicated anymore, thank you justing
This is such an important lesson, im glad i clicked on it , justin you are the greatest
I was really lucky cause when I bought my 1st electric guitar, the 1st time I tried to play something with it and it was a mess because of the noise, I thought to myself: "be aware of the need of muting the strings but for sure you'll figure out something little by little without worrying too much". So I applied your advice then and it is just like that. Just by being aware of it your playing gets clearer progressively almost without noticing it.
I kinda feel like that flat finger technique would also help with minimum hand movement when doing the G scale.
best guitar teacher on youtube hands down.
Justin you're the best thanks for the lesson, I was getting really aggravated with hearing unwanted noise. Great lesson and even better advice at the end.
Thank you very much, Justin. This video might be a decade old but it was a big help nonetheless.
Best video on muting! Justin you are doing a great job. God bless you 🙏
for some reason I couldnt understand how to mute even after watching multiple videos. But he explains it alot better than most people
I was overcomplicating this a lot. I thought I needed to mute both above and below with my picking hand.
Hi Justin. do u have a Video about "how to mute the strings (fingerstyle-fingerpicking)? For a non-nativspeaker, i have to say: its realy easy to follow u. Your pronunciation is absolutly clear. Thx a lot.
Just incorporated this technique and honestly it sounds hard but its not. He is exactly right not to worry about it and prioritize music but i found that when picking with my strumming palm on the string by the bridge/on top pf my bridge pick up(like he teaches), u automatically unmute the strings ur plucking because the palm raises ever so slightly when picking lower strings. This concept combined with muting bends is really helpful and i wish teachers would introduce the idea of muting right away.
Hey, Justin!
Ok, I'm on the lesson of strings muting now. Interesting stuff.
I've been "back" playing fo about 1-1/2 years.
(Back story:
I played a lot 30+ years ago, was pretty good at playing, but sloppy. I was completely self-taught, and didn't develop goid habits. But, i could "make good music." Then i quit all those years. Couldn't stand it, needed to be able to play the music in my head, so i tried to start playing again more recently.
But now, i had nerve impingement in my neck that affected my (left) hand, so i couldn't play for a minute w/o my hand cramping.
Had fusion surgery (Dec 2021) then it took almost 8 mos. before i could actually have enough strength to play. So, i count from that first day that i played for sbout 45 minutes.)
So anyway, i never developed string muting techniques. But I've learned SO MUCH now that YT is around!
I was watching a guy play, and liked the way he made his bass notes sound. How was he doing that? Selective "palm muting."
So i started working in that.
Meanwhile, i had been watching other videos where they talked about the importance of string muting (unplayed strings), but nobody ever drscribed HOW to do it in detail like you did in THIS video.
THANK YOU!
So, I've been working on both "selective palm muting" and "muting unplayed strings" (without knowing the details how) for over a month. I've gotten pretty good with the palm muting technique, even with strumming!
It has really helped develop my style!
Along the way, somehow I've learned some unplayed string muting techniques, too.
But now that i know the deets, i can make much quicker progress!
Here's my main point:
The "tip" you gave at the end, about learning the technique, but then just being aware, without paying too much attention to it...
THAT'S SPOT ON!
Somehow I've been doing that by accident, and it has developed "naturally."
Now that i know more details, i can work on it better for a bit, focused, then move on.
I'm very disciplined with everything, including my music. So i make quick progress.
I'm gonna practice now before i hafta get ready to leave!
Thank you! 👌 👍
best lesson ive ever seen on youtube
Last bit was really helpful. Thanks buddy
I just got started with scales but I think I will incorporate this into my practice routine. I'm kind of obsessed with technical perfection. Sorry about that Justin.
Jesus, thank you. My playing might actually go from a 2 to a 4. Have some practicing to do.
you are very good teacher your concerns are really honest.. loved your lesson.
Great lesson. Now I'm going to go crazy with it and only practice it exclusively until it's perfected!!!
Hello Justin, I just wanted to say thank you for always providing such great content. I especially enjoyed the Sweet Child O' Mine, Hotel California, and Slow dancing in a Burning Room tutorials. You're extremely talented, brother. Please keep sharing.
you do explain so well, thanks a lot Justin
Most Awesome technique i watch on IM lesson.
Yeah its veery important stuff, at the beginning it you think "whatever" but when starting to do some solos and lead kinda things its really useful
But muting on an acoustic isn't as important as when you're playing an electric, with high distortion. The difference becomes quite noticeable there.
Nice lesson. Another interesting method is using the thumb on the picking hand to mute the strings. Anyway, cool vid.
Awesome video! Very helpful and very nice guy, I will definitely be coming back for more videos
Wow, where was this video 10 years ago?! Thank you so much for the video!
That's a incredibly beautiful guitar he has
Thank you Justin!
it's funny, as a rock and metal player, Yeah, Muting becomes important. but it's something that if you focus on it too much it's just a frustration, The only time I actively think about it is if I play something and go "Okay which one of these ******s is ringing" it's usually the B string lol but the only time I worry about it is if it's noticeably impacting the sound of what I'm playing, and I do a lot of high gain, where it's very notable. So honestly The last part of advice in this video is the real important part. Be aware of it. Don't stress over it, fix it as needed. eventually you'll find yourself going "I meant to let that ring out.... Better practice it with a lighter palm."
let me tell you man, Justin is a badass
Great lesson as always
Hey bro I just start playing guitar Every time my left finger leave a string it make a noise know how I can stop this
Yeah same problem
Little late but is it the sliding noise or a buzzing noise?
Extremely useful lesson. Thanks.
Thanks for the help. I'm obsessive so that last part spoke to me too.
Thanks. Works very perfect and allows me to play even better. Thanks :D
excellent teaching skills my man
great lesson this has been doing my head in on electric guitar i was searching not so long ago for a lesson on the subject but couldnt find a decent one, i kind of knew about the technique using the palm and everything but i think i have been thinking about it a bit too much, i even started putting a hair band on the nut of my guitar ( youve probly heard of that lol) but im definatley gonna try not concentrate on it as much, cheers justin
Great work J.
Hey man you're a really gud teacher :)
thanx for the lesson!
Wow man, you're a fantastic teacher. This was great. Thank you.
just wondering why you need to mute the string above with your finger when you palm is muting it as well? Is it just good habit given that is the technique used for power/bar chords played on the 5th string and also for certain chords?
Awesome lesson. Thank you. 🙏🏻
Muting is crucial to know for sweep picking. Even becoming just adequate at muting is enough to greatly enhance the sound of sweeps.
Fantastic lesson ! Thanks to you.
hey justin awesome lesson. this technique is really difficult when im using electric guitar and especially with high gain settings and with distortion. could you plz do a muting tutorial with an electric guitar including high gain and distiortion? cheers
You're really nice guitar teacher.
Thank you for the advice... It was good I found this video, because I had already started worrying a lot about it hahahaha
You are a great teacher, thank you :)
perfect lesson
10:43 yes 🙌👏
Hi Justin, just noticed the nut on your Maton, it seems to be cut diagonally?- is that a modification you have had made? ...Just curious as to why.
Big fan of your lessons- they are much appreciated
Hi Justin, Do you have a requests section anywhere??
I have been searching for a lesson on the solo for Hotel California an old classic from the Eagles....but find mostly covers only and I have tried to follow these but not too successfully......I would really enjoy learning this solo properly and I think you would be able to teach it better than anyone else...........Vic Australia
Do you know a good bassist teacher? I am a bassist and I mainly use a pick so thats why I watch your videos. Thank you if you could help me or not.
thanks Justin!
I was just wondering how to sort this problem when this video pops up. Thanks :D
thank you.the tip part gave me the tip on how to play it ^^
Im already obsessed .
My problem is hitting the wrong strings with the picking hand, not extraneous string noise. Not sure how much this will help, but will try. You could really obsess about this as he says
Many thanks for this!
Thanks this was very helpful.
PLEASE Do one of these in relation to string bending. It's a serious problem I'm having difficulty with where whenever I bend, say, the 3rd string, when I release the bend, my left hand finger seems to catch on the strings lower (4th, 5th, 6th) and they start ringing out. Please help me out, Justin
Trying to learn guitar so I can make more guitar-related meme videos lol. Muting is by far the most challenging thing so far.
@MetalSwitch95 While it may not be a lesson for you, I'm pretty certain this helped alot of lesser guitarists. Surely the title of the video would have given it away, and youd know your own skill enough to know you dont need muting tips?
hey justin, your lesson is really good. But i could not implement this technique when i was playing electric guitar with distortion higher up the fretboard (at 7-10 frets) while standing as it makes the index finger to curve and not straighten even if i put effort,thus making it difficult to mute the strings present physically below the one i m playing. i tried to find ways but couldn't do anything. What would u recommend in this scenario?
good advices, thank you sir ~
Very useful!
Hello Justin. I have been playing guitar for 3 years now almost 4 and I play really fast stuff. I can play a few Yngwie songs and stuff however, when I economy pick I get some extra noise, will this also apply to someone like me? Isn't a flat finger bad for when you play fast?
hey justin how far up should the action on an acoustic be?