Technique 102 - Palm Muting

Palm muting is how you get definition with your picking / strumming hand. With your palm you can change the timbre (sound) of the strings by applying a muting effect. This leads to more dynamic and percussive rhythm playing.

The technique present in virtually all musical styles, and is fairly simple and intuitive to apply.

First - Apply very light pressure with the palm of your picking hand at a 90 degree angle (perpendicular) to the strings. Different pressures will yield different levels of muting, so start very soft, get a feel for it, and play accordingly.

Second- You need to find the “sweet spot.” This is where the string meets the bridge. If you are too far away from the bridge your sound will be dead and have no life at all. If you are too far below where the string meets the bridge you will simply be playing an open string.

This spot may be a tad different from guitar to guitar, but it is always very near the confluence of the string and the bridge.

Mess around with it!