Ghost Notes

[AM1]

How do you play those little percussive taps on the bass? I know the strings are supposed to be muted but I can't co-ordinate my hands to do the mute notes and then play normal notes quickly. It sounds so easy when I listen to others do it!

[YouMa]

I try to imagine im tapping out drumming on the table when i do this just light little touchs get picked up,by the pickups i suppose its just down to how nimble your fingers are. Just imagine you are trying to play a harmonic but dont let it ring out.

Edited March 9, 2009 by YouMa

[The Funk]

Wait a sec. You're not trying to mute with your right hand are you? You should be "muting" with your fretting hand - and I wouldn't even call it muting. You just don't fret the note fully.

[chris_b]

Are you talking about tapping or ghost notes? They are very different things. Ghost notes are as Funk says, play the note properly with the right hand and don't push fully down to the fret with the left hand.

Edited March 12, 2009 by chris_b

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='The Funk' post='432314' date='Mar 12 2009, 12:23 PM']Wait a sec. You're not trying to mute with your right hand are you? You should be "muting" with your fretting hand - and I wouldn't even call it muting. You just don't fret the note fully.[/quote]
exactly

[jakenewmanbass]

[quote name='chris_b' post='432324' date='Mar 12 2009, 12:28 PM']Are you talking about tapping or ghost notes? They are very different things. Ghost notes are as Funk says, play the note properly with the right hand and don't push fully down to the fret with the left hand.[/quote]
exactly

[AM1]

[quote name='Jimbo' post='434467' date='Mar 14 2009, 10:20 AM']AM,

Was this the kind of technique you were thinking of?
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9uEl17my-o"]Sample from Rocco Prestia's instructional video[/url][/quote]

Alright Jimbo, absolutely spot on.

Thanks for that link to that vid on youtube, that's absolutely excellent, I had no idea that stuff was on there! Amazing technique. Rocco Prestia does actually describe them as ghost notes in that clip as well. It's those little percussive "taps" but they're also actual notes sometimes.

I am trying to mute with my left hand (fretting hand) not my right, my difficulty is just co-ordinating my hands.

I practice every day but it's my hands techniques that's slowing down progress, so this instructional stuff is fantastic, many thanks.

Cheers
AM

Edited March 14, 2009 by AM1

[The Funk]

Just go right back to basics and practice the C major scale with every other note a ghost note.

You should not be worrying about your right hand at all when you're playing ghost notes - your right hand does exactly the same thing whether it's a ghost note or a fully fretted note. So don't look at it or think about it.

[AM1]

I forgot about this thread.

I can play those little taps now!!!!

It just started happening without me even thinking about it!

My fingers have got the funk!!!