I need help with string skipping & muting

[Dubhghaill]

When playing with my fingers, I've always found string skipping difficult. The classic example is Immigrant song where you play F# and the octave in quick succession. I can't help but hit the A string for some reason. Any tips for dealing with that?

And muting - well, I always seem to leave strings ringing. Especially since I've got brighter strings. How can I improve so that when I remove my finger, it doesn't "hammer off", but mutes more effectively? I find myself having to palm mute all the time.

Also, I've noticed that I can play better with my index fingernail than I can with a plectrum or with my fingers. I hold my hand in the position as if I'm holding a plectrum, but I use my fingernail instead. It sounds full and I can play very fast (although all downstrokes, no "alternate picking"), but I'm worried I could damage my fingernail. Although I've been playing like this for a while and it doesn't seem to be doing any damage. The reason I started playing like this was because after 30 minutes or so of playing with a plectrum, my thumb starts getting sore. Perhaps there's a better way to hold it.

Thanks guys

[FuNkShUi]

[quote name='Dubhghaill' post='691356' date='Dec 22 2009, 11:15 AM']When playing with my fingers, I've always found string skipping difficult. The classic example is Immigrant song where you play F# and the octave in quick succession. I can't help but hit the A string for some reason. Any tips for dealing with that?

And muting - well, I always seem to leave strings ringing. Especially since I've got brighter strings. How can I improve so that when I remove my finger, it doesn't "hammer off", but mutes more effectively? I find myself having to palm mute all the time.

Also, I've noticed that I can play better with my index fingernail than I can with a plectrum or with my fingers. I hold my hand in the position as if I'm holding a plectrum, but I use my fingernail instead. It sounds full and I can play very fast (although all downstrokes, no "alternate picking"), but I'm worried I could damage my fingernail. Although I've been playing like this for a while and it doesn't seem to be doing any damage. The reason I started playing like this was because after 30 minutes or so of playing with a plectrum, my thumb starts getting sore. Perhaps there's a better way to hold it.

Thanks guys [/quote]

Hi mate. Not really got any advice on the first part of your question. Im sure everyone finds this technique pretty tricky at first. And i know it probably wont be of much help, but practise was what helped me! Maybe a lesson with a teacher would help you? If you can get up close enough to see what he is doing, you could pick-up on technique, and im sure he could give you tips etc as thats what they do eh?!
Muting is all down to preference i think. I play with my fingers (not a plec) so i mute with the finger following behind the note playing finger, whichever one that might be at the point in the line that needs muting. Hope that makes sense to you. Aagain practise makes perfect!!
As for using your fingernail.... i know i couldnt do it! Doesnt it rip the skin off the bottom of your nail??? By no means is it wrong to do that though. Do whatever you feel comfortable with, and creates "your sound". I just think that maybe you should try learning to play fingerstyle ASWELL, so it gives you more options.
Just my bit of input, im sure some more knowledgable players will be along soon Hope it helps, even if only a little
Kert

[thunderbird13]

I've been playing with much the same technique for the past year and I havent had any damage yet - although a couple of times I've scrapped the skin of the bottom of my nail but I just change to finger style until it heals. So I would say stick with this technique if your happy with it - unless it gets painful then stop immediately and get some advice. Alternatively you could look at getting different types of picks I got some which are quite long and a bit easier to hold than the standard ones I think they are called sharks teeth

[Doddy]

As far as the pick is concerned,have you tried using a thumb pick?

I use a couple of different techniques to mute the strings. When I'm ascending
the strings I use a combination of basic rest strokes and using my thumb as a moveable
anchor-as I move up a string my thumb follows on to the string below. So,if I am
playing on the upper two strings,my thumb will be resting on the A string. I will also then be
muting the E and B strings with my little and ring fingers,rather than tucking them into my hand.
When I'm descending,I mute with my fretting hand-mostly with the index finger,which slightly touches
the higher strings enough to mute them.
If you are trying to mute the notes,but are getting 'pull off's' you may be releasing the string too much.
You only have to release your finger pressure very slightly to mute the note that you're playing.
When using a pick I use the same left hand technique when descending,and mute the strings with the
side of my picking hand.

String skipping,like everything else,is just really a matter of practice. Slowly try playing intervals of,say,
5th's,then octaves,then 10th's. When I say slow,I mean reeeaaallllyyy slow. Concentrate on playing the
notes cleanly and accurately. Remember,Speed is a by-product of accuracy.

[Jarhead]

For string skipping, I pretty much just constantly use my index finger on, say, G on the E string, and my middle on G on the D string, and if needs be, I can just pull my middle back up for a faster run, then switch back. I practiced octaves a lot when I started, and I was taught with fingers initially. Try learning stuff with a lot of octaves in to help develop that sort of style, which I find works really well.

Zach

[jude_b]

[quote name='Doddy' post='691682' date='Dec 22 2009, 05:36 PM']As far as the pick is concerned,have you tried using a thumb pick?

I use a couple of different techniques to mute the strings. When I'm ascending
the strings I use a combination of basic rest strokes and using my thumb as a moveable
anchor-as I move up a string my thumb follows on to the string below. So,if I am
playing on the upper two strings,my thumb will be resting on the A string. I will also then be
muting the E and B strings with my little and ring fingers,rather than tucking them into my hand.
When I'm descending,I mute with my fretting hand-mostly with the index finger,which slightly touches
the higher strings enough to mute them.
If you are trying to mute the notes,but are getting 'pull off's' you may be releasing the string too much.
You only have to release your finger pressure very slightly to mute the note that you're playing.
When using a pick I use the same left hand technique when descending,and mute the strings with the
side of my picking hand.

String skipping,like everything else,is just really a matter of practice. Slowly try playing intervals of,say,
5th's,then octaves,then 10th's. When I say slow,I mean reeeaaallllyyy slow. Concentrate on playing the
notes cleanly and accurately. Remember,Speed is a by-product of accuracy.[/quote]

This all sounds like good solid advice to me - although I do remember scratching my head when trying to work out what a "rest stroke" was from descriptions in tutor books when I started out. I was lucky to have someone who could show me. Similar issue with left hand muting - much simpler to get someone to show you rather than try to work it out from a description if you can.

I suspect you may have a problem playing rest strokes if you're playing with your index finger nail because your hand will have a tendency to pull away from the guitar and you may need to develop a clever way to use your thumb/palm to mute open strings. More like playing classical guitar/fingerpicking than "standard" bass playing - but I wouldn't let that hold you back.

[JTUK]

dig out Bernard Edwards tracks... and play along..and then some..