Home › Forums › Guitar Techniques and General Discussions › muting string issue?
- This topic has 12 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 11 years, 4 months ago by Neiles335.
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December 6, 2012 at 10:41 pm #4389
I am getting on fairly well with my guitar having had it for around 10 weeks now and every time i pick it up ilearn something new i can do with it, i am however constantly plagued with my fingers muting out adjacent strings when i try to appegiate a chord, any idea’s how to keep the fleshy parts of my fingers off adjacent strings please? i have tried cocking my wrist forward but it hurts so bad i can only do it for a couple of minutes at a time and it’s not always successful
Neil.
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December 7, 2012 at 2:48 am #8914
Neil
At the chance of sounding like a smart aleck, I will tell you 3 things that will help with this problem. First and foremost is practice, second to that is practice and finally…..yes you guessed it…..practice.
What you have described plagues most people in the early part of the learning cycle. Barre chords are a pain to everyone and learning to arpeggiate chord are as well. As you continue to practice, callouses thicken, techniques improve and one day you realize that the problem is gone. You may feel like throwing your guitar against the wall a few times before you reach that point but you will achieve this if you don’t give up.
Chose 1 progression that is giving you problems, and practice that progression until you are sick of it. Play it super slow, play it as fast as you can, play it with syncopation. Just keep doing it daily. Your problem will vanish before you realize it.
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December 7, 2012 at 6:08 am #8922
I had the same trouble with D and B chords. It helped me a little to just try and focus as I strum that chord slowly, don’t keep looking at your hand so much to try and see what you are doing wrong. Try to focus on the little sensation you get when you feel the adjacent string hit your finger and just try and move that finger while holding the others in position. In my novice opinion I wouldn’t try bending that wrist too much to compensate for what may just be a typical lack of initial finger strength and callousing(which incidently is a huge help). Everybodys hands are different and guitar necks are different too. There may be an easier guitar for you to play but as Blueshawk has already stated, if you continue to practice, you will get it. Just curious as to what chords are troubling you?
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December 7, 2012 at 6:27 am #8923
Thanks guys, i will be practising more often as of next week when i will get more time due to family issues,
The chord i am having issues with is D7b9 or is it E7b9….a tricky one but i am determined to get it right.
Neil.
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December 7, 2012 at 2:40 pm #8928
Just a word of advice here. Part of your problem may be working on extended and altered chords Those can be more than challenging than most chords used in blues. I would advise you to really get good with major & minor chords, dominant & minor sevenths. move then to working on ninth chords.
When I first started, info wasn’t as readily available as today and I bought Mickey Baker’s Complete Course in Jazz Guitar for $5.95. The chords in that book were so far ahead of what I was ready for, I eventually filed the book away for another time. (His book has been in print for about 50 years now and that is unheard of for most music books)
Interestingly enough, according to Wikipedia, Mickey Baker just passed away on Nov 27 at age 87
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_BakerOne thing that will help you too is to really get the chords that I mentioned earlier under your fingers and add the boogie patterns with it. If you will work on these lessons by Brian over and over for a few weeks, you will find that your dexterity has improved a hundred fold and then you will be much more capable of the extended and altered chords
Blues Rhythm in E
http://www.activemelody.com/lessons/free_lesson_content/blues_rhythm_guitar_lesson_in_the_key_of_e/Clapton’s Rhythm 1&2
http://www.activemelody.com/lessons/free_lesson_content/eric_clapton_rhythm_guitar_lesson/
http://www.activemelody.com/lessons/free_lesson_content/eric_clapton_blues_rhythm_guitar_lesson_-_part_2_advanced/Blues Lead/Rhythm
http://www.activemelody.com/lessons/free_lesson_content/blues_rhythm_and_lead_guitar_lesson/Keith Richards
http://www.activemelody.com/lessons/free_lesson_content/keith_richards_style_rhythm_guitar_lesson/ -
December 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm #8930
Thankyou Blueshawk, the only reason i was messing with such a complicated chord was that i was trying to play dear prudence from a lesson on youtube, maybe i should start with easier stuff eh? lol
Thanks again.
Neil.
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December 7, 2012 at 7:00 pm #8931
The more simple stuff probably would be more advisable at this point.
As soon as you mention the chords that you were attempting, I had an image of A7#9 at the 5th fret flash thru my mind and I realized where your problem was. Been there and tried to do it but its just been recently that I’ve gotten dexterous enough to get some of those shapes.
My cousin told me that the1st 6-12 months are the most frustrating and most of us have had to deal with it.
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December 8, 2012 at 4:53 am #8935
Neil
Practice will definately help but perhaps changing your seating / playing position could help. assuming you are a right hander, try holding the guitar on your left knee while seated, similar to the clasical position. This raises the angle of the neck to about a 45degree amgle and allows the fingers to fret the string directly on the fingertips. This should help to avoid unwanted muting of adjacent strings, Some great players like Arlen Roth always play this way with the headstock held high for better attack of the strings. Worked for me… -
December 8, 2012 at 11:18 am #8936Anonymous
I’m no great player, but I also play with the guitar on my left knee. I did have some classical lessons years ago, but it was the fact that I dislocated & fractured my left elbow that I play this way when seated now because it’s the only way I can.
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December 8, 2012 at 2:16 pm #8937
Some of my friends laugh because I use a classical foot rest while playing but it is the easiest and best way. .I’ve owned a couple of arch top jazz boxes and a jumbo acoustic and that was definitely the best way to hold those while playing.
Look at pictures of jazz great Joe Pass, If his guitar was any more vertical, one would think that he was trying to mimic a slap bass player. And that was for a reason. To Neiles335 point, certain chord stretches are much easier by holding your guitar this way. Jazz great Johnny Smith was able to able to fret chords over a 6-7 fret stretch – I struggle with a 4 fret stretch due to genetics gracing me with a pinky that ends just below the first joint of me ring finger so anything that I can find to help, I am willing to try.
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December 9, 2012 at 4:58 am #8951
Now if I could just get horizontal strumming, I’ll be set. 🙂
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December 14, 2012 at 5:32 pm #8994
Thanks Neiles, this definately helps and is probably the way to go, it also helps me to keep the palm of my hand away from the 1st string which i constantly mute, i am trying to get that gap that i see some players have where just the tips of the fingers connect with the fret board, i see this alot on youtube especially girls with slim fingers that shred.
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December 14, 2012 at 8:08 pm #8995
I’m glad this helps you Neil G….you could also work on physically stretching your fingers to loosen up the joints and tendons, making chord shapes easier…
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