Muting the 6th String

[JonPR]

Originally Posted by mikethebook

Thanks for the thoughts. JonPR you're right. Damping is a better word and it is in Travis picking I'm trying to do it. I'll try fretting on the fret as Norman suggests rather than behind it and also using foam pads or the like. I don't really want to invest time in learning to do a palm mute just yet so I prefer the idea of the pads.

Honestly, getting used to the palm mute is a better idea.

Fretting on the fret will work, but could be somewhat unreliable or inconsistent. And it won't work for open strings!

The hand position you need for palm muting is good (in fact arguably essential) for playing Travis style anyway. You will need to learn it sooner or later, and it may as well be now. (I actually use a combination of palm muting and fret muting, but for consistency in Travis style it has to be the palm.)

But also, it will usually sound fine if you don't damp the strings at all. It will sound different obviously - cleaner, less bouncy - but still OK.

The only real difficulty with the palm mute position (as I see it) is the thumb angle relative to the strings. It's more or less parallel, which is why most players in this style used a thumbpick.
Great demo from Doc Watson here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cE2swkx9WXE&t=120s

Personally I don't use a thumb pick, and I can still get the corner of my thumbnail to the string without it having to be too long (that's if you want to use nails rather than flesh).
IOW, I found getting used to the thumbpick was the hard part, so I just dropped it in the end.

In contrast, here's Skip James with his wrist way off the guitar. Obviously his open bass strings ring, but he gets some kind of muting with his fretting action on the other strings.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytVww5r4Nk0
(Tuning is DGCFAD, btw, standard a whole step down. Not DADFAD as someone posted there.)

[rick-slo]

It is easier to get your wrist in the right position for bass string damping using a thumb pick. However I don't use one and manage somewhat by bringing the picking hand arm further over the guitar. You can damp the opposite way by damping the treble strings while letting the bass strings ring out. Not my usual thing but here I did some on this tune.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jgj...el=DerekCoombs

[j3ffr0]

Lots of tunes don't sound quite right without some palm muting so I recommend learning to manage that. But there are many ways to mute and the context determines what is best -- if you are just looking to mute the 6th for a particular chord you can use the thumb of your fretting hand or even whatever finger is fretting the 5th string in addition to your right hand.

[mikethebook]

Thanks, guys. Very helpful thoughts. I'll try them all out.