Muting

pakiboy949

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I've been recently practicing muting a lot, with almost every song, I always use my pinky finger to mute the strings and i think I'm getting better. Do you guys have any tips or techniques you would want to share?
 
you can actually gently rest the heel of your palm on the base of the strings right at the saddle/bridge. and then play as normal. this will also give you that muted sound. learned this from rodrigo y gabriella's tamacun. in the begining rodrigo is playing the lead with all the noted muted, and i noticed that it was his right hand resting on the saddle, and not his left hand/fingers doing the muting. hope this helps.
 

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you can actually gently rest the heel of your palm on the base of the strings right at the saddle/bridge. and then play as normal. this will also give you that muted sound. learned this from rodrigo y gabriella's tamacun. in the begining rodrigo is playing the lead with all the noted muted, and i noticed that it was his right hand resting on the saddle, and not his left hand/fingers doing the muting. hope this helps.

thats what i do to mute the strings. lot less concentration for me lol.
 
what about WHEN you mute the strings, is it all just mute on the lines of the rhythm?
 

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Yeah, the muted sound would fill in the strum that you would normally use without muting the strings. So it should just be incorporated to the continuous motion of your strumming hand.
 
muting strings

Hi everyone, here's my take on the whole muting thing.

1. Muting strings with the plam of your right hand on the saddle/bridge.

This techique is very common on the guitar and is very useful when used with a pick. However, I have found that this method restricts the movement of the right wrist on the ukulele which in turn will diminish wrist speed and finger dexterity.

2. Muting strings with the extended pinky ala jake's instructional video.

Let it be known, that Jake is my ukulele hero (along with aldrine guerrero) and this method for sure works. This method also allows for full movement of the right wrist as opposed to the alternative muted saddle/bridge plam techique. However, in my experience, it's seems like a long walk around the block just to get into the house, so to speak, (that is, unless you are playing open chords on the uke. Then it actually is a superior way of muting).

I have found that by simply lifting all your (left hand) fingers off the fretboard slightly (at the appropriate time) and allowing the inside of the fingers to "rest" over the strings is the most natural and easiest method to string muting. I have studied Jake's method and have found no difference in tone, ease, or additional speed when playing the ukulele.

Disclaimer: Of course, as with any discipline, it's best to learn all viable techique's avaliable in order to master your instrument. It's best to incorporate different ways to do the same things when it comes to ukulele playing! This will become more apparent as your skill level rises and you seek out more challenging songs to learn and enjoy...

Thanks, E-lo...
 
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