This is a problem I see a lot of advanced beginners and intermediate players have… where things get all “ringy” because they aren’t controlling the extra vibrations with their picking hand.

So in today’s live video, I’ll talk about why you should keep that picking hand palm actively muting at all times, and how you can practice this technique so that you aren’t getting a bunch of extra sounds.


    31 replies to "Keep Control Of The Ringing"

    • Greenman Wood

      Griff, you are unquestionably the best online teacher out there. Totally unpretentious, practical tutelage, supportive of beginners. And damn, I’ve heard your band – nobody walks the walk like you do!

    • Paul King

      Thank you so much Griff, I really appreciate this lesson. You are right it is such a simple concept but very frustrating for me to get this down right. Just gotta keep at it I guess and not get down on myself.

    • Alan

      Enjoy Thanks šŸ˜Š

    • Dan B. (Old Guy beginner)

      Always such a great job at teaching in a easy way to understand and execute. Love watching all these videos and putting them into practicel

    • Dane

      Of all the online teachers you have the most valuable and practical information – Thanks Griff!

      • Art

        Amen šŸ‘šŸ¼

    • Bob K

      I was just thinking about this last night, awesome to see this lesson today! Thanks Griff!!!!

    • Chris Roper

      Hi & thanks Mr Hamlin. Iā€™m getting there-ish with what youā€™re saying today but U have a problem when bending. The tips of my bend&assist fingers pluck the lower strings they touch and I find it difficult to impossible to mute these unwanted sounds without killing the wanted ones! Or is it me?
      Cheers
      Chris.

      • Brad

        I have the same problem on bends with lower strings. Some advice for this would be great !

        • Chris Roper

          Hi Brad,
          Glad itā€™s not just me!!
          Itā€™s something Iā€™ve not seen referred to anywhere.
          Letā€™s hope someone, maybe ā€œThe Man himselfā€, will help us out. The only thing I can suggest to you for now is to keep finger nails short, but not too short, and use the upright (difficult to explain) part of your nail to execute the bend. That kinda works for me but it can make life difficult. Another solution might be out there?

    • Richard

      Thanks again Griff, I been practicing this since the beginning n still struggle but making progress, I feel my playing is getting better now. HAGD sur

    • George

      Thanks Griff. Another great lesson perfectly executed. I always appreciate your help and insight. You have made me a better player. Thanks

    • Steve Hartman

      Griff. Thanks for another good lesson. Free.
      Do you have any tremolo advice? Iā€™ve played for a lifetime and still no tremolo skill. Thanks in advance
      Steve Hartman

      • TSGordon

        Can ya feel it? “…like that little baby up in the crib, -he’s got the blues!”

    • Jules Pinski

      Hate to nit-pick – – – but. Do you know the difference between the arch of your foot and the heel of your foot? When teaching, you should differentiate between the palm of your hand and the heel of your hand.
      You’re good, but I doubt even you could mute the strings with the palm of your hand and keep playing.

      • Richard Kendrick

        If you really want to get picky, you should use the medial aspect of your hypothenar eminence. šŸ™‚

      • Norman Blackmore

        Good point.

      • Mr. Lucky

        You are nitpicking but also uninformed.
        “The palm comprises the underside of the human hand.”

    • Jay

      I observed several months ago your sweet playing relied as much on what I didnā€™t hear and keyed in on how you would mute adjacent strings with your left hand in subtle ways. But I didnā€™t realize the right hand was also at work.
      Itā€™s the little things! Thanks.

    • Lynette Miller

      Thanks for this lesson. Anxious to give ight a whirl.

    • Bill

      Griff
      I liked what you played on the way in. Can you share a little info – key, is that a backing track from one of your courses, etc?
      Thanks

    • Mark Levigne

      Always something good here. Thanks, Griff.

      I love your teaching demeanor (?) Always encouraging, man

    • Alan H

      Good lesson Griff. This issue has been bothering me for awhile and this is good. Is there a difference between in hand position between a tune-o-matic bridge and a wrap around bridge like I’m playing?

    • Jeff Clesius aka Swiss Elk

      Thanks for this, Griff.

      This is the snag that has kept me on the acoustic for so many years. Now I have an approach that may bring me back to the electric guitar again. Going to keep at it now that I have an approach.

    • john

      You cant play rythmically (or atl least not for long) unless you can control the sustain and ringing because unless you do, each note lasts longer or shorter so that itā€™s ************. ***************************, ******, ****************************************.

      You want ********,********,********,********. . Steady defined fills of sound. Even if you exactly repeat the above pattern more than once its rythym.

      As for ringing of other strings, its good to remember that noise is unwanted information. So unwanted information makes it harder for the listener to recieve what you are trying to say.

      A good reminder and important lesson from Griff!

    • Diane Geise

      THANKS GRIFF, love the info.

    • Richard

      I am.a new guitar player. I keep hearing about “boxes” what are they. can you explain them I one of your lessons

    • Chris Roper

      Cheers GH………something I need to work on!
      Something else is the unwanted….kind of…pull off effect I suffer when bending a note.
      The tip of the finger(s) catch on the string(s) above and give me an unwanted pull-off.
      The only way I can guarantee this won’t happen is to use the very tip of my left hand finger(s) so that only the nail touches the string above. I find that tiring and restricting. Any ideas……apart from taking up the saxophone?!

      • Dave

        I have the same trouble. I find it is the callouses on my ring and middle fingers get ridges and catch the string above my bend string. So now I keep an emery board handy and sand those callouses down sometimes even during a live gig.. Works for me!!

    • Terry b

      Thanks griff, I have been trying to be more conscious of this. I noticed that sometimes when I was getting into a solo I would start to lift my hand up. More focused and trying to stay more relaxed is helping quite a bit.

    • Keith

      Good stuff, Griff! I sort of “stumbled”upon this quite by accident a number of years ago when I first was learning to play, mainly, I guess from experimenting on my own and watching as many players as I could while living in a very rural area.
      I still find it awkward to do with a pick in my hand, but, since I play mostly finger style it doesn’t affect me a whole lot. I wish the Internet and your teaching had been around fifty years earlier…….I’d maybe be a better player by now! Being a “self taught ” guitar player is far simpler now than it was then.

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