I use my thumb over the top to mute the 1st string. It just has to touch the top of the string to stop it making noise.
Two New Chords – E & Am – Lesson 13
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I use my thumb over the top to mute the 1st string. It just has to touch the top of the string to stop it making noise.
oh no, im having issues when playing chords my palm will mute that string on accident.
@phatloots trying to mute half a chord? I have fatigue, having a hard time understanding this conversation
So if you are having issues muting the smallest string when you are playing chords, I'd say your thumb position is too high, if you lower your thumb a bit behind the neck, you will find the is more room for your fingers to curl.
Yes this is completely different to what I showed in the picture as what I was showing was how to mute the low E string when you are playing an A minor.
It's something the more you practice your fingers will get the hang of the positions they are ment to be in, once you have the chord changes comfortable, then you can start trying to mute the low E string when you do a minor.
Taking photos one handed isn't something I'm that good at, but I tried to show the front and back of the neck for a minor and E major
Go slow, you'll get it !
Yes this is completely different to what I showed in the picture as what I was showing was how to mute the low E string when you are playing an A minor.
It's something the more you practice your fingers will get the hang of the positions they are ment to be in, once you have the chord changes comfortable, then you can start trying to mute the low E string when you do a minor.
Taking photos one handed isn't something I'm that good at, but I tried to show the front and back of the neck for a minor and E major
Go slow, you'll get it !
Takes a little practice, I have stumpy fingers too. Other things that can help:
- Rather than having the neck parallel with the floor, sit it at an angle, you'll see this a lot with classical players.
- Get/make a foot stool, that can also help with the angle, you put one foot on it, not both.
- You should only have your thumb on the back of the neck, not your palm, like there should be a gap there.
The idea of doing 3 strings down and the other 3 on the upstroke where you're getting into some of the concepts of "dynamics". Dynamics are where you vary your playing a bit to sound a bit more "interesting". It's perfectly fine to hit all the strings on the down stroke and the upstroke, there's nothing wrong with that
There's nothing specifically wrong with playing the whole chord on the down and up, however, if you break it up you end up adding some dynamics to your playing which can make it more interesting to listen to/play. The downstroke lends itself to emphasising the bass/lower strings and with a typical strum pattern the down stroke often ends up on the beat.
Apparently I tend to repeat myself every 2yrs heh.
Apparently I tend to repeat myself every 2yrs heh.
There are NO hard and fast rules. Seriously.
I remember an ad in the 80s for GIT with bass god Billy Sheehan, featuring a quote from the man - "You have to know the rules before you can break them!" Of course, it WAS an ad for a guitar school, so of course they're going to say that, but it points out a real and sincere truth - even the most educated musicians break the rules. Y'all KNOW Syn does it ALL THE TIME.
Because how it sounds to YOU is more important than the rules. The rules exist to help you find your direction - not to constrain you.
