Palm muting is a technique where the heel of your picking hand rests lightly on the strings near the bridge, damping the sound so the notes are short and percussive. It is used in rock and metal for a tight, chunky rhythm, and the pressure controls how much the strings ring.
What is palm muting?
Palm muting is a technique where the heel of your picking hand rests lightly on the strings near the bridge, damping the sound so the notes are short and percussive, instead of ringing freely. It is used in rock and metal for a tight, chunky rhythm, and in many other styles for a muted, rhythmic effect, and the pressure controls how much the strings ring: light pressure lets the notes ring a little, and heavy pressure chokes them almost completely. The palm mute is made by the picking hand, not by the fretting hand, and it is a separate skill from the fretting. The heel of the picking hand, the fleshy part below the little finger, rests on the strings just in front of the bridge, and the pick strums the strings while the palm damps them. The position matters: too far from the bridge, and the strings are choked completely, and too close to the bridge, and the strings ring freely, and the right place is just in front of the bridge, where the strings are damped but not choked. The E major guitar chord and the A major guitar chord are the chords most players first palm mute, and the metronome keeps the beat steady.
How palm muting works
Palm muting works by damping the vibration of the strings, so the notes are short and percussive, instead of long and ringing. The heel of the picking hand rests on the strings, and the flesh absorbs the vibration, so the string stops ringing quickly, and the note is short. The pressure controls the damping: light pressure lets the string vibrate a little, so the note is muted but still pitched, and heavy pressure stops the vibration almost completely, so the note is a percussive thud, with almost no pitch. The player controls the pressure with the hand, and the pressure changes the sound, from a light mute to a heavy choke. The palm mute is used with downstrokes, usually, because the downstroke is stronger and the palm is in the right place for it, and the upstroke is harder to mute, because the palm lifts off the strings. The technique is to rest the palm on the strings, strum down, and lift the palm slightly for the notes that should ring, and rest it again for the notes that should be muted, so the muted and the ringing notes alternate, and the rhythm is tight and groovy. The D major guitar chord and the G major guitar chord are the chords the palm mute is built on.
Worked example — palm muting an E major chord. Hold an E major chord, and rest the heel of your picking hand lightly on the strings near the bridge, just in front of the bridge, and strum down, four times, on the beat, counting one, two, three, four. The notes are short and percussive, with a tight, chunky sound, because the palm is damping the strings. Now lift the palm slightly, and strum down again, and the notes ring freely, with a full, open sound, because the palm is not damping them. Alternate the muted and the ringing strums, muted, muted, ringing, ringing, and the rhythm is tight and groovy, with the muted notes giving the beat and the ringing notes giving the lift. The I–V–vi–IV progression in C major is a good progression to practise the palm mute with.
How to practise palm muting
Practise palm muting slowly, finding the right position for the palm, and then the right pressure, so the mute is controlled and the notes are short and percussive.
- Practise resting the heel of your picking hand on the strings near the bridge, and strumming down on an E major chord, listening for the notes to be short and percussive.
- Practise varying the pressure, from light to heavy, and listening for the sound changing from a light mute to a heavy choke, and find the pressure that gives the sound you want.
- Practise alternating muted and ringing strums on a G major chord, muted, muted, ringing, ringing, and listen for the rhythm to be tight and groovy.
- Play the I–V–vi–IV progression in C major with palm-muted strums, and listen for the chords to be short and percussive.
- Practise with the metronome at 60 beats per minute, and increase the tempo by 5 beats per minute when the mute is steady at the current tempo.
Common mistakes
- Resting the palm too far from the bridge — A palm too far from the bridge will choke the strings completely, and the notes will have no pitch, only a thud. Move the palm closer to the bridge, just in front of it, and the notes will be muted but still pitched.
- Pressing too hard — A palm pressed too hard will choke the strings, and the notes will have no pitch, and the hand will tire quickly. Use light pressure, just enough to damp the strings, and let the pick do the work.
- Muting every note — A song where every note is muted sounds flat and lifeless, because there is no contrast. Alternate the muted and the ringing notes, so the muted notes give the beat and the ringing notes give the lift, and the rhythm will be alive.
Quick reference
This table shows the sound that palm muting makes at different positions and pressures, so you can find the position and the pressure that give the sound you want. The position is the distance from the bridge, and the pressure is how hard the palm rests on the strings, and the two together control the mute.
| Palm position | Pressure | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Just in front of the bridge | Light | Muted but still pitched |
| Just in front of the bridge | Heavy | Almost completely choked |
| Too far from the bridge | Any | Choked, no pitch |
| Too close to the bridge | Any | Rings freely, no mute |
Use the table to find your palm muting sound: start just in front of the bridge, with light pressure, and listen for the notes to be muted but still pitched, and then vary the pressure, and the position, until the sound is the one you want. When you can control the mute, you can use it in any song.
Frequently asked questions
What is palm muting?
Palm muting is a technique where the heel of your picking hand rests lightly on the strings near the bridge, damping the sound so the notes are short and percussive. It is used in rock and metal for a tight, chunky rhythm, and the pressure controls how much the strings ring.
Where should my palm rest for palm muting?
Just in front of the bridge, on the strings, with the heel of your picking hand, the fleshy part below the little finger. Too far from the bridge, and the strings are choked completely, and too close, and they ring freely.
How much pressure should I use for palm muting?
Light pressure, just enough to damp the strings, so the notes are short and percussive but still pitched. Heavy pressure will choke the strings completely, and the notes will have no pitch, only a thud.
Can I palm mute on acoustic guitar?
Yes. Palm muting works on acoustic guitar too, and it gives a tight, percussive rhythm, although the sound is softer than on electric, because the acoustic has no pickups to amplify the mute.
Should I palm mute with upstrokes too?
Usually not, because the upstroke is harder to mute, as the palm lifts off the strings. Palm muting is mostly used with downstrokes, and the upstrokes are left to ring, or they are muted with the fretting hand instead.