I hate my stupid guitar! (1 Viewer)

[SoCal]

Is it just my guitar or do all guitars have their volume knobs, etc. just below the bridge of the guitar so that when you try and palm mute it gets in the way so that your hand hits the volume knob and changes the volume. It is probably just my stupid cheap guitar.

 

[ur_inner_child]

oh man.

*walks away from thread with her plain acoustic guitar*

 

[Auto Wah]

Is it just my guitar or do all guitars have their volume knobs, etc. just below the bridge of the guitar so that when you try and palm mute it gets in the way so that your hand hits the volume knob and changes the volume. It is probably just my stupid cheap guitar.

were you trying to do open string palm mute or something?

 

[SoCal]

were you trying to do open string palm mute or something?

Umm, I only know one way of palm muting and that is to have the palm of your hand (well the side of your pinkie finger/hand) lying across the strings and then strike the chord/note.

 

[Auto Wah]

you can also mute the string with your fret hand. Kinda like muting a chord, you still play the chord but you're muting it. A lot of punk bands does that. You move your finger on the string but don't press it down and to get the note you have to put your fingers right on top of the fret.

An example, "Small things" blink182

but when you play an xxxxxx muting use the palm of your right hand on the string. I don't see how it can be anywhere near the volume knob

 

[SoCal]

you can also mute the string with your fret hand. Kinda like muting a chord, you still play the chord but you're muting it. A lot of punk bands does that. You move your finger on the string but don't press it down and to get the note you have to put your fingers right on top of the fret.

An example, "Small things" blink182

Oh yeah, I have heard of something like that. So you mean have your finger right on top the fret like you are playing a harmonic?

but when you play an xxxxxx muting use the palm of your right hand on the string. I don't see how it can be anywhere near the volume knob

I will try and find a picture of my guitar so that I can show you what I mean.

 

[SoCal]

OK, I am almost 100% sure that this is my guitar but even if it isn't, it's volume know, etc is positioned in exactly the same position as mine so it serves this purpose.

 

[Auto Wah]

Oh yeah, I have heard of something like that. So you mean have your finger right on top the fret like you are playing a harmonic?

yeah that's exactly what i meant, you can do that and get away with most of the mutes. That's how i play Smells Like Teen Spirite and a handful of other songs. I never realised you could play a note without putting the strings on the fret until the day i got conned from some guy on the internet and got a glass slide.

 

[Auto Wah]

OK, I am almost 100% sure that this is my guitar but even if it isn't, it's volume know, etc is positioned in exactly the same position as mine so it serves this purpose.

if you guitar looks like that i have to say, the body is okay but the volume knobs are ugly when they're aligned. I don't know how i can help you there but you know, that's where volume knobs should be for most guitars anyway, my friend had a fender strat. I have never encountered this problem so i don't have a solution.

But try something cool, put your pinky on the volume knob, try pick and turn the volume knob alternately. If you do that correctly you get an echo sound. Sounds awesome when you play classical.

 

[SoCal]

yeah that's exactly what i meant, you can do that and get away with most of the mutes. That's how i play Smells Like Teen Spirite and a handful of other songs. I never realised you could play a note without putting the strings on the fret until the day i got conned from some guy on the internet and got a glass slide.

I think you can do it without having your fingers right on top of the fret though. Or maybe that plays a completely different chord?

if you guitar looks like that i have to say, the body is okay but the volume knobs are ugly when they're aligned. I don't know how i can help you there but you know, that's where volume knobs should be for most guitars anyway, my friend had a fender strat. I have never encountered this problem so i don't have a solution.

If the knobs look ugly when they are aligned, then you would have thought they could have at least put them further down the guitar to avoid this problem. So most guitars are designed this way, that is weird.

But try something cool, put your pinky on the volume knob, try pick and turn the volume knob alternately. If you do that correctly you get an echo sound. Sounds awesome when you play classical.

OK, I will try it out.

 

[Auto Wah]

I think you can do it without having your fingers right on top of the fret though. Or maybe that plays a completely different chord?

you can do that, but then it'll sound flat but not quite a half step down or anything. you'll understand this a lot better if you have a slide. You know how a lot of string instruments that doesn't have frets all over the neck like Violin or classical Bass. A guitar is kinda like that, but with frets you can only hear notes at certain frequencies. When you're not using the frets and muting it with your "Fretting hand" your fingers becomes the frets. because your fingers are not made out of Brass or copper etc. the string doesn't vibrate a great deal.

When muting fingers = fret. that's why to make sure it doesn't sound flat you put your finger over where the fret should be.

Hope you get the idea.

 

[SoCal]

you can do that, but then it'll sound flat but not quite a half step down or anything. you'll understand this a lot better if you have a slide. You know how a lot of string instruments that doesn't have frets all over the neck like Violin or classical Bass. A guitar is kinda like that, but with frets you can only hear notes at certain frequencies. When you're not using the frets and muting it with your "Fretting hand" your fingers becomes the frets. because your fingers are not made out of Brass or copper etc. the string doesn't vibrate a great deal.

When muting fingers = fret. that's why to make sure it doesn't sound flat you put your finger over where the fret should be.

Hope you get the idea.

Yeah, cool, I get that. Thanks dude.

 

[mcdickpants 2.5]

just move your left hand a bit further away from the bridge

i play a strat and ive never had the problem you're experiencing, but from the look of your diagram you're left hand is stitting right on the bridge. move it a bit closer toward to the middle of the body

 

[mcdickpants 2.5]

also when you palm mute it is probably helpful if you dont rest your pinky on the scratch plate. just tuck it up into your hand

 

[SoCal]

just move your left hand a bit further away from the bridge

i play a strat and ive never had the problem you're experiencing, but from the look of your diagram you're left hand is stitting right on the bridge. move it a bit closer toward to the middle of the body[/QUOTE]

Do you mean right hand? I would have to move my hand past the first pickup (I think it is called) in order to avoid the knob and when you do this it dulls the strings too much and you get a different sound.

also when you palm mute it is probably helpful if you dont rest your pinky on the scratch plate. just tuck it up into your hand

I tried that and it made it worse because my knuckle runs into it. I have been trying to lift my pinkie above the knobs but then I don't mute the 'e' string properly. It is so annoying! Thanks for your help too.

 

[mcdickpants 2.5]

sorry yeah right hand.
okay well your diagram suggests that your pinky is resting between the volume and top tone knobs. try resting it above the volume knob instead.

 

[SoCal]

sorry yeah right hand.
okay well your diagram suggests that your pinky is resting between the volume and top tone knobs. try resting it above the volume knob instead.

Yeah, that is what I have been trying to do but as I said before, if I lift my pinkie above the volume knob it still hits it a bit, but the main problem is that my palm lifts above the bottom 'e' string so that it doesn't mute and rings clear. I think I will just give up on palm muting.

 

[mcdickpants 2.5]

it sounds like you're playing from the arm instead of the wrist.
your hand shouldnt really move at all when you're palm muting. especially not your pinky.

 

[SoCal]

it sounds like you're playing from the arm instead of the wrist.
your hand shouldnt really move at all when you're palm muting. especially not your pinky.

Really? How do you strum then? I would say that that is my problem, because my hand is moving heaps.

 

[mcdickpants 2.5]

like i said, you're always meant to strum with your wrist, not your whole arm.

as crass as the explaination is, try and make a wanking motion with your hand, while keeping your arm still.

its alot harder to explain your problem without being able to see what you're doing.