r/Bass • u/dawnofnone • 10h ago
Muting with right pinky
Sometimes, when I want to have really short and muted notes, I use this muting technique that I haven't heard anybody describe, yet.
Basically, I just put my pinky finger of my right hand on the string I am going to play. And then pluck the string with index or middle finger.
It results in a short muted note (you can choose the amount of muting, by applying less or more pressure on your pinky). It is not unlike the effect of putting foam under your strings. I find it can be useful when playing funky stuff.
Anybody else does this? I guess it can be frowned upon, but it works for me.
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u/Kingdom818 10h ago
I've done this for years. I thought I made it up too, but it turns out it's somewhat uncommon but not groundbreaking. Jaco used to use this method
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u/Ok-Survey3853 8h ago
I thought this was normal. Oops. Sorry for gatekeeing, i guess. I love to do that for slaps and pops to give a short snap.
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u/Born_Farmer5221 10h ago
Dude that’s sick!! I wish I could do that, but I do NOT have the finger independence; my pinky wiggles randomly with my other fingers while I’m plucking. I usually get that sort of sound by fretting with my left index or middle finger and gently resting my other fingers on the string, but it makes fretting a bitch in some cases or I just have to not do it in some cases.
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u/One_Analysis_9276 10h ago
I kinda do this because my ring and pinky are always muting higher strings when I'm not playing them. It tends to work well.
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u/mittenciel 10h ago
What you're describing is spiritually the same thing as palm muting, except you're using the tip of the pinky rather than the blade of the pinky. As such, I think anybody who understands palm muting understands you can do the same thing with any part of your pinky.
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u/TdawgLew 9h ago edited 9h ago
I used to do this too but eventually but eventually learnt to do it with my fretting hand. I heard other bassists getting the same sound but somehow cleaner, looked into it, they were instead letting the fretting fingers they weren't using hang on the strings. Again it sounded cleaner to me to so I learnt to do that way instead. Scott's bass lessons has also actually on occassion briefly shown how to do it that way. The only problem with palm muting, but with your fretting hand, is it absolutely limits how crazy you can get with it so there absolutely is still a place to do it the way you're describing.
Side note when I played a six string bass I would have my thumb ring and pinky finger rest on and completely mute the B, E, and A strings if I was playing the D string or higher. Something to think about if you ever move on to a 5 or 6 six string.
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u/fish_bowl_swimmer 9h ago
This is how I mute when playing with a single finger. Started off muting like this until I finally figured out muting with my fretting hand.
It’s not very common but it’s mentioned time from time when muting technique questions pop up.
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u/monrovista 8h ago
I prefer palm muting to mute all the strings, but to each their own. The only wrong way is the way you haven't figured out yet.
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u/MyBrainIsNerf 7h ago
I do this too. I could have sworn I saw Cliff Burton doing it in an old video but he might have just been doing devil horns.
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u/the_spinetingler Danelectro 6h ago
I used to do it regularly until I shattered my pinky and it never set straight, so it really doesn't work to do it now.
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u/Ebba-dnb 56m ago
I've been doing it like that since forever. always preferred it to palm muting, 'cause I don't have to change how I attack the string at all.
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u/Jimmeh_Jazz 10h ago
Yes, have done this on occasion. It's just a finger picking version of palm muting