String Muting

[bnugia]

I've noticed that simply plucking a bass string will leave the three remaining strings audibly ringing. This is extremely bothersome and absolutely murders the sound at high volumes.

Never having taken bass lessons or learned too much about bass before taking it up, I never knew about the concept of muting the other strings while playing. I read on a site that muting the strings that aren't being played is just as important as playing the notes themselves.

Watching videos of bassists, they seem to make no effort to mute their strings.

I don't ever remember the strings ringing when I first got the bass, but my memory is **** and a horrible source. I don't even trust it. Maybe I wasn't playing loud enough.


I'm considering getting a mute. (http://www.amazon.com/A-Cavallo-Violins-LLC-Ebony/dp/B000PCH7TA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=musical-instruments&qid=1229300665&sr=1-1)


So I guess my final questions are

- do ringing strings plague you/do you mute them? (if so, please provide tips)
- would new strings eliminate ringing?
- do mutes work well?

[RocketStar]

just rest your fingers on the strings you aren't playing. It's pretty simple once you get the hang of it.

New strings will be more "alive", if anything.

I don't know anything about mutes.

[Scruff]

RocketStar is right, just mute the strings with either hand. It's a pretty simple habit to get into and it usually helps with hitting harmonics, too. :)

From what I can tell, that mute just makes the string quieter, as they vibrate less. It will kill your sustain and probably make the instrument sound like hell. I'm no expert, but that's what I figure.

[MassacredHatred]

That mute won't do what you seem to think it will. Don't overthink it. Just play. Eventually you'll start muting the strings you're not plucking without even having to think about it.

[republic]

not allowing excess strings to ring out is a technique you will need to have down at some point and you will, it just might take a little while. a device to help with that is not the answer as your technique will still need to improve regardless. new strings and all that will not help.
you can either mute with your left or right hand. assuming you are right handed you can mute with your left hand by lightly touching the strings you are not playing. if you are fingering the A string, use your fingers to mute the D and G and use your thumb to mute the E.
OR you can mute with your picking hand. many players rest the inside of their right hand (the fleshy part that runs along your pinky to your wrist) right near the bridge. this cuts down on the excess ring.
you will get it down no worries. its just one of those things that every player overcomes at some point. it wont take long!

[bnugia]

Right, so now I'm back.

String muting turned out to be way easier than I thought and actually made playing more fun. Thanks for the help.

The only problem now is I'm concerned about one aspect of my technique.

I use my thumb to mute the E string, like normal, but use just my ring finger to mute both the A and D strings when I play the G string. To play the G string, I make a forward curling motion with my ring finger, which is already muting the A string, so that it touches the D string. I've been told that this isn't the most healthy technique.

This might not be -exactly- how my playing looks since I had to take the picture myself, but is pretty close to it.

http://www.imagenerd.com/uploads/playingd-wSTLa.jpg
http://www.imagenerd.com/uploads/playingg-TZqcl.jpg

The first picture is what I assume to be a normal technique for playing the D string. The second is how I play the G string. Notice the way I have to arc my hand to do this. I assume that's not very good.

Could I get some advice on this? Thanks.

[messy bedroom]

there's no right or wrong way to go about things, just do what is comfortable and as you progress you'll pick up new habits to replace older less advanced techniques and habits.

the great thing about playing guitar is you think you can play bass too.

and then you get a bass and it's not so easy. I'm still terrible at bass but it's a matter of getting by, and getting better.

[bnugia]

there's no right or wrong way to go about things, just do what is comfortable and as you progress you'll pick up new habits to replace older less advanced techniques and habits.

the great thing about playing guitar is you think you can play bass too.

and then you get a bass and it's not so easy. I'm still terrible at bass but it's a matter of getting by, and getting better.
That may be, more so for the guitar than the bass, but I've heard of bassists who played with a bad technique and felt nothing bad from it getting arthritis ten years down the road. I'd just like to be sure that that won't happen to me.