Bass Exercises: Open String Muting

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Open String Muting Exercises

Bass Exercise #1: Fretting Hand Muting

As you descend the strings, use your fretting hand to mute the higher strings. You want to time it so that you simultaneously mute the ringing string as you pluck the next note.

Bass Exercise #2: More Open String Muting

This is the same exercise as the previous one, but as 8th notes.

Bass Exercise #3: Challenge yourself...16ths!

Take your time working up to playing this exercise faster. Remember, you want to play it well first.

Bass Exercise #4: Practice Patterns with Open Strings

Scale and chord patterns are a great way to get used to open strings and muting them. Here is an F major scale to the 9th (the open G) and back. Try other scales and chords you know. Major types on F and Bb work well. Minor type scales and chords on E and A work well.

Bass Exercise #5: Muting Etude 1

This bassline sounds easy, but will really test your open-string muting abilities. Play it slowly and really listen to whether you're muting and getting clean, individual notes. Nothing should overlap.

Bass Exercise #6: Muting Etude 2

Here's another bassline I designed to cause you muting distress. Work it out slowly. Before you know it muting will be a reflex.