You Need To Do This When Playing 5 String Bass - Muting Techniques

In this lesson we will be discussing the importance of muting unwanted ringing strings when playing 5 string bass.

[@jonniegibbins]

I remember an engineer shouting at me many years ago for not muting - I switched to floating thumb for my right hand and flattened my fingers on my left for the high strings. Small changes but they made a massive difference.

[@afonsodeportugal]

How long did it take you for that to work?

[@dandrumma1]

awesome video, thank you!

[@Heavymetalbass]

I have a 5 string and I use a floating right hand technique that helps with muting.

[@beornthebear.8220]

I use a five string. I had to relearn where E through G were through a lot of practice, but I have that down now. I usually mute the deep strings with my thumb of either hand. I need to take more care in muting the higher strings so they don't start ringing with the energy of the vibrations of the bass; I need to mute them with fingers of my left hand. Droning strings kill the punch.

[@overseer_grimal]

I switched to a 6-string bass and now I can't mute the B string with my left hand at all. Also, the floating thumb doesn't help when playing the first string. The thump mutes the 3,4,5 strings but the B stays open and is much harder to mute. Now I have to rotate the right hand a bit, which changes the technique I got used to

[@ascendedalchemist2551]

I couldn't get my thumb to mute 3 strings at once so I always use it for just the B and E strings. I instead Trained my right hand ring finger to Mute the A string. And the flat left hand came really naturally to me so that's how I mute the D and G strings. I don't have a C string so that's not a problem

[@johnpick8336]

Victor Wooten and others use a Hair Band on the nut of his bass to dampen his strings.

[@sullyb23511]

What model of Warwick is that?

[@johnfichtner1763]

I bought my 1st 5 string and wow, the string noise is huge compared to my 4 string. This is a huge issue for me so I'm going to put it down for a few months until I've got the time to work more on my technique. I've got 60 songs to learn. Once I get them down, I'll bust that puppy out again and work out all that technique as well. I wish I had known this was such an issue before buying a 5 string.