Tips on palm muting?

[eyemack]

I've watched vids on this over and over, and I still can't really manage to get the hang of it!
It seems that I can find the correct position near the bridge, but the volume control just gets in the way and it becomes awkward.
If anyone has a good tip on this, please let me know.
Thanks.

[Phrygian]

I don't think there are any shortcuts. Keep practicing. Your fingers should not be near the volume knob.

[eyemack]

Sorry, it wasn't my fingers near the volume control, it's the flat of my right palm!

[JimN]

Just an idea: you could try removing the volume control pot from that position and rewiring the circuit so as to have just one tone control (á la Telecaster or Jaguar) and place the volume control where the first tone control currently is.

A bit drastic? Well, it would be totally reversible...

[eyemack]

Thanks Jim. Interesting idea.
However, obviously, everyone else can manage this without being so drastic! I’m struggling.

[RogerCook]

A few thoughts,
Do the saddle screws stick up significantly? This can make muting uncomfortable so you don't quite get the palm in the right place.
How much of your hand gets in the way of the volume control? How you position the hand will dictate how efficiently you can mute. I sometimes find my muting of the top E string isn't quite as good as it might be, and there are examples of this in some of Hank's playing. I use an Easy Mute arm which helps a little. It allows me enough extra space to curl my little finger out of the way.
I try to get the back edge of my palm laid across the saddles. You'll need to experiment to find how far back or forward from the point where the string crosses the saddle your hand needs to be and how hard down it needs to be. There's a possibility of pushing the trem sharp or flat if your hand is too heavy and not on the neutral axis.

[RogerCook]

I found something I posted on a Facebook group if it helps. https://www.facebook.com/groups/5212105 ... group_link

"A lot of electric guitar players tend to anchor the picking hand either with a finger on the pickguard or the wrist on the body above the bridge. Both these things limit articulation at the wrist and can make consistent palm muting harder as they tend to raise the palm away from the upper strings. The trick (for me at least) is to have my wrist slightly raised above and behind the bridge so I can keep the fleshy part of the palm by my little finger in contact with the top E. I don't always achieve it and Hank didn't either!"

[eyemack]

Thanks Roger, these are useful tips.
Yes, the saddle screws do stick up quite a lot. I seem to be able to do an OK-ish job on my Les Paul copy - with no knobs/screws getting in the way - but of course, it doesn’t sound the same!
I’ll continue trying to work it out.

[chris mcbain]

Hello Iain,
Think most of us of this site have struggled some time with the muting, l suppose the size of your hands and length of the fingers will depend the final resting position
to some degree, i have small hands and find the best for me is i curl my little finger tight up under the volume control then tilt my hand slightly forward towards
the strings it works for me the majority of the time .

Chris.

[Uncle Fiesta]

If you find the saddle screws get in the way you have a choice of either shortening them slightly, or fitting a neck shim.

You don't need fancy tremolo arms by the way - if I can get by with the standard one, anybody can!