Guitar String Damping Adds to Rhythm Playing

Learning about guitar string damping can really add and extra something special to your playing.

Guitar damping is when you deaden the strings either before or while you are playing them. The sound a muted string makes when played is nearly percussive and damping is a great way of giving your songs rhythm and drive.

If you’re really advanced try combining damping with pinch harmonics for maximum effect.

There are two types of damping – right hand damping and left hand damping. Whether you’re a lead guitarist or a rhythm player you’re going to have to get your head around damping sooner rather than later.

Right Hand Guitar Damping Technique

Right hand damping is a great technique especially for acoustic guitarists. The hollow body of the acoustic guitar lets the notes sound fully, albeit with a muted tone.

Using either the edge of your hand or the heal of you hand is acceptable for right hand damping.

Left Hand Guitar Damping Technique

Left hand damping is slightly more complex than the right hand kind. It’s a matter of precision and using the fingertips or edges to damp and mute some strings while others sound cleanly.

A useful, great sounding and very easy version of left hand damping can be played using barre chords. Simply lift your barre finger slightly while strumming so it mutes the strings.

With just a little effort guitar string damping can become second nature. In fact most guitarists never even learn about guitar damping – they simply pick it up as they go along.

Get your 3 FREE E-books on Learning guitar chords ($27 value), learning guitar scales ($27) and learning guitar tab ($17) at learn guitar