[Trespass]

1) Right well, I have a poor muting technique. (Muting strings I don't want to be heard)

Tube amps kick my ass with how responsive they are, but with passive pups and low volume level/not a lot of gain (I don't play very loud) and I can control it. I recently started playing with some Dimarzios, and am getting a great distorted fusiony sound out of stilleto at a gainier than what I'm used to sound.

Really, there is nothing confidence destroying like playing through some Malmsteen lines and having all this extra noise. I pick fist style, and fret with thumb on back/classical style. Thoughts on controlling hi-gain/volume tube amps you are all so fond of?


2) Also, my 8 string tap muting seems to be better than my normal muting technique (especially with Building the Church style tapping), but this is because I can't find a decent hairband (and I want hairband, not hte MAB dampener) that would work.

3) Lastly, when I get the 8 I'm designing and getting specs down for before I order (money is also an issue ), I'm thinking of using these tennis string dampeners


Wilson Shock Trap

On strings I don't want to play at all during a song (for example, and drop D, or drop A song) where you throw yourself at a song. This really isn't a question, but I threw it in for you guys to mock my poor technique, (8 strings is going to be worse). Well Fredrik does it

Just tie a sock around the nut,

[Trespass]

Originally Posted by Desecrated

Just tie a sock around the nut,

Oh yeah, the problem is not the muting but changing from muting to not muting on the fly. I had a sponge from a mop I cut and tie it with shoe laces (same kind of spone like the Batio dampener). It works, but its not on the fly change fast enough of it (think like how Greg Howe uses one)

[Durero]

The tennis dampers look really interesting - might check them out myself for touch-style playing.

For single-note leads and riffs I damp all the string which are higher pitched than the one I'm playing with my index finger - looks like I'm barring but I'm just damping.

I damp the strings which are lower pitched than the one I'm playing with the side of my thumb all the way along to where the tip of the pick protrudes a little. So I'm actually rubbing the lower strings a tiny bit as I play.

[Leec]

This might sound flippant, so forgive this if you've already been down this road, but just slow down and practice. Pick exercises that typify the type of phrases where you're getting a lot of unwanted noise, and practice them with a decent amount of gain (i.e the sort of sound you'd like to use but hitherto are unable to due to exessive noise) slowly, watching and moving your fretting and picking hands carefully, see where the noise is coming from.
Try to correct the problem, and speed up.

I used to make a lot of unwanted noise with my alt picking because I had sloppy technique. Once I got into Rock Discipline and took things slowly, got proper technique down, it stopped and I was able to progress without the problem of noise.

Like I said, you may have already exhausted this approach and simply can't fix it alone, in which case, getting some help with a good teacher who can actually see what you're doing might be best . It just seems a little daft to persist with the problem of making noise and then try to invent a mechanical solution to that. Try to treat the cause, not the symptom. Ockham's razor, man!

Originally Posted by Trespass

Oh yeah, the problem is not the muting but changing from muting to not muting on the fly. I had a sponge from a mop I cut and tie it with shoe laces (same kind of spone like the Batio dampener). It works, but its not on the fly change fast enough of it (think like how Greg Howe uses one)

I can roll my sock back pretty fast and go un-muted,

[Trespass]

Originally Posted by Desecrated

I can roll my sock back pretty fast and go un-muted,

I'm not that amazing

Originally Posted by Trespass

I'm not that amazing

Yes you are!

[chavhunter]

For 8-finger tapping pieces if Im feeling lazy I sometimes put a bandana through a sweatband and tie it round the nut. But its much better for you to develop better technique, as already mentioned. Of course noise gates help but they can cut your notes off early, especially if playing clean.

[Celiak]

Originally Posted by Desecrated

Just tie a sock around the nut,

That's what she said.