[markigta]

Hi,

Just wondering what the difference is. For example i did an awful sondclick of Flake by Jack Johnson where it was a choppy poppin sound because i kept liftin the barre and then puttin it back on. Should i be muting the chord with my strumming hand instead? The strummin pattern was way out anyway cause i didnt have enough strums or muted strums. Now im confusing myself

Also, when you mute do you continue to strum in whatever beat is, missing the strings on up/downstrokes when required. Confusing off beat strumming etc. Gotta get a little more educated on this stuff.

Hope someone understands that drivel that i just wrote

Thanks

[dadfad]

I have an idea of what you mean (I think). If you're trying to get a percussive sort of beat going as you play, you don't use the chord-release kind of muting you see more in electric, or reggae styles, etc. You can strum (with or without a pick) and at the end of the strum your hand (side of the ball of your palm) will rapidly come down onto the strings at the end of the picked-stroke, which will end the tone abruptly. All done in a sort of fluid motion. It takes a little practice, but not a great deal. The palm will come down close to or even on the bridge/saddle usually. Very percussive sounding, which is what I think you're going for. You can make it even more percussive (extremely percussive) by adding a few other techniques that aren't too difficult with a lttle practice. String-snaps (done by inserting the thumb slightly under a string, usually the 6 or 5) and actually lifting or pulling the string outward instead of a simple downward pick and allowing it to "snap" the note instead of merely sound it. That can be combined (along with the normal strum-mute combo) with a thumb (or the side of the palm if playing strongly enough) pop, where the thumb or palm uses the box-tone almost like a drum-beat as it comes down onto the saddle.

Acoustic can get really percussive if the style tune you're playing calls for it. There are lots of slaps, neck taps, etc (a technique the bluesman Bukka White called "spankin' the baby" where the strings are sounded soley by slapping them near the bridge. Which can be alternated with a rapid slap to the body as well). There are lots of techniques to explore.

The trick to practicing these techniques is to do it all in sequence very slowly, and then gradually increase their speed. They aren't that difficult with practice.

[markigta]

Thanks for the help, it feels a bit strange a first but i think i'll get use to it. Easier without a pick for some reason

Cheers matey.

(helped by dadfad, i am honoured and slightly overawed)