Strummed 16th notes

Hi all!

I'm trying to get back to guitar and I've been practicing through guitar fundamentals and now Rock level 1.

All the lessons so far I've managed to do easily with just a bit of practice and repetition which has been great. But for some reason I'm now stuck on this one and can't find a way to do it properly!!

Here is the link to it: https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=19994&s_id=1568

I manage to do the strumming pattern easily with the full open chord.

But when I palm mute the first 2 strokes, the strumming movement is no longer fluid, presumably because my hand was "glued" to the strings for the palm mutes. This makes the chord sound too full and the upstrokes robotic. I also have the feeling Anders is muting the high E string on the Em chord but I cannot see how?

This is an issue I struggled before as I've noticed it as well on the Cindy Lauper - girls just want to have fun tutorial - as soon as I try to mute strings for the "scratchy" sound on guitar 2, the strum stops being fluid.

Do you have any suggestions to overcome this?

Thank you!

Carla

Gret question. This is a difficult technique. Don't 'glue' your palm to the strings when you do the downstroke-palm mute. The strumming arm/wrist movement is more important than the palm-mute itself. Don't sacrifice the fluid arm movement for the palm mute sound. As you are strumming, have your palm land on the strings at the same time your pick does. But don't keep it there! It's like a 'bounce,' you bounce your palm off the strings. That way, your hand is free to do the upstroke cleanly. Hope this helps!

Originally Posted by: Shadee92

But when I palm mute the first 2 strokes, the strumming movement is no longer fluid, presumably because my hand was "glued" to the strings for the palm mutes. This makes the chord sound too full and the upstrokes robotic.[/quote][p]You have to tighten your strumming pattern.

When you first start doing that kind of strumming pattern you typically strum from the elbow. And then you can get the momentum or inertia from the wide motion to keep going in time up & down.

But when you have to isolate just one (or a couple of) string at a time you have to considerably tighten your strumming pattern & strum more from the wrist.

Watch Anders at about 3:04 of that video. You will see that his wrist & thus the pick stops shortly after crossing the lower register ("bass") strings. There is no full follow through like when he starts demonstrating the pattern at first. This allows him the ability to land his palm on the strings for the mute & not have to travel so far back up to the strings to strum again.

You will notice that every section of that example he plays 1/8th notes he strums pretty widely & more from the elbow. But when he has to do 1/16th note subdivisions he make a much smaller strum, stops after grazing over the low strings & lands on the strings for the palm mute.

[quote=Shadee92]

I also have the feeling Anders is muting the high E string on the Em chord but I cannot see how?

Hope that helps!

Thank you both, great tips!

That section of the video definitely helped clear things up, and I will give it a try 'bounce' the palm mutes. Never actually thought about it that way :)

Hopefully will get there!

Carla