Jam Track: Basic Palm Muting

Palm muting is one of the defining sounds of electric guitar rhythm playing. The difference between a generic strummed power chord and a tight, punchy rock riff often comes down entirely to this technique. This lesson introduces the basics — how to apply the mute, when to lift it, and how the interplay between muted and open notes creates the signature rock rhythm feel.

What You'll Learn

•       How to apply palm muting with the picking hand

•       The difference between muted and open strokes and how to combine them

•       A power chord riff across A, D and E with a classic rock rhythm

•       How the 'push' — an early beat one — creates urgency in rock rhythm

•       How to practise muting in isolation before adding it to a full riff

What Palm Muting Is

Palm muting is done by resting the side of the picking hand lightly on the strings just behind the bridge saddles. Too far back and you get a clean tone, too far forward and you kill the note entirely — the sweet spot gives you that thick, chunky sound. It's a small, subtle adjustment but the effect on your tone is huge.

Muted and Open Notes Together

The riff in this lesson alternates between palm-muted notes and open, ringing power chords. The pattern — short, short, short, long — gives the rhythm its character. The 'push' is the open chord that lands just before beat one, creating that sense of forward momentum that defines so much great rock and roll rhythm guitar.

Practising the Technique

If the full riff feels difficult at first, start by just applying the mute consistently to one chord before adding the movement. The physical motion is a slight rotation of the wrist — think of making a 'maybe' gesture with your hand. Once that motion feels natural, incorporating the open strokes and the chord changes becomes much more manageable.