Theory
Today you learn the most addictive sound on the electric guitar — palm muting. Rest the edge of your right hand lightly just above the bridge (where the strings meet the body) and strike, and the note doesn't ring out long as "boooom" — it comes out short and pressed, "chuck, chuck." This low, growling, engine-like sound is called a "chug." Today's goal is to get this one growl into your hand.
Position is everything. Rest the hand edge too far forward (toward the neck) and the sound dies completely; slip too far back and the mute doesn't grab. Find right above the bridge, the spot where the strings are just barely dampened, by feel in your fingertips. It's fine if it sounds stuffy at first — add a little gain (drive) at the amp and that stuffiness turns into a heavy groove. So don't be let down by the stuffy sound right now; just calmly settle the hand-edge position first.
The right hand still stays relaxed. The hand edge only rests; the sound comes from the small back-and-forth of the wrist. Today's goal is to chug the open 6th string steadily in palm-muted eighth notes. Pressing out the same "chuck, chuck" thickness every time is the win. This one chug is the backbone of riffs like "Seven Nation Army" and "Come As You Are." Get this sound into your hand today, and you're ready to play a real riff tomorrow.
See it
First chug just the open 6th string, then once it's comfortable, drop in the 3rd fret to plant the seed of a riff.
Example 1 — palm-muted chug on the 6th string. Eight open E's in eighth notes. All palm-muted, growling low.
▶ BPM 70, all palm-muted. Listen for the short, clipped "chuck, chuck" and the low rumble. Check by ear that all eight are the same thickness.
Example 2 — dropping a b3 into the chug. Tuck the 3rd fret (b3) in between the open E's. It's the first motif of tomorrow's riff.
▶ BPM 70. Tuck the 3rd fret (b3) between the chugs. Keep the growl steady even at the instant you fret the 3rd fret.
Today's practice
0–7 min · Warm-up Repeat yesterday's string crossing lightly at BPM 60 to loosen the hands. Start by relaxing the right hand.
7–17 min · Today's skill Rest the hand edge just above the bridge and play Example 1 slowly. Shift the hand-edge position back and forth a little to find the heaviest spot.
17–27 min · Applying it Repeat Example 2 (chug + b3) four times at BPM 70 → once the sound is even, raise it one step. Keep the chug steady even at the instant you fret the 3rd fret.
27–30 min · Check Write down the BPM, and record 30 seconds to hear whether the palm mute presses out at the same thickness every time.
Done when: you can chug the open-6th-string palm-muted eighth-note groove at 70 at an even thickness.
- Hand edge too far forward. Move toward the neck and the sound dies completely. Find it right above the bridge.
- Pressing the hand edge down hard. Press hard and the pitch disappears. Just rest it lightly.
- Tensing the right hand. Palm muting doesn't mean striking hard. The small back-and-forth of the wrist is enough.
- Worrying about a stuffy sound. It's normal to sound stuffy on a clean tone. Add a little gain and it turns heavy.