# Guitar/Muting and Raking

## Muting

Muting a string is simple: with the fretting hand, touch the string with
a finger, but do not press it down, and strike the string. It is usually
best to do this where a harmonic will not
result, but strings can be muted at harmonics for special effect. In
tablature, muted notes are often marked with an \"x\" instead of a fret
number. It is also common practice to mute a string with the picking
hand after striking a note to create a shortened \"staccato\" effect.
Again touching a string to mute away from harmonic nodes is advised, but
sometimes pulling off into harmonics creates interesting effects.

## Palm muting

![](Palm_mute_by_punkettaro.gif "Palm_mute_by_punkettaro.gif") Palm
muting may or may not make the pitch of the string discernable. Very
lightly rest the palm of the hand on or near the bridge, then fret and
strike strings normally. Palm-muted notes are sometimes notated the same
way as muted notes when the pitch is not discernable; otherwise fret
numbers are given normally and the muted notes are marked \"P.M.\" in
tablature.

### The Palm Muting Technique

The idea is not to mute the strings, but to dampen them, so that the
notes are still clear, but with less sustain. To start, hold your guitar
like you normally would, but let your palm brush against the strings,
near the bridge. Remember to \"let\" the strings brush against your
palm, not putting any force on the strings. The closer to the bridge,
the more forgiving it is. As you get better, try adjusting the amount of
muting by keeping your palm at different distances from the bridge. Very
heavy palm muting can raise the pitch of the note(s), especially on
guitars with a floating tremolo bar system equipped. Using or not using
this effect is at the reader\'s discretion.

## Finger Muting

![](Stoppato_by_punkettaro.gif "Stoppato_by_punkettaro.gif") You can
also mute strings just by pressing your fingers against the strings, but
not so hard that they are fretted and play notes.

## Raking

Raking is not a kind of muting, but a technique for applying it. It is
vaguely related to sweep
picking, but instead of
an arpeggio, the result is usually a single percussive-sounding note.
(However, sweep picking is sometimes incorrectly notated as a rake in
tablature, and sloppy sweep picking may accidentally become a rake.)
Between two and four strings are struck, only one containing the desired
note and the rest muted. Rakes may be notated in various ways; the most
common way is to add muted grace notes, possibly adding the word
\"rake\" to the tablature for clarification.

de:Gitarre: Palm Mute
it:Chitarra/Palm mute e
Stoppato
