A lot of bass players never think about this. (Don’t be one of them!)

By Jon Liebman
June 6, 2024

Do you ever record yourself practicing the bass?

I guess a more important question is: Are you brave enough to listen back to the recording?!

There are a lot of times when the music sounds good as a whole, when the whole band is playing. But what would your bass playing sound like if you listened to an isolated track of — just you?

One for the biggest culprits of unwanted sound on a bass track is known as “string-ring,” which is totally preventable if you have good muting techniques. 

When you set out to make your bass playing sound cleaner by implementing these techniques, you may feel a little awkward, at first, as you try to configure your hands and fingers in ways they’re not used to. But, hey, everything feels at least a little unnatural at first. The more diligently you practice your muting techniques and the more time you put into mastering them, the sooner they’ll become second nature.

And you’ll be a much better bass player!

Watch the video below and I’ll show you some things you can do with both your fretting and your plucking hand. They really make a difference!

Give them a try, then leave a comment below and tell me about your experience. Good luck.

Let’s play bass!

Jon