Really easy chord question for one of you pros...

Mute it with the finger right next to it. Have the finger on the second fret just graze the string below so that when you strum the muted string doesn't ring out clearly like the others.

WhiteMaleRat wrote:

I never really understood muting out strings. why bother?

so they don't ring

dunkman1974 wrote:

Thanks for asking this question as I have wonderde for ages also... didn't want to appear stoopid for asking it.... so I waited until somebody else asked first

Always ask. We all started out 'once, upon a time!' :-) as well. You never learn unless you ask.

:-)

WhiteMaleRat wrote:

I never really understood muting out strings. why bother?

Because the muted string is not in the same key as the rest of the notes in the chord you are playing.

For instance:

3x3333

is:

G x F A# D G

The G major scale is:

G A B C D E F# (G)

So what you are playing is a Gm7. 7th chords are weird. A major 7th chord plays the 7th note in the major scale, whereas a 7th or minor 7th chord actually plays a flattened 7th note (in this case the F instead of the F#). Don't forget, a minor has a flattened 3rd.

So that x'd out note if you were to play it open would be an "A", or if you were to just barre i be a "C". Now, both of those are techincally in the key of G. But neither are in a Gm7 which had G A# D and F. You're be adding in a 9th or 11th (or 2nd and 4th depending on how you look at it), and that will throw the chord off. Thus by muting it you keep the Gm7 intact.