Palm muting exercises?

I think it's a matter of getting used to playing scales and riffs with your palm resting lightly on the point where the strings come over the bridge/saddles. It's a little awkward but you can get used to it in time; the angle of the hand is different, that's why.

Can you play all the notes without palm-muting?

Are you suggesting I just keep trying on these songs?

To answer you question, I can play the songs decently without palm-muting, but I never practiced these songs before because of the palm-muting. Didn't seem like it is worth practicing if you don't play it properly..

What makes it hard is when I pick my 3 other fingers like to curl up instead of just hang there like most people, so I have to concentrate on them to keep them straight so my palm can rest on the strings...

Have you tried adjusting the way you hold your pic?

If you are playing chords or strings your are fretting, you could just lightly let off the pressure on your fretting hand. That's the way I play Cold Hard B@#*h (by Jet). It works for me.

Just a thought.

You could Try Playing Open E while palm muteing and try to get you'r hand set up just right. If I remember correctly I used to have the same trouble with the other fingers Curling up on me like you mentioned. Try to relaxe the finger's too, dont grip the pick to hard, I still have a problem with this when I play Fast Palm muted Sections of songs. Like the pick is just goin to Jump ship the second I losen up.

Give that a try till you start getting that nice Chugging sound you want. Then Practice it with some Powerchords as well and some Scale stuff. Maybe the the opening to Dead Skin Mask, I dont think its palm muted, but Im sure its
something you know and could relate to as you pract. palm muting notes. Cos I know how boring Scales can be. :x

I'll try all that, but what do you suggest doing with songs that palm mute a few notes than a note in between palm-muting isn't.

For example, look at the master of puppets tab, on the 6th string it has palm-muted open E twice then a regular B then back to two palm-muted open E's.

(I'm sure I know the answer though, slow and careful repitition, but I hate going slow!)

I am pitiful, either I can palm mute the entire thing or not.

Oh well, back to practicing.

i wanted to ask the same question. i have a problem with palm muting. Got a new electric and its fun to see my friends play metal, etc.... ... i can palm mute but I can just downstroke..... upstroke is really hard, and my fingers do curl up and I hit the lower strings with my pinky. I even lost some skin due to my pinky hitting the lower strings, but im getting used to it now. So, how do I actually do both downstrokes and upstrokes without getting my hands off the strings ?

The one I use is When I Come Around by Green Day. It has a pretty simple progression of power chords (G5, A5, E5[root on 5th string], C5[also 5th string] then back around again), so you don't have to focus much on the changes. Then there is a strumming pattern of down-up (2 1/8-notes) then a palm muted down-down (2 1/4-notes), then next chord with same pattern, 3rd chord is down-up then 1 muted down, then last is 1 down (muted).
I may not have that entirely correct, but it gives you a chance to practice repeatedly switching from un-muted to muted on a song you're probably familiar enough with that you'll know when you're getting the right sound. Also, the power chords allow you to worry about just three strings.
Get that down, then you can try it with full bar chords to work on muting all 6 at once (not what Green Day does, but this is an exercise. Right?)

Oh, and on muting on upstrokes, remember to strum from the wrist, not the elbow, this lets you leave the palm on the strings on an upstroke.

With the Palm muted, and then non palm muted parts, like you mentioned in Master of puppets. Its almost like a See-saw Effect.. you just kinda tilt your hand so the palm is up, then tilt so its down when you need to palm mute. Take some getting used to but just keep at it.

Musroc: Yea I cut my pink up really nasty one day, it hurt bad. The e string can get sharp at the right angles :cry:

Muting and Damping is a very important techneque. Try practicing scales and chords using this technique, then move on to thinking up ways to be creative with it.

Joe