Noise Reduction

[Michael L Wilson]

I’m working through the DeWitt Scott basic C6 book, transposing the tunes and exercises to A6, using Musescore to create standard notation and tablature. At this point I should mention that I’m using bare fingers; I just cannot get accustomed to fingerpicks after many years of bottleneck playing. My question is this: Beyond finger and palm muting what if any technique recommendations do you folks have for minimizing extraneous bar noise when working with double-stop harmony on non-adjacent strings? Try as I might, it gets a little noisy at times. Thanks!…

[Jack Hanson]

Assuming you play right-handed, just be certain to block the strings behind the bar with your left ring and pinky fingers, and practice, practice, practice.

[Rick Aiello]

Good technique will overcome this … as Jack said … practice …

Until then you might want to try a Delrin type bar (polyoxymethylene) … Todd Clinesmith makes them … that really cuts down on string noise.

Powder coated bars are great for reducing noise too and less expensive than copolymer bars … I have several Hillman bars, great guy to deal with …

viewtopic.php?t=270422&hilit=Hillman

Some folks (including JB) use Flatwounds … I like D’Addarrio Chromes … semi flats (SIT - sold on the forum) are a nice blend between flats and round wounds … lots of folks use these …

[Michael L Wilson]

I’d been using a larger Bakelite Nick Manaloff bar, which I really like. Recently, my studies started including reverse slants, which I found easier to control with a concave end on the bar. I have a couple of Broz-o-Phonic bars with a deep concave, but the noise is harder to control. There’s always a trade-off. I’ll be checking out your suggestions—especially “practice, practice, practice”. Thanks…

[Twayn Williams]

My background is classical guitar, so I also don’t get on with standard fingerpicks. Instead I use Propik Fingertones. https://pro-pik.com/collections/finger ... ingerpicks

[Stanislav Paskalev]

I’d been using a larger Bakelite Nick Manaloff bar, which I really like. Recently, my studies started including reverse slants, which I found easier to control with a concave end on the bar. I have a couple of Broz-o-Phonic bars with a deep concave, but the noise is harder to control. There’s always a trade-off. I’ll be checking out your suggestions—especially “practice, practice, practice”. Thanks…

If I may suggest, get a bullet bar and use that. This will allow you to make split spots on the two strings at the same time with the tip and open up new voicing options.

The old Manoloff blade-style bars are nice but cannot do this technique reliably.

[Stephen Cowell]

If you want to mute the string between a split then finger-muting is the only way possible. When I do a slant the middle string is bad-sounding unless I dedicate a finger to muting it, or unless I'm really clean about picking and bar technique.

I'm also of the 'cant stand fingerpicks' persuasion... what I did, after many years of fighting crappy fingernails, is.... go to a salon and spring for one hand's worth of acrylic nails. Cost about 40$, changed my life entirely. They last about 2mos if I stretch 'em, generally one falls off about then, they've grown out about 1/4" by then. they'll use a nail-drill, you'll want one, get one, they're great... get the carbide bit set too, now you have a tiny battery-powered Dremel, I've used mine on steel, plastic, whatever. Regular salon boards just get torn up when working on these things, I play at least an hour a day and I can't wear them down fast enough to keep up with growth. I play with all five fingers btw. I'm using a Rocky Mtn stone bullet bar, bullet bars for me.

[Chase Brady]

Something that hasn't been mentioned: When you place the bar on the strings, the muting fingers of the bar hand should touch the strings slightly ahead of the bar. When picking the bar up, the bar should leave the strings slightly ahead of the muting fingers. This is something I have to remind myself to do. It makes a big difference.

[Rick Rienks]

RE the comment by Chase, regarding the timing between application of the bar fingers and the bar as noise control. It seems I got out of sync with that discipline while working on a sight reading of “Avalon” in Bb. Started in 1st position (open E + m3@6th St.)and found I couldn’t block from behind so I moved to 6th fret Bb with the opening “F” note on the 5th string.

I will now, keeping Chase’s suggestion in mind, try to build in a more accurate muting. Between arthritic picking fingers and an essential tremor in my bar hand, this instrument is my attempt at rehabing my abilities. This site is a great source of insight - thanks to all. R