accidently playing a string when I let go

Hi,

I've recently started learning to play the guitar.

It's going fine but there's one thing that's bothering me a lot and it doesn't seem like a very common problem as I've tried to search for it on the internet and it also never gets mentioned in the lessons.

Whenever I let go of a string - I accidently play that string.

See video. It's very clear when I let go of the E and A string.

https://streamable.com/7quem9

Are there any exercises to correct this?

Thank you.

EDIT:

Another example:

https://streamable.com/8lhqf2

Could it be the guitar?

So I've gotten to the chords part of the lessons. It's even worse switching between chords:

https://streamable.com/srffap

Very frusrating...

Hi

I think a lot of us had the same thing happen when starting out. It takes a bit of practicing, but try slowly pulling the finger off. Go as slow as you need to so that you begin developing the correct muscle memory and you are not "pulling" the string.

Good luck.

At some point in your guitar instruction this is actually gonna come in handy. What your doing is very close to whats called a "pulloff". A technique lead guitar players and fingerstylists use. If you have callouses on your fingertips, which I doubt if you just started it happens accidentally as the dry flesh gets caught on the string. Sometimes it could also be a fingernail getting caught there as well. As stated previously go slow and try to concentrate on lifting finger directly off instead of dragging it off. Also don't press too hard down on the string another common beginner habit we all did. As you lift off from that pressure the string will resonate.

Nothing to worry about right now. Your fingers are learning new positions. Keep at it.

Hey & welcome to GT!

Originally Posted by: jongjtjt

Whenever I let go of a string - I accidently play that string.

Effective muting technique will fix this. Use your picking/strumming hand palm to mute any & all strings that you don't want to ring. Use your fretting hand to mute also. When you are done fretting a string don't pull your fingers away from the strings. Continue to make slight contact with the strings. Just release enough pressure to stop the string from ringing. Keep enough pressure on the strings to stop them from making unwanted sound.

Also, remember if you are a beginner, then you are doing great just to get some notes fretted, picked & sounding good! Muting is another layer of technique to add in once you get the basics mechanics of fretting notes. Guitar is a constant process of refinement. Your scale in that video sounds good for a beginner. You just need to add muting to clean up the unwanted sound!

This tutorial covers fretting & strumming hand muting. In particular have a look at the beginner level tips.

https://www.guitartricks.com/tutorial.php?input=2281

I also cover basic right & left hand technique involving muting in this series of lessons.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=10657&s_id=359

Hope this helps. Please ask more if necessary & best of success!

Hey jongjtjt,

It sounds to me like you might actually be plucking the string a second time, maybe with your thumb. Is that's what I am hearing? What's your right hand doing? If you want to upload a video that includes your right hand, we might be able to see better and diagnose.

-Carl.

Hi guys,

First of all, thank you for all the advice.

@WIlliam,

I've tried this in many ways. Slower, faster, different angles. I just have no control over when it happens or not.

@mjgodin

That may be it. I've seen multiple people mention this. Although even when I press it less hard it can still happen.

@Christopher

Thank you for the videos. I'll check them out!

@Carl

No I don't think this is it. The sound comes from when I let go of the fret. But I'll try to pay attention to my right hand.

Thanks again guys. Although it's hard (and painful), learning guitar has been a very satisfying journey.

So I've gotten to the chords part of the lessons. It's even worse switching between chords:

https://streamable.com/srffap

Very frustrating...

Originally Posted by: jongjtjt

So I've gotten to the chords part of the lessons. It's even worse switching between chords:

https://streamable.com/srffap

Very frustrating...

This is entirely due to a lack of muting. Please watch this video aimed at teaching beginners the importance of muting.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=11062&s_id=433

I'll check it out, thanks! :)

Could you also please confirm that this isn't weird:

https://streamable.com/8lhqf2

When I let go of the strings they all play. I just press down and lift my finger.

EDIT: the muting tutorial makes a lot of sense!

Originally Posted by: ChristopherSchlegel

Originally Posted by: jongjtjt

So I've gotten to the chords part of the lessons. It's even worse switching between chords:

https://streamable.com/srffap

Very frustrating...

This is entirely due to a lack of muting. Please watch this video aimed at teaching beginners the importance of muting.

https://www.guitartricks.com/lesson.php?input=11062&s_id=433

Originally Posted by: jongjtjt

Hi,

I've recently started learning to play the guitar.

It's going fine but there's one thing that's bothering me a lot and it doesn't seem like a very common problem as I've tried to search for it on the internet and it also never gets mentioned in the lessons.

Whenever I let go of a string - I accidently play that string.

See video. It's very clear when I let go of the E and A string.

https://streamable.com/7quem9

Are there any exercises to correct this?

Thank you.

EDIT:

Another example:

https://streamable.com/8lhqf2

Could it be the guitar?

So I've gotten to the chords part of the lessons. It's even worse switching between chords:

https://streamable.com/srffap

Very frusrating...

Looking at the videos, 2 things come to mind (to some degree, my own spin on what others have already said). See if it helps to fret and then lift finger vertically. For at least some of the notes, it looked like the string might be bending horizontally, across the fretboard a bit which may promote the string bouncing back into position when you lift off (and then therefore sounding the open note).

Also, and maybe more importantly, don't launch your finger off the string. You want to lift your finger off the fretboard while maintaining contact with the string...before releasing entirely. You release entirely after the string is back in it's neutral position. It looked to me that perhaps you are lifting your finger off so quickly that the string may be springing back into position and beyond, and then continuing to resonate from that movement (now sounding the open note). To see what I mean, fret a string and just hold it down for a moment, then lift finger off the string quickly (more quickly than the string springs back) and you will hear it sound the open note. Then, play the scale but put more space in between the notes so that you can very deliberately make sure you aren't lifting off the string until it is back in it's neutral position. Then lift off, before playing the next note. That might help illustrate what I mean...and then you can speed it up. That becomes natural very quickly. Anyway, not sure if that is what the issue is, or if it will help but those are a couple of thoughts.

Dave

Hey jongjtjt,

I can see what is happening. Your played notes are too soft.

You're also pulling off the strings too hard. Try to keep your fingers closer to the strings. There shouldn't be a ton of motion when you're lifting off. And when you do lift off to stop a note, don't pull your finger all the way off the string. Only lift your finger enough to stop the note from ringing, but keep your finger on it.

And play your notes harder. Those two things will help!

-Carl.

Originally Posted by: jongjtjt

Could you also please confirm that this isn't weird:

https://streamable.com/8lhqf2[/quote][p]That is a totally normal result of the 2 technique problems in that video. Carl mentioned them both.

1. You aren't picking/strumming the string of each note that you play to make it really ring out & sound the way the guitar is designed to be played.

2. You aren't muting each open string when lifting your finger off of it. You can either mute with your fretting hand (don't pull your finger off the string completely), or your picking hand palm.

When you combine both of those problems the result is that the fretted notes are very quiet (because you aren't picking them) relative to the open strings that ring (because you aren't muting them).

[quote=jongjtjt]When I let go of the strings they all play. I just press down and lift my finger.

Yes, that happens when you don't mute them. :)

To Chris' reply, here's a video by Rick Beato on what he terms as the most important guitar technique. As you improve, becoming natural with the various ways of muting is a very important skill. Some folks take to it more naturally than others but you want to be mindful of ways that you stop unwanted string ringing. Some of it is making sure that you only strum what you need and others are the various muting techniques.

Don't freak out that you have another skill to learn, eventually that muting thing comes along by using the thoughts of Rick and the stuff Chris said.

Thanks a lot guys! I'll keep all those things in mind.