“We often overlook this humble technique, yet it’s such an important tool for expressive rhythm and lead playing”: Palm muting is an essential guitar technique – but there’s a lot more to it than just chugging. Are you using it to its full potential?

Back in the ’50s, Chet Atkins used palm muting for his walking basslines on the lower strings while upper register chords were left unmuted. This combination of muted/not muted sounded like two guitars playing together. In the same decade, Les Paul used muting for his fast picking lines across all six strings, making his lead phrasing punchy and dynamic.

A few decades later, palm muting evolved further, not least because of the broader guitar tones being used across more genres. From the thick chugging riffs by Metallica and Megadeth to the tight clean funk of Nile Rodgers, we often overlook this humble technique, yet it’s such an important tool for expressive rhythm and lead playing.