How to Get Rid of the Sound My Guitar Makes When I Lift My Finger Off a String

Your strings will ring whether a guitar is electric or acoustic.

There are three categories of unwanted noise guitars can produce as your finger leaves the fretboard: the normal sound a string makes when left ringing open, feedback from an electric amplifier, or an annoying noise called "fret buzz." Many burgeoning guitarists become frustrated at the inability to harness what comes beyond merely playing a note, but fret not -- these problems are solvable.

Instructions

1. 

   Jimi Hendrix wrapped his thumb around the neck to mute the lower strings.

   Determine if your problem is open strings ringing after strumming open chords. Play a chord, then pull your fretboard fingers directly up and quickly move them to their next destination. Upon arrival, lean the sides of your fingers against any buzzing strings nearby. This should dull the sound. With your other hand, tighten up your strumming so you are not making unnecessary strokes. You should now be playing the chords cleanly.

2. 

   Reggae artists scrape the dulled strings for rhythm.

   Play a few bar chords to see if the problem persists. If so, you can mute popping or ringing open strings with your fretboard hand. Gently place your first finger over the buzzing strings until they stop, not quite squeezing it down against the fretboard. A simple way to solve this problem is by not lifting your fingers from the strings at all after strumming -- simply release the tension in your hand enough to lift the strings off the fretboard, and glide up and down the neck. No open string.

3. 

   Those with smaller hands can mute with their wrists or elbows.

   Use "palm muting" to quickly silence ringing or popping notes and chords. After strumming a chord, flick the wrist of your playing hand toward the strings so the base of the palm mutes all sound. This regularly is used in rock and roll and the blues to play a loud note and quickly silence it mid-ring. If there still is an annoying ring or buzz, the problem is with the equipment.

4. Check the amplifier for feedback. Investigate the control settings; the drive, gain and/or overall volume of the amp may be too high. Adjust them one at a time, doing the main volume first. Turn down the main amp volume and turn up the guitar volume.

5. Note your physical position; do not stand facing the amplifier, or even too close while playing loud. To solve this problem immediately in-action, gently place either hand over your strings and turn the guitar volume down.

6. Replace guitar strings if the problem persists. Fret buzz is a family of mechanical issues all guitarists eventually experience. The problem could be located on the body of the guitar: low action, a loose fret or even one string sitting unevenly in the bridge and nut slots. If the problem persists, take your axe to a trusted, professional guitar mechanic to determine the issue and fix the afflicted part.

Tips & Warnings

• Feedback happens when the strings of your guitar and the pickup/input mic below them vibrate too close to the speaker (the output), effectively re-amplifying the same sound until it reaches an annoying screech.

• Guitar strings often build up with dirt and grease, or even unwind.

• Do not pull the bridge and saddle off a guitar yourself unless you are an experienced technician or willing to sacrifice the guitar to science. Even if the parts seem to be simply screwed on, there often is glue involved.

References

• BL Guitar: How to Reduce Guitar Feedback When You Play
• Scientific American: What Causes Feedback in a Guitar or Microphone
• Learn to Play Rock Guitar: Fret Buzz
• Fret Not Guitar Repair: Fix Fret and String Buzz

Resources

• Guitar String Guide: How Can I Stop My Guitar Strings Buzzing