I see a lot of people rest their hand on the top strings when picking or bending? Is this proper?
It’s probably muting things so is good technique but it’s hard to know without actual examples
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Martin
As Rob says difficult to tell without specific examples. As a rule of thumb, strings above the note you are picking or bending should be muted with the palm of the picking hand. Bit like a palm mute but dead not slightly muffled. Strings below mute with fretting hand by laying the fingers flat or flatter.
Hope that helps or you could be talking about something completely different.
Cheers
Toby
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Hey, thanks for the responses, it’s more from Californication [SOLO] Guitar Lesson | Red Hot Chili Peppers - YouTube
at 3:50
That is what Justin is describing, using the pad of the palm in line with ring and pinkie fingers to mute the strings above the one you pick for the bend, which stops them ringing out.
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Yeah I think that’s fairly normal.
Sometimes with the a bend they’ll even rake the deadened lower strings before they hit the string to give it some oomph.
I’m not an amazing player but I’ve played for a while and it’s the kind of thing I do without being aware of it now
Most Blues Rock/Blues players do this as the notes on their own often sound mhew ! If you are fret with middle ring or pinkie you can also lay your index finger down to mute strings above and below the note you are playing. Or mute with the side of the thumb of your picking hand and use middle ring pinkie to mute strings below the note picked. Plenty of options and all need to be practiced.
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I’ve not got that working very well , trying to get a sound like Nick Johnston but its not easy!
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I’m working on this as well. Do you find it changes the angle of the pick? I feel like I’m starting note picking completely over again… 
So I’m working a lot with muting bass notes (top 2 or 3). Problem is, you really have to change the angle of the pick, no? It’s almost like aiming the pick straight down. Feels like I’m starting over, but is a necessity to keep the bass notes from humming until the next time you strike them. Any tips? Arm angle, how many strings you mute, pic angle… etc.
Sorry that reply was over 2 years ago, so need to ask does what change the angle of the pick ? If you mean the muting with the palm not really, as the pick angle is controlled by the thumb and index finger. But you may have to adjust a little and remember the pick should angled across the string anyway and not flat or it will snag the strings.
Hope that helps.
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Unless you’re asking about a different technique. Muting bass strings is usually done with the palm of your picking hand or with the free fingers on the fretting hand. Don’t understand why you’d need to change the angle of your pick.
I find that muting bass notes is dependent on the strings you want ringing. I do not find myself changing pick angles to do this - I’m not sure how that helps as I think about it. Instead, I find that I am using my thumb to mute string 6, usually a finger for string 5 or 4. If I am muting string 4, then I can eliminate sympathetic ringing with a palm on string 6 and maybe 5 if my accuracy is good.
some examples:
Open A → thumb on string 6, just the thumb over the side of the neck is sufficient, possibly flattening my fretting fingers a little for string 1 as well.
Open D → possibly trying to get both strings 5 and 6 lightly under my thumb (my hands are big enough - barely) but also making sure I just don’t hit string 6. String 5 is not a disaster if it rings open. It is possible to change fingering so I have finger 1 available to cover string 5, but I don’t like that - feels awkward. I can also palm mute if the strumming is not too energetic - this takes some practice not to go into string 4 with the mute.
Another option could be using a barre shape and lifting the tip of finger 1. I have tried this, but my barre is pretty slow still to use in a song, so I cannot say much abut this method in practice.
Regarding the pick angle, if you are calling “pick angle” the attack direction, like diving in rather than coming across, then yes, that is part of not hitting the strings you don’t want ringing. I tend to use a diving motion on single string picking for some circumstances. I’m pretty sloppy, but it does keep me from hitting strings I don’t want making sound. “diving in” is NOT a grand dive from high above the guitar, it is a subtle change in starting location that an observer may not notice.
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Duplicate of a question raised here
@Richard_close2u @LievenDV @DavidP can you guys combine these posts please.
Others - I’d suggest replying to the same question in the OP in the link.
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So if I put the palm mute down, I tend to mute too many strings, so I have to over compensate by keeping the palm mute at the top of the strings, then I have to angle the pick in order to play the notes… I guess my form is just a mess… 
What are you trying to play. If you where more specific it would help.
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This the accuracy I was mentioning. I cannot do this if I am moving fast - I tend to mute into string 4. practice this a bit on its own. Place your palm mute and then strum strings 4-1. Do they all ring, or do you need to adjust a bit? Then check string 5. I do it with my strum at the bottom of the motion, having not moved it after the strum. Then try to pick-off string 5. it should be muted.
I short video of your hands and the sound you get can help folks spot problems here.
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No change of the angle for me, it is consistent between playing individual notes and bending. The technique is perfectly summarised in the quoted passage below. Toby mentioned picking as well, not just bending! You still mute all other strings with picking/playing simple individual notes. You are kind of creating mini tunnels where the only string active is the one where you need to play note, all others are muted. When you move physically up and down, the mini tunnel moves up/down.
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