How to Palm Mute Fast?

[dgfhgf]

Hi all
I have been trying to increase the speed at at which i palm mute (particularly power chords) but without much success i get stuck at a particular speed and when i try to go faster my hand just stiffens up. can anyone offer suggestions on how to practice so that i can increase my speed?
thanx a lot

ps my immediate goal is to try and reach about 440 times a minute (just that speed not necessarily palm mute for a whole minute!)

[Towelie]

Well, practice playing Metallica's "Battery" which has some fast palm muting. Also "Bullion" and "Mr. Clean" have very fast palm muting. As for the hand stiffing up, do some hand excersizes like bending your wrist and doing the Spok hand thing over and over again.

[mjamer]

the locking up is just your muscles wearing out hehe. Like if you go for a long run, or walk.. how your ankles don't want to bend anymore and you walk stiff legged hehe. Like Towelie said, just shake your hands and go back at it. Don't try to keep playing once they get stiff, that will just make you incorporate bad technique in trying to force it.

I used to have a problem with my pick hand, and still do a bit at higher speeds of not keeping consistant, the pick dipping into the strings and causing me to hang up on it. I practiced doing the usual 1234 permutations (see technique from hell (http://www.cyberfret.com/classic/tech_from_hell.htm)), scales in their different positions and stuff.. the catch though, is that instead of just playing once on each note, I play each note 20 times. That way my pick hand gets a work out not only on consistancy, and muscle building.. but keeping that going across all 6 strings. It also allows you to concentrate on accuracy with your left hand since you're left hand is going rather slow. 2 birds with one stone.. kinda hehe =)

mjamer

[Sandman_96707]

try to have your wrist in a comfortable position while palm muting.