Blues in A (12 bars) — muted strums
The A7, D7, E7 progression played with the picking hand's palm resting on the strings right in front of the bridge: a short, percussive sound instead of a chord ringing out fully.
Tips
Ease off the palm pressure to dial in the muting: press too hard and no pitch comes through at all.
Understanding this type of exercise
A muted blues
The same grid played with the palm resting on the strings just in front of the bridge: each chord sounds short and percussive instead of ringing fully. It's palm muting applied to a chord strum.
Practical tips and common mistakes
- Palm pressure controls the note length: too much and nothing sounds; too little and it sounds normal.
- Keep the palm resting continuously, don't lift it between strums.
- It's a verse sound — contrast it with a chorus played on open strings, unmuted.
Chord progression — A
Bar 1
A7
I
Bar 2
A7
I
Bar 3
A7
I
Bar 4
A7
I
Bar 5
D7
IV
Bar 6
D7
IV
Bar 7
A7
I
Bar 8
A7
I
Bar 9
E7
V
Bar 10
D7
IV
Bar 11
A7
I
Bar 12
E7
V
Chords
The same exercise in other keys
Related sheets
- Blues in A (12 bars) — fingerstyle (Level 3)
- Three-note rolling lick riff — B minor (Level 3)
- C minor pentatonic scale — position 1 (Level 3)