First, rule out the obvious

Assuming you're not wearing baggy sleeves or jewelry touching the strings, and your fret-hand nails are short enough that the fingertip can press the string down without the nail stopping it from reaching the fret, there are two technical things left that mute strings: where you place your finger in the fret, and the angle your finger is on.

Where you place your finger

The best place to press is as close as you can get to the metal of the fret, without being on top of it. On the fretboard, that means as far from the nut, and as close to the fret, as you can be within a given space.

When you're building chords you won't get every finger perfectly lined up against the fret, but closer is better, and here's why…

How to press without pain

The main thing that tires out the fret hand, and stops guitarists from playing as long as they want, going as fast as they want, or playing bar chords, is using too much force.

It's also why so many people ask how to press guitar strings without pain.

Two fixes. First, press closer to the metal of the fret wire. The note is made by pushing the string against that fret, so the closer you are to it, the less force you need.

Second, and this one is overlooked… Posture.

If you sit in a way that lets you engage your back, shoulder, and arm, instead of using just your fingertip, you use your whole body. I've had two students recently get near-instant results from a couple of posture changes, and it makes a difference faster than most people expect.

If you need help with guitar posture, download my free guitar posture guide here:

How to stop touching other strings

Up close, the strings sit very close together, and it's easy to come in at the wrong angle and touch the string below the one you're pressing.

Start simple: get your fingers more on their fingertips. You might not need to overcomplicate it. Sometimes 10 minutes sitting and fiddling with your finger positions fixes it, just because you gave yourself the time and the space.

But you may also want a dexterity exercise. My favorite is a finger-independence warmup from John Petrucci's Rock Discipline. The full exercise is much easier to follow watching hands than reading, so I walk through every step in the video.

One rule: practice it with a relaxed body and hands, or you'll just reinforce tension, which is the last thing we want in our playing.

FAQ

Why do my guitar chords sound muffled or muted? Almost always finger placement or finger angle. Press close to the fret. Not on top of the fret wire, not back near the nut. And come in on your fingertip so you're not leaning on the string below.

How do I press guitar strings without it hurting? Use less force. Press closer to the fret wire so the string needs less pressure, and sit so your back, shoulder and arm support the movement instead of your fingertip alone.

How do I stop touching the other strings when I play chords? Get more on your fingertips. If a specific finger keeps flattening onto the neighbouring string, rotate your forearm toward you like a doorknob to bring it upright.

Why won't my pinky reach the string cleanly? Usually hand position, not the pinky itself. If your forearm isn't rotated in, the pinky can't get onto its fingertip or reach across. The doorknob rotation shown in the video fixes it.