How to Play Clean With Distortion, Without Extra Noise
Distortion makes a guitar louder and more aggressive, but it comes with a tradeoff - it amplifies unwanted noise from unmuted strings just as honestly as it amplifies the signal you actually want. What went unnoticed on a clean tone is immediately audible with distortion.
Why distortion doesn't forgive mistakes
A clean electric tone (no effects) sounds quieter and softer - a stray overtone from a neighboring string easily gets lost in the overall sound. Distortion raises the signal level enough that even a faint vibration from an unmuted string becomes an audibly separate hum or feedback squeal.
The main noise source: unmuted strings
Most of the 'mud' under distortion isn't wrong notes - it's strings that aren't part of the current note or chord but keep resonating from the vibration of other strings or the guitar body. Those are exactly what needs muting with both hands at once (see the dedicated article on muting technique).
Start learning new material on a clean tone
A new riff or drill is worth working out on a clean tone first, with no distortion - on a clean sound, any unclean note or stray overtone is far more obvious than under distortion, which masks a lot. Only once the material sounds clean without effects does it make sense to add distortion.
Gain level is a tool too, not a constant
The higher the gain (amount of distortion), the smaller the margin for error in muting strings - at moderate distortion, extra noise is forgiven noticeably more than at maximum gain. When drilling a new technique, it's reasonable to temporarily lower the gain rather than fight the most demanding tone right away.
Feedback isn't always the enemy
The squeal or hum from unmuted strings resonating near a loud amp is the same phenomenon used, in controlled form, as a technique (sustain through feedback). The difference between 'noise' and 'technique' is exactly control: random feedback during a pause between phrases gets in the way, while the same effect triggered deliberately on a held note sounds musical.
Try it in practice
Open chord trainer