How is Nolly playing this? (Make Total Destroy bass line)

[Hollowway]

So, I wanted to work on some ERB bass lines, and decided that this tune was a good place to start. But, there's this slap/pop part, and I cannot figure out what he's doing where it shows the XXXX on the highest strings. I get that it's a mute note(s), but is it him hitting the strings with his fretting hand? Because in the videos on YT it doesn't look like he's doing anything, really.

 

[MetalDestroyer]

I dunno if it helps but this video is rad

 

[Crungy]

The tab makes it look like a left hand slap but he's not doing that in either video.

Where is that tab/notation from?

 

[Hollowway]

The tab makes it look like a left hand slap but he's not doing that in either video.

Where is that tab/notation from?

Ultimate Guitar. And yeah, that’s what I thought. I could just play it without either of those - and it would be way easier.

 

[Hollowway]

OK, I did some more googling around, and actually found this interview with Nolly, where he says, "In my tab, the dead notes across multiple strings denote a fretting hand slap, while the single dead notes on the low Ab are slaps while the string is being muted by the fretting hand." So I guess, at least in theory, he is hitting the strings with his fretting hand. But it sure doesn't look in the videos that he's actually doing it enough to make a noise.

 

[Masoo2]

It's a bit easier to see the intentional "fretting hand slapping" in this playthrough:

 

[Shawn]

I love his technique. He is also a pretty gifted guitar player.

 

[Lorcan Ward]

Dude is a master of everything. I forgot how unconventional some off the riffs are. There's so many cool layers in that song that cut through more without the vocals. We were so close to getting an instrumental version of this album but a few snide posts about Spencer's vocals on Facebook ruined that.

 

[Hollowway]

It's a bit easier to see the intentional "fretting hand slapping" in this playthrough:

Yeah, it just looked more like muting, but I guess it is just a matter of how loud you want the mute/slap to be.