Fast Note Muting

[trenken]

Right around Power Windows was when Geddy Lee from Rush started perfecting this technique. I especially love the way he executes it on Territories, primarily because he does it very quickly.

But can someone please give a down and dirty explanation of how to do this technique?

[scourge]

I believe he's ghost noting. Kinda like slapping ghost notes by muting the string with your fretting hand, but still plucking.
It's been a while since I've listened to Power Windows, so I'm not exactly sure what you mean, but I actually use the technique occasionally. I also tend to "flick" my index finger back and forth across the string while muting with my left hand to get the same effect. I believe Geddy does this sometimes to get that "chugging" sound.

[Baryonyx]

Yes, also, make use of the left hand in muting notes. I'm not concered with doing it like geddy does so long as it sounds good. If you can get it to sound right doing it a different way to "how" it is done, then more power to you.

But I'll listen to Territories after I finish listening to Counterparts and get back to you.

[trenken]

I've heard many bassists do it obviously, but he does it as clean and as fast as pretty much anyone out there. I definitely don't consider Geddy the best bassist out there. Plenty of guys that smoke him. But Territories is the best example I can come up with since its very easy to hear. I realized you can hear it even better right at the end of the song. Hardly any music going on.

[trenken]

I've finally got the really fast note muting figured out. I kind of already knew how to do it, but I spent some time working on it and its much tighter now. Its definitely what's called note muting, and its done with both the pluck and fret hands. I thought for a while it was just the fretting hand but that's not the case. You do have to pluck a little differently for it to sound right.