Hey all,
A quick question. I just started learning This Velvet Glove by RHCP and came upon these rhytm slashes that have a line through them. How do I play these? I’m not finding any useful info online. My guess is just to skip these two strums and let the chord ring out until I switch to the Am. Anyone have an idea?
Thanks!
Robert
I believe you play them as “dead notes” (lifting your fingers so the strings would not ring out while strumming).
Ah, that could be it. I’ll try it out. Thanks! 
Yeah, those are rhythmic hits where you’re muting the strings while striking them, so you’re getting the percussive sound without an actual note or chord.
They are “percussive strums”. Justin shows you how to do them in his lesson on Stuck in the Middle With You by Stealer’s Wheel
Those sound like CHIC CHIC, right? Very effective. Lightly put your fret hand across all strings so nothing rings. This is the same thing you do when working on a strum pattern and don’t want to worry about the chords.
As said, it is muted hits within a funk-influenced 16th note strumming pattern.
It is likely all happening on a barre or mini barre chord not open chords.
In this particular case, I don’t think you lay your hand across all the strings, but rather you release the pressure on the fretted strings, keeping your fingers in place, to mute them. As @Richard_close2u points out, the chords are (probably) not played with open strings, allowing this muting technique.
In general when going for this effect, you will not have time to lay your fingers across the strings, so if open chords are involved, you will likely have to use your strumming hand to mute.
Watched an interesting video lesson re: a BB King technique I hadn’t heard of previously. A “rake” strum - lightly mute all the strings except one note on the high E string. Strum across all strings and let that one note ring out. Not hard to do, but sounds really good.
Ah, yes you are probably right. Good catch!
