A little tab help

[evil^milk]

hey guys, i'm still a bit of a noob playing the guitar, and i was wondering if you all could help me understand some of the things in this tab.

http://www.mxtabs.net/tab_versions.php?path=Guitar,b,4722,Box+Car+Racer,Watch+The+World,44587

^	=	accented downstroke
v	=	accented upstroke
~	=	let ring	
X	=	muffle string

Intro(2X)
e|-^-----v-----^---------------------------|
B|-you can play this string open if you want a fuller sound
G|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4/6-6-----------|
D|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-----------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/4-4-----------|
E|-4-----4-----4---------------------------|

e|-[B]^[/B]-----v-----^---------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------|
G|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4/6-6-----------|
D|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-----------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/4-4-----------|
E|-2-----2-----2---------------------------|

e|-^-----v-----^---------------------------|
B|-----------------------------------------|
G|-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4-4/6-6-----------|
D|-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-----------|
A|-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/4-4-----------|
E|-0-----0-----0---------------------------|

1. muffling. In the intro, the guy is playing octaves and a note above (for now let's disregard the note above [the thick "e" string.]). Where it says "X," I assume you have to mute the sound in order for the octave to be heard right. How do you muffle the "D" string, though? do you just press the 2nd fret on the A string and part of your finger covers the "D" string so that it's being muffled, and you do a downstroke so that the 4th fret on G is heard also?

2. downstrokes and upstrokes. just, wtf? lol. I don't get these, at all. especially in the intro, are you supposed to play anything on the 2nd fret of the thin E string? because, well, I have actually no idea what the little ^ is supposed to mean.

i think that's it for now.

 

[Adrien C]

How I learned it is that, with the finger pressing the G string, you slitly bend it down until you touch the D string and it will muffle it.

 

[evil^milk]

that pretty much works, thanks

 

[Adrien C]

No problem man