Slap bass in 500 words or less

henny · Post by **henny** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:07 pm

LOL, Ronn.

Hmmm.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:28 pm

slapping good ... flatwound strings bad ...

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:31 pm

I once saw a band that in the middle of a song kinda went "oh ok its bass time!!!!!" and the bassist did a 4 bar slap solo that had nothing in common with the song

to me that sums up slap!

(*****

)

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon May 09, 2005 12:47 pm

Actually the guys like Chuck Rainey and Larry Graham whom I believe used flatwounds had a much better slap tone than the RW wacka wackas which thankfully has pretty much gone out of style except for solists.
I think Flea epitomized the modern tinny sounding wacka wacka guys and even he has turned away from it pretty much from what I have heard lately on the radio.

bottom4 · Post by **bottom4** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:03 pm

Kevin - go to lesson 1 here:
http://www.victorwooten.com/

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:13 pm

... basically it is like hitting the bass strings like a piano felt hammer hits the piano strings ...

See I told you RW's were for piano players.

edski · Post by **edski** » Mon May 09, 2005 1:22 pm

How'd this get to be another flats vs rounds argument?

Any slapping I do is unintentional...but there is a percussive aspect to my playing. It's just when I try to do it consiosly it sounds "forced". As Jeff Rath says, "practice, practice, practice".

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 09, 2005 2:30 pm

Hey guys ... I'm the guy who used to say "The reason God gave you a thumb was to hold a pick!!" ... I used to HATE thumb slapping ... because I couldn't do it well ... then I expanded my horizons ... I am not a Flea type slapper ... some slappers use a scooped out eq ... big bottom and dinky highs ... but I go for more of a John Wetton sound when I slap ... the typwriter method that Entwistle used is a little like thumb slapping ...

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Mon May 09, 2005 3:19 pm

I played my bass with a roast beef submarine sandwich once...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 09, 2005 3:27 pm

I have used drum sticks and pennies ...

dean712 · Post by **dean712** » Mon May 09, 2005 3:56 pm

If you are looking for a good instructional on bass slapping, Ed Friedland has a DVD out called "Slap Bass" (if I remember correctly) that is extremely well done.

I personally don't do it much - it's not my forte and it certainly doesn't fit into anything my band is currently doing.

I like slap bass only in very limited quantites. My favorite guy for that is Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire, but he only slaps very occasionally, and only as an accent.

I am with Bob 100% on the bass slapping becoming a "nervous tic" for some players. It's like they're trying to cover up for bad time or something. Tinny tone is never good either.

Try it and see if you like it. It might be a nice accent on your style.

bassduke49 · Post by **bassduke49** » Mon May 09, 2005 5:48 pm

The slap bass disease is called:

Wait for it:

Slap Apnea

Buhdump bump! Bink! (The sound of a G string being popped).

Actually, I like snap/pop/slap whatever you call it, and wish I could get the hang of it in the classic style. I guess I'm just too ham-fisted. More practice, yes. Some tunes with classy slap in my collection are Louis Johnson playing on Quincy Jones' "The Dude" album, Michael Porcaro on "Can You Hear What I'm Saying" by Toto, and the guy who played bass for Robert Randolph on "I Need More Love" on Austin City Limits last year. Wooh!

dean712 · Post by **dean712** » Mon May 09, 2005 6:16 pm

"September" - Earth, Wind & Fire

Yes!!

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:52 pm

On my '98 4003 the PU position and sound is great for slapping, I just love the "twang and pang"! But I have some problems getting used to my new 4004 Laredo as the PU position is too close to the neck.

\ So I'm looking for another 4004 with the "old" PU position. Anybody interested in a "Laredo-Swap"???

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Tue May 10, 2005 2:52 am

Thanks for the help. You guys crack me up!

Trust me, this will not become my style. Just want to open up some possibilities.
I was messing around with my Jazz Bass last night, but my thumb isn't very smart. I might as well be playing with my big toe.

I do some hammering with my fingers now, as described by Jeff. Maybe I'll just try to expand on that.