Slap bass in 500 words or less

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:09 am

I have never found any neck pickup position to help or hinder slapping ... the only possible problem is if you have the pickup too high and you hit it with the strings ...

hieronymous · Post by **hieronymous** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:27 am

or with the roast beef sub...

beatlefan · Post by **beatlefan** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:37 am

..hammering with the first two fingers is fun....but as far as thumb slapping??? Well, to each his own....

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Tue May 10, 2005 4:03 am

Jeff, I do not have the problem with the thumb slapping on the first fret, but for the first two fingers pulling on the high strings is a bit of a problem, as it is done exactly from the side where the PU-cover right end is...

...just the little differnce with the 4003 position is of a big help...

Specially the nice, crispy sound of my Laredo for the high strings pull, together with the very deep low end of the thumb slapp makes the sound of the 4004 just wonderful...

Forget about the J-Bass slapping, in comaprison to my Laredo it sounds just like a blocked nose (pang, pang, pang,...) only percussive.

...but the Laredo has THE TWANG AND GROWL!!!

Could you do me favour and ask alround at the confluence if there is somebody for a "LAREDO-SWAP"?

gareth · Post by **gareth** » Tue May 10, 2005 4:41 am

I've used slap rarely, but I do use it for accents and punches on the bass drum from time to time. If you incorporate it into a pick run, it's really percussive and dynamic.

I managed to develop a style over the year where I roll the pick into my palm for the slap and back out again for the run. I used to lose a lot of picks before I got that down !

Having said that, the Rick has a really nice slap to it. I do the hit around the first fret. The caveat with the 4001 and the 4003 is that you have to be hard enough to get the sound, but not hard enough to hit the pickup, unless producing a sound like a gunshot is your aim. Accuracy is good too, as the string spacing is a little close.

Best bass I ever used for slap though was my Wal. It growled like no other bass when you had all the EQs active on it and the 10db cut powered up on it.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue May 10, 2005 4:51 am

Peter ... I love that Fireglo Laredo ... that would make a great 5 string bass ... I still don't understand why the position of the neck pick would effect slapping or any other kind of playing ...

squirebass · Post by **squirebass** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:36 am

I used to slap quite a lot with my v63, even with the horseshoes on. It wasn't a problem once I'd practiced with it for a few days. I think it is just a matter of getting used to a particular bass...

heinpete · Post by **heinpete** » Tue May 10, 2005 6:58 am

Hi Gene,
...that's what I'm doing: Getting used to the Laredo. It's worth it, soundwise.

Jeff,
...it's only the string-pull-off-position with the first two fingers of my right hand. The PU's right cover side (behind the G-string) is in the way of my fingertips(-nails). It is just there, where in the 4003 the comfortable gap is betweeen the end of the neck and the PU. If I move my hand further down to get the free area below the neck PU, then my thumb is too short to reach the 20th fret to slapp on. But I do not consider my thumb as being too short...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue May 10, 2005 7:14 am

so it is not slapping ... it is for popping that you need the space at the base of the neck ... so like I said for slapping the neck pickup position is not a problem ... I very rarely pop ... but I do slap ... and I also slap back by the bridge ... I like the tone and feel better ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Tue May 10, 2005 3:35 pm

I slap on an upright and it is actually slapping: you pull the string straight up, let it hit the neck and the slap it straight down into the neck, that's that percussive sound you hear in old blues and rock a billy records that sounds like a drummer. You can do single, double, or triple slaps. It is not an easy style to learn, it's a very rhythmic thing, is almost like playing bass and drums at the same time. It's really a cool sound and sounds nothing like wacking the frets on an electric with your thumb which I have been known to do occasionally.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue May 10, 2005 4:33 pm

those old stand up basses are cool ... and they require some work to play ...

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Wed May 11, 2005 1:32 am

I cannot get this slapping thing, it sounds revolting on anything other than an original 70's/80's soul/funk track. Why anyone would want to slap in 2005 is beyond me except for if they were in a retro type funk outfit. I went through a silly period in the 80's when I was into Level 42 and thought Mark King was the best around. How wrong I was, "one trick pony" springs to mind now! Not my choice of listening material these days. Anyway, can you slap a Ric? My answer to that would be yes. Not the most comfortable bass to do it on, but it can be done. I cannot believe that the Jazz bass hasnt been singled out for slap. If you really want to play slap, then the Jazz is the tool for the job. I've had Stingrays, and they dont compare. The Stingray has an extremely weak G string (90's and on) which just does not lend itself to slap and pop. Why did Flea defect to Modulus ? Because the Stingray is inherently flawed ! For me a Ric isnt at its best whilst being used for that style of playing.

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Wed May 11, 2005 2:25 am

Keith,

I understand where you are coming from, but all I wanted to do was cover one Chili Peppers tune, because it is a good funky song that fits with the new rock that this band is playing. I'm not ditching 25 years of playing in the classic rock and blues style, but it's fun playing these new songs. I just can't do "Taking Care of Business" anymore.
The reason I wanted to do this with my V63 is because that is my gigging bass. With the prices pre-CBS Fenders are bringing on E-bay, I didn't want to take my Jazz out of the house, and I'm not going to go buy a bass just to be able to slap about 4 measures in a song.

I didn't want this thread to be a discussion of the pro's and con's of slap playing. I'm well aware of how annoying it can be, and I'm also mature enough to wield it for good and not evil!

Thanks, to those of you that provided useful information.

grayk · Post by **grayk** » Wed May 11, 2005 3:04 am

Kevin, I think I have probably been a bit harsh in voicing my opinion so strongly regarding slap. I understand your predicament having only the odd song to play in that style. Yes I do dislike slap, but I shouldnt put down something that another person may really get on with just because I dont like it. For that I apologise, I will try and think in the future before I get too carried away on the keyboard. After all thats what makes the world go round and it wouldnt work for us all to be the same !

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Wed May 11, 2005 3:11 am

I was just over at a friends house last night and I sat down with 3 musicians and demonstrated how I play "Man in a Box" by Alice in Chains 100% thumb slapping ... no popping ... no Flea type stuff ... just hard rock thumping ... I just get a more aggressive attack that way ... more than a pick or fingers ...

there is more to thumb slapping than that dinky annoying stuff ... there is more to thumb slapping that spastic 16th notes ... try slapping 1/4 notes or slapping and letting it ring ... the way I slap I can do it on just about any bass ... my 4003s5 is an excellent slapping bass ...