Slap bass in 500 words or less

teeder · Post by **teeder** » Mon May 09, 2005 8:43 am

OK Guys, essay time.

I've played blues and classic rock for 25 years, but now I'm in a new rock band and need to diversify a bit.
What are the tricks to slapping? I've never tried it, but want to learn the right way.
BTW, this will be done on my V63.

Thanks!

leftyguitars · Post by **leftyguitars** » Mon May 09, 2005 8:50 am

I used to enjoy a bit of slap bass, but since the court case I keep my hands to myself!

markmez · Post by **markmez** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:34 am

Slap bass ( unless done on URB ) is the technique in which the bass player becomes obnoxious by overusing this method, thus losing his gig. lol

route66guitars · Post by **route66guitars** » Mon May 09, 2005 9:35 am

Ricks are not good basses for 'slap' style playing. I spent quite some time tracking down an original (lefty) MusicMan Stingray to use for that style of playing.

Do a search of Amazon for funk bass instructional videos. It's one of those styles where you really need to see what's going on.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:03 am

A ric bass will work just fine for slapping ... the pickup cover can get in the way ...

I believe that those of us who work in cover bands should learn all styles of playing ... fingers, thumbs, picks, slap, whack, pluck, and any other style that comes along ...

how do you get good at it ... practice, practice, practice ...

mr4000 · Post by **mr4000** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:35 am

There's a 4001CS at the NJ Guitar and Bass Centre which is set up perfectly for slapping - too bad they want about $3,200 for it! Good players to listen to are Larry Graham, Keni Burke and Terrence Palmer, to name a few.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:38 am

The correct technique is to slap with the side of your thumb against the end of the fretboard, so you get the most percussive sound you can. You're also supposed to do a "rest stroke", whereas you slap the A string, for example, and come to rest on the D string, extending your thumb past the string you're hitting.

The majority of slappers slap the E and A strings, and "pop", or pluck, the D and G strings.

The best bass i've ever come across for slapping and popping is the Musicman Stingray or Sterling, the tone is just perfect.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:40 am

Or Flea does quite a bit of it, I had a singer audition for our band once, she came in with a big buildup like she could sing like so and so, we played a few songs and then she started asking me questions like "Can you play like Flea?" and I said, "No, that's why he is Flea! Can you sing like so and so?" Needless to say, she didn't "pass the audition".

rickengrowl · Post by **rickengrowl** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:44 am

Well, I've never been a very good slapper (and probably never will), but I believe the horseshoe pickup magnets on the V63 might make things a bit difficult for comfort when slapping.

I also noticed, either on 4001 or 4003 basses, that the gain of the PU's was a bit too "loud" when I slapped, and tended to make the bass sound "harsh". But maybe this is due to my poor slapping technique.

Cheers,
JL

86kubicki · Post by **86kubicki** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:46 am

Can't slap on a Rickenbacker? Nonsense!
Whether it's physically comfortable to do so may vary from player to player depending on technique, but I've never had a problem (or aversion) to slapping a Rick.

sloop_john_b · Post by **sloop_john_b** » Mon May 09, 2005 10:54 am

I never physically had a problem slapping on a Rick, I just don't find the tone particularly suited for slapping.

route66guitars · Post by **route66guitars** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:02 am

I wasn't saying it isn't possible to play that style on a 4001/4003.

What I was trying to say is that the sound produced by a 4001 isn't what one typically goes for with that style of playing.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:11 am

If you want to play slap bass you really need a compressor ... I slap between the bridge pickup and the bridge ... I can get a very similar sound by whacking the strings with my first 2 fingers ... basically it is like hitting the bass strings like a piano felt hammer hits the piano strings ... a quick impact and then you pull back quickly ... I slap and whack a lot but almost never pop the strings unless I want to be intentionally annoying ... like a while ago we were playing a dumpy bar and they wanted to hear that terrible song "Wonderful Tonight" ... so I threw in just enough pops to make it funny ...

rictified · Post by **rictified** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:13 am

Slapping is an illness bass players who really wanted to become guitar players get after they become extremely bored with playing bass. It can progress to become an uncontrollable habit kind of like a nervous tic, and has sometimes even advanced to the obsessive-compulsive stage where the player has to do it every time they pick up a bass to the exclusion of all other styles usually for a set amount of slaps say maybe 1000 times, they can then usually settle down and call the rest of the band back into the room and play bass again for a period of time. Once this malady sets in it seems to be extremely hard to control. I hear there is a new program called SA for it's more hardcore victims. There seems to be an inordinate amount of it's unfortunate victims congregating in GC's across the US driving the customers out screaming, stop stop stop!!! please anything but this!!!! Play Barry Manilow, Barry white, The Osmonds, Rush, anything..... but this! please help me!!!

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Mon May 09, 2005 11:43 am

Slapping in WAY less than 500 words.
It's *****.