Stupid question, I bet you get those everyday. :E

I've been playing for about a year, progressing very fast (I can pretty much nail YYZ by Rush and slap some Primus and RHCP songs) but I fail to pop fast.

The fastest bpm I can pop at is around 120 and not very consistently. Whatever I tried so far didn't make me any faster. Perhaps I'm popping wrong? Somebody once said that my popping sound is weird.

I'd appreciate any help and perhaps a guice with a video/images with close ups on the fingers.

Thanks.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4449818176212403705&q=wooten+slap&hl=en

if this does not answer your question..

let us know..

i'm not sure that video will help with your problem..

It's a very good video, I've seen it many times before.

It seems to me the I put my fingers too dip into the strings, popping with the whole 'fat' part of the fingers, where he only uses the fingertips.

If I just use my fingertips like Wooten, I don't get a popping sound. :x

POPING faster as in not slaping but poping. I like to double pop I guess I call it first pop with the middle finger and follow through with my pointer.

How old are your strings? How high is your action?

My strings are about 3-4 months old.

I have no idea how high my action is. How do I check and how does it affect popping?

I found that if you just keep workin that wrist your speed will pick up eventually. OK, let me clear this up for all the pervs on here. Practice thumping on everything, your armrest or seatbelt latch, while you're in the car, you're hip or your thigh while you're just walkin around, your chair armrest while you're at work. Eventually you won't even notice you're doing it, it will be such a habit. My girl has to stop me everytime we're at the movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxXDdwu16n8

Wanna pop faster? Thats a great technique to do it.

When your hard calluses develop, you will feel how you start using only your tip.

jamescalvin, I do that too, all the time. :P

Luis Fabara, this is an awesome video, not as conventional, but I'll give it a try tomorrow.

I've been playing for almost a year and had many blisters. Now I no longer have blisters but my skin is as soft as it was before. O_o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxXDdwu16n8

Wanna pop faster? Thats a great technique to do it.

When your hard calluses develop, you will feel how you start using only your tip.

That's a good one...

Have you check out The Slap Bass Welcome Center (http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=298410)?

Joe

My strings are about 3-4 months old.

I have no idea how high my action is. How do I check and how does it affect popping?
Measure , with a ruler, the distance between the top of the 12th fret,and the bottom of the string. (ie; stick your ruler onto the 12th fret,perpendicular to it, to measure.)

THREAD OVER!

Measure , with a ruler, the distance between the top of the 12th fret,and the bottom of the string. (ie; stick your ruler onto the 12th fret,perpendicular to it, to measure.)

Something like 2.2-2.4mm, I can't be sure (I don't have a ruler, I used a 2.1mm pick and when I tried to shove in a thin guitar pick, around 0.5mm, the string moved. So I assume it's somewhere in the middle :E).


There's a part here (http://sio.slapit.com/demo/ex20/index.html) with 3 fast pops on the 5th fret of the G string. I can hardly do it properly even at 80 fps. :(

It probably comes down to the fact that you are sticking too much of your finger under the string. A pop is a very concise motion. It isnt this huge 'POW' where your hand goes flailing. You should be able to pop and end with your finger very very close to the string still. Also , try using your pointer and middle fingers to pop, rather than just your pointer.

Gah. My fingers are too childish, the 'fat' part is as soft as a baby's. If I don't lay my finger under the string, the finger just slides off.