I have been playing slap bass at a few gigs lately and I have had the same experience every time. I get excited and then I start to slap and pluck harder. And that really makes some of the more advanced techniques difficult.

So. My question is: Have any of you had any thoughts on this and what did you do? I can see two solutions. Either practice plucking harder. Or practice to stay calm during live shows, so that you wont have to slap/pluck harder at all.

I'd say just practice.
I had the same thing for years, and i didn't know how to get rid off it.
I started jamming allot with people, and treated it as a place i can tryout techniques without being afraid of messing them up in front of a live audience.
I got used to playing hard or soft while I'm excited or not.
With practice and experience everything gets organized eventually. :)

In my opinion it's best to play light and relaxed no matter what technique. Most people think that when playing slap you need to really "attack" the strings, this is not true AND in fact I believe you get a better tone and "push more air" when you attack the strings lighter. It's all about technique and economy of motion. When your not relaxed your muscles are tensed up and you use way to much energy.

here is something to try for whatever technique your using: Turn your amp up louder than you need and play, this will force you to play light. It will get you used to playing with a lighter touch.
I even do this now so I have "head room" for dyanamics. When you play "full force" you have no where to take your sound dynamically.

hope this helps.......
best

My two cents... :p

It all depends the style you're after and the bass you play. Slapping a Zon and then a P-bass... you'll have to hit the pbass much harder.

I was pretty shocked when I saw Louis Johnson on videos... this mofo puts a whole lot of energy to get HIS sound.

If you play late 70s early 80s-style funk, there's not a lot of notes, and you really got to hit em to make it sound right. For modern, more progressive stuff like Ray's or Victor Wooten, you'll need a smoother approach.

I feel more confortable hitting pretty hard myself... just practice what seems RIGHT to you in term of sound and feel :)

Ya, the old school guys believe in hitting hard. Larry Graham says so in his video. When I slap, I'm probably in between what Ray does and what Larry Graham does. I like a heavy forceful slap sound, but I lighten up considerably for the more difficult stuff because it's easier to play when I relax, as Ray says.