At the risk of getting completely slammed and blown out of the water, I have to ask this question.

Do you really need to slap the bass for all rockabilly music?

I have a hard time believing that every bass player in the original era of the evolution of rockabilly from country and blues slapped the bass.

Well when I first started I couldnt slap so I played rockabilly pizz style..It was functional and all..But when I learned to slap and brought that element into the music it was a completely different beast..Its more visual for the audience..Drives the songs better ..Sounds better..And most of all makes you look cooler!!!..

Yes.

even though i am a Bgrasser... i couldn't emagine not hearing that sweet rockabilly slap. yeah sometimes it can be a little to much.(with drummer) but when they dont have a drummer.. that slap it KEY!!! it's the sound!!(rockabilly) like Brian Jay and Last Call Boys out of Orange County,CA ( Kevin Stewart's slap is absolute awesome and soothing!!) I dig the slap!!

Absolutely, positively, yes. If it doesn't have the slap, it's just rock & roll or country, depending on the style of the tune.

Absolutely yes.

Absolutely, positively, yes. If it doesn't have the slap, it's just rock & roll or country, depending on the style of the tune.

I have listened to rockabilly flavored music by rockers (Crazy Little Thing Called Love, etc.) that doesn't have the slap. It just isn't the same (seems watered down) once you hear the authentic stuff.

you can also slap on some parts, not on some others of a songs. depending of the drummer, 100% slap can be boring too. even on rockabilly.

Slapping isn't that hard (if it was noone would do it) it just requires practice to get it up to speed.

I have a hard time believing that every bass player in the original era of the evolution of rockabilly from country and blues slapped the bass.


I dont think you need to slap. Im sure once, it was somthing original that some bass player found out. Leave the slapping for those who want to slap. But if you are not going to slap, do something else in its place that draws the crowd just as much!!

I dont think you need to slap. Im sure once, it was somthing original that some bass player found out. Leave the slapping for those who want to slap. But if you are not going to slap, do something else in its place that draws the crowd just as much!!

With a very few exceptions, slap bass is probably the single thing that defines 'rockabilly' more than any other. With out the slap bass, it just becomes country blues, or hillbilly bop, or any number of other things. If you go back and listen to 'mind your own business' by Hank Sr. there are some cool slap parts. as for where it came from, Pops Foster and Wellman Braud were slapping in the 1920's, which, in my opinion is how slap found it's way into country and rockabilly.
But, gypsy bass players (supposedly) have been slapping bass for hundreds of years. Check out Taraf de Haidouks. They are a romanian gypsy band, and that bass player is just nuts.

as for other pre-'rockabilly' slap players:

Wellman Braud - Duke Ellington's Jungle Band
Pops Foster
Milt Hinton - Cab Calloway, and many, many more. -check out 'slappin the bass' or 'milts rap'
Willie Dixon -Check out 'bassology' on youtube
Junior Huskey- check out 'booger's gonna get you' by Onie Wheeler
Lightnin' Chance
Lum York


cheers-g

as for other pre-'rockabilly' slap players:

Wellman Braud - Duke Ellington's Jungle Band
Pops Foster
Milt Hinton - Cab Calloway, and many, many more. -check out 'slappin the bass' or 'milts rap'
Willie Dixon -Check out 'bassology' on youtube
Junior Huskey- check out 'booger's gonna get you' by Onie Wheeler
Lightnin' Chance
Lum York


It's also one of those things that if you want to have a more complete understanding of these players and what they were doing you need to have at least some rudimentary slapping skills. I don't recall ever hearing him do it on a recording but attending master classes with Ray Brown I know he could slap the hell outta the bass.

Austin bassist Mark Rubin formerly of the Bad Livers is a modern master of slap...definitely someone to check out if you haven't heard him.

im not particularly known for slapping, though i use it frequently. i am friends or at least acquainted with some of the great slappers: jeff from BR549, kevin smith, mike bub, mark rubin, jack hanlon, jt huskey, etc. but the best of the best is dave roe, here in nashville. he is on the road with kathy mattea but he's usually found thursday, friday, and saturday evenings on lower broadway. he played bass with johnny cash for several years, dwight yoakam, stan martin, and don kelly and is acknowledged around this town to own that style. there may be someone better, but nashville doesnt know about him.

secondly, modern rockabilly is a different beast from old rockabilly. some things are more developed and mature with modern rockabilly. rockabilly that is true to the old styles is the exception rather than the rules. hair is bigger, amplification is more extreme, tattoos more prevalent, guitar playing is showier (and youd think everyone back then played gretsches exclusively), and bass is slapped much more and much better.

modern rockabilly is a distinctly different music now.

2-cents thrown in to this dormant thread...

So when Gene Vincent's bass player started using a Fender P-bass instead of an upright, his music was no longer rockabilly?

There's lots of "Rockabilly" that's got electric fretted bass instruments on it. Now define "Rockabilly". For the purists, it needs a slapped upright and drums are a no-no. For the modern (miss)conception of what rockabilly is, slapped upright is a must.

As an aspiring slapper myself, I was disappointed that the guitarist in the band I want to play for thinks slapping is "overdone and overrated" -- yet he's searching for an upright player to replace the slab player, who's interested in learning upright, but isn't taking any steps to do so. I like the band, but for the music, a slapped upright would be perfect!

Slap on bruthas and sistas, slap on

Some of the classic Gene Vincent stuff is actually non-slapped upright. I think as long as your playing is dynamic enough, it doesn't need to be slapped, but 98% of rockabilly stuff is slapped...

No you don't have to.

Yes you do.

Buddy, you need to slap the living daylights outta it!!! I may be old as dirt, but I've slapped it so many times I wore the skin off my hands.

I wish you didn't have to slap but speaking as a newbie to the instrument I just think it makes such a difference to the feel of the music. Like Hofner said sometimes slap, sometimes not depending on song, feel, drummer etc. Light n shade n all that stuff. I'm looking forward to learning how to do it properly though. It is just soooooooooooo cool!!!!! Anyone know of any good slap teachers in London, England?

I slap mine every chance I get. :D

...it makes such a difference to the feel of the music. Like Hofner said sometimes slap, sometimes not depending on song, feel, drummer etc...

This is so true, alot of times I'll play "pizz" for the first half of the song, and then slap for the second half. Or maybe slap or pizz for the whole song. Or slap just in certain parts.

But it always changes the feel.

Me and the drummer have been friends and bandmates for a few years. Last year I played e-bass for a few weeks for a change with a different guitar player. The drummer was almost begging me to play the upright instead, e-bass seemed to dumb down the rhythm a fair bit.

...any good slap teachers in London, England?

I live in Ealing mate, been slapping for 20 years. Happy to share some tips for a bottle of wine one weekend.

Cool thanks alot! If you give me your details I'll get in touch. My email address is djuniper@me.com cheers!