To Slap or Not to slap? - That is the question.

Ok, I am a dinosaur. Grew up on Motown. Wanted to play bass because the bass player always looked and sounded cool. All those little runs... so cool! Bass player would just be standing there looking cool, play the bass.

Then came Stanley.

Then came Victor.

(No disrespect to all the other greats, but I am marking time)

Now, it seems like you don't get respect unless you slap/pop.

Having people to tell me I need to slap/pop during a solo WHEN I AM IN A BLUES BAND it just plain STUPID, IMHO.

Thoughts? Comments?

Slap where YOU feel it's appropriate and don't slap where YOU don't feel it fits in. I don't slap when I'm playing jazz with the old guys in my jazz trio. I do slap when playing with my buddies in our fusion band.

I don't slap if I'm called to fill in for a traditional country gig. I may well slap when filling in with a pop cover band.

If I write the song I play whatever I feel like. I'm a dinosaur too, but I love the slap style. S'fun! But I love trad playing as well. There's room enough in music for all.

i dont think you only get respect if you slap. however i love it and am constantly trying to improve. after all it's only a tool.
there a plenty of great bassists known for styles other than slap. alot of the time non-bassists/musicians se flashy slapping and automatically think the bassist is great. which may be why you think you only get respect if you slap. but if you search this site for about 2 minutes you'll find plenty of slap/wooten critics.
and as much as i enjoy it...slapping in a blues band? i wouldn't suggest it.

If it sounds good then slap.

Now, it seems like you don't get respect unless you slap/pop.

Having people to tell me I need to slap/pop during a solo WHEN I AM IN A BLUES BAND it just plain STUPID, IMHO.

Thoughts? Comments?

Respect from whom?

IMO, it would sound out of place to slap/pop in a blues band.

Slap has its place. It needs to be right for the song. You don't want to stand out like a sore thumb in your group. In the wrong context you'll end up looking and sounding really silly.

Do what sounds and feels right.

Joe

Respect shouldn't be your priority in music of any kind. Slap is appropriate when it's appropriate and it's your job as the bassist to shape the sound of a song with your own stylistic elements (fills, runs, turnarounds). But never slap if it's not right for the song. I'm not a fan of a blues song that ends with a bassist slapping in a solo. I'm not a fan of bass solos, in general, but I like them when they don't last long.

For a blues song bass solo, the solo should probably only be a couple measures long so you can do some cool stuff, fast probably, and then go right back into the song. My opinion, of course, but I can do cooler stuff in the mix of a song than I can in a "nobody plays but me" setting.

-Eric.

You don't want to stand out like a sore thumb in your group.

ha....get it?...sore thumb...

So far, I have enjoyed the comments. Thanks.

Sore thumb... too funny...LOL!

Check these links out.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=341648

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=273846

Johnny B Gayden worked it in nicely in Albert Collins' band as I recall, but many good players slap, many don't. Telling you you have to slap is like saying you have to have a five or six string to be serious, or that the good ol' four string is the only real bass. You obviously already know the answer that's right for you, but I'm happy to chime in: do what YOU do and do it well.

Check these links out.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=341648

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=273846

Thanks for the links Jauqo.

Bummer, I used the search feature BEFORE I posted this thread because I didn't want to create a duplicate! Admins, please feel free to merge this thread with the other one if you want to "clean up" the threads.

I also see the Admins closed the "To Pick or Not to pick" thread. I have gone around the block twice on that one... from fingers only, to both, to pick only, to both, to fingers only...

Now, if my fingers get sore or tired, I use a pick...LOL!

Johnny B Gayden worked it in nicely in Albert Collins' band as I recall, but many good players slap, many don't. Telling you you have to slap is like saying you have to have a five or six string to be serious, or that the good ol' four string is the only real bass. You obviously already know the answer that's right for you, but I'm happy to chime in: do what YOU do and do it well.

Yes, I do know the answer...LOL!

I was just curious what others thought/felt.

This seems like one of the coolest forums on the net. Not too much flaming!! Of course, it's cool, it's bass players. :bassist: What else would you expect? LOL!

Slap where YOU feel it's appropriate and don't slap where YOU don't feel it fits in. I don't slap when I'm playing jazz with the old guys in my jazz trio. I do slap when playing with my buddies in our fusion band.

I don't slap if I'm called to fill in for a traditional country gig. I may well slap when filling in with a pop cover band.

If I write the song I play whatever I feel like. I'm a dinosaur too, but I love the slap style. S'fun! But I love trad playing as well. There's room enough in music for all.+1 EXACTLY! slap when it works or when you can or need to.

Having people to tell me I need to slap/pop during a solo WHEN I AM IN A BLUES BAND it just plain STUPID, IMHO.

I couldn't agree with you more. Now, something that may be cool during a blues bass solo, might be to throw in some occasional double stops to outline the chord changes. When I solo on a jazz blues, I outline the changes using scales and arpeggios. When playing with a traditional blues band, I like to solo in the spirit of the my favorite blues guitarist, B.B. King, using mostly major and minor pentatonic scales and soulful bends/slides. I find that throwing in occasional arpeggios and double stops (3rd and 7ths), tenths, and 3 note 7th chords (root,3rd,b7th), helps to keep the sound of the progression going for the listener, while the familiar sounding pentatonic scales keeps them "with you". If the guitarist or keyboardist stay in to comp, then I just go for it using single note lines. Now some might consider the following to be slap...but,sometimes I'll use a thumb and pluck teqhnique a la Marcus for single note lines. I wouldn't call it slap per se, but more of an agressive/bold attack...I guess it would be the bassist version of Albert Collins pulling on the strings, or a sort of chicken pickin' technique;) .