Slap Sound

[patman01]

Lynn

How do you get such a clean sweet slap sound? Is there any eq secret? or setup secret?

Maybe it's doing it at low volume levels? (I use it for old-style rockabilly at relatively high volumes and can get an o-k sound, but barely--with some distortion and unwanted frequencies--I have my best luck eq'ing out the middle and leaving lows and super highs)

Also, do you have any tips on increasing accuracy when playing slap style...been doing it for a while, and my control is still pretty rudimentary.

[Lynn Seaton]

Thank you for the kind words regarding my sound. Usually I amplify with a shure beta 56 microphone and sometimes in combination with a David Gage Realist. Generally the eq with the mike is flat. The pickup on my bass accentuates the low end so usually a lot of that is rolled off. My general take on tone is that I want it to sound as close as possible to acoustic but just louder. It is true that I enjoy playing at volumes that are compatable with that of an acoustic piano, but do have to play louder in different situations. Don't forget earplugs to save your hearing. There are postings of a picture and more information about my setup elsewhere on talkbass.com . When asking about control, could you please be more specific? Do you mean left hand or right?

[patman01]

Right Hand

I've been playing some rockabilly (what I call old people rockabilly-Carl Perkins, Patsy Cline, Elvis etc)slap style stuff for a couple of years (in the context of a working oldies band), but I just assumed it was one of those things that if you did it for a while would get better...which I guess it has, but I wondered if there were exercises or scales or some sort of routine to improve right hand confidence and accuracy. I would like to actively work to improve this, if possible to the point where I felt better about my playing that particular style. Of a night's work this style represents maybe only 5 or 6 tunes, but I would like to do them well...There is also a pain thing happening in the right hand when I do too much of this, so 5 to 6 tunes a night is probably about right.

[Lynn Seaton]

There is some sort of technique book for slapping on the market, but I have never used it. If someone on this forum can make a recommendation, please post it here. I learned from watching Milt Hinton and a couple of bluegrass players in my home state of Oklahoma. As far as your pain goes, it is impossible to comment about specific causes over the internet. Generally, we need to make sure we pay attention to several things. A partial list is: our posture is good, our wrists are not constricting the tendons by being bent, the setup of our instrument is user-friendly, we are relaxed and warmed up. Making a video of yourself playing is usually very enlightening and may show some bad habits. Good Luck.

[Johnny L]

I'd recommend Mark Rubin's video, myself, if you don't already own it patman01. That's who I learned slap from...even though I've seen Lynn Seaton slap too and yeah it's pretty sweet.

He talks about pain issues and bass setup to some degree (along with his techniques to do slap of course).

[PocketGroove82]

I've been working on developing my slap sound and technique recently and I think I'll really have it together once this giant, pulsating blood blister on the non-callused side of my finger either (A.) explodes all over my strings or (B.) dries up into leather.

Say what you will about rockabilly, but I have a new found respect for the endurance and hands of those who can really manhandle a triad.

Matt

[DanRJBrasil]

not much relief, low action, new strings , and a good technique