Trouble with Speedy Bass Slapping

HardRockBass · #1 08-11-2009, 02:23 AM

I've been playing bass for over 2 years now and as soon as I got it the first thing I wanted to do was slap the bass just like flea. So that's what I did. Although now after two years of covering everything flea can do, I want to be like Marcus Miller and Victor Wooten slap styles. I do all the exercises constantly in the books. Run with the metronome, etc. But no matter what I do i just can't do anything these two bassists do. And i see people on youtube cover their songs and I probably put in twice the effort. But I still can't slap quick enough. What can I do to slap like them, you know add those mutes in there and tap etc. Also like Primus's bassist Les Claypool. He's a killer with the slap technique too. And please I dont want the advice to keep doing the book excercises. 2 years and no help.

neatobassman · #2 08-11-2009, 02:27 AM

Keep practicing and be easier on yourself. You are comparing yourself to exceptionally great professional musicians who have been playing for 20+ years each (Victor Wooten since I believe he was 4). And those people on Youtube have been practicing those parts for at least a year.

Also try working on your finger style for a little bit. You use muscles to play, and just like exercising, if you focus on one workout, you will plateau and never progress unless you work on another muscle group for a little bit.

electracoyote · #3 08-11-2009, 02:28 AM

One thing I noticed that was slowing me down was I was digging in too hard. My thumb was way too heavy and I was exaggerating the pop motion using way too much finger under the string. Once I lightened everything up, it got smoother and quicker.

HardRockBass · #4 08-11-2009, 02:41 AM

Yea thats true. But I just thought by now I'd be able to imitate since thats always easier than creating you know. Like right now i'm working on Portrait of Tracy and Im flowing through it smoothly since it is easier to imitate. But to create such a masterpiece now that takes talent.

Luke19Boarder · #5 08-11-2009, 02:42 AM

Start slow.

No, slower.

Ok good, now try a little slower, accentuating all the right notes.

There you go, now try it at half speed.

Got it?

Now increase the speed about 5bpm every couple days ... but only when you can play it absolutely perfectly at your current speed.

HardRockBass · #6 08-11-2009, 02:46 AM

Damn it great idea how have I not thought of that yet. Thats what I tell all the rookie bassist who ask me questions start slow then increase speed. I have not been following my own advice tomorrow i shall.

Luke19Boarder · #7 08-11-2009, 02:51 AM

Another good piece of advice I've taken from my lessons:

unplug your bass.

you can't make it sound good through an amp unless you can make it sound good unplugged.

Goatman · #8 08-16-2009, 04:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Luke19Boarder

Another good piece of advice I've taken from my lessons:

unplug your bass.

you can't make it sound good through an amp unless you can make it sound good unplugged.

Umm..I would challenge this bit of advice -

I spent a lot of time slapping unplugged because I didn't want to wake up my neighbors at 2am, but it led me to be very very heavy-handed in order to be able to hear myself practice.

Using an amp allows you accentuate and spank without wearing your hand out. slapping your heart out aggressively is not going to allow you to get better once your muscles refuse to work any harder. If anything, I'd say turn your amp UP so your hands focus on the notes instead of on the projection.

bobknowsbass · #9 08-16-2009, 04:54 AM

A little advice from the Louis Johnson school of thumping. Imagine you have a screw driver and you want to UNSCREW a screw in a wall. Stay with me here. You would rotate the wrist counter-clockwise, correct? What if you want a big turn? You would start the rotation further to the right to get more turn for your effort. Approach dynamics and thumping the same way. A loose, relaxed wrist is key for thumping. Once you are relaxed and your wrist is completely loose you will be amazed at the amount of velocity you can get out of it. When drummers warm up, they hold both sticks in their hand and rotate the wrist until the sticks spin like a helicopter. See, THEY got it down. When we do this we are able to get the same facility with the right hand to play percussion with the bass. Ya dig?

Magnus Scott · #10 08-16-2009, 05:18 AM

sorry to say... But if you think you can cover everything flea can do after two years, i don't think you are aware of what a professional musician like flea can do. maybe you can play as fast as him, but as precise and relaxed?

**Staccato** · #11 08-21-2009, 11:57 AM

Guessing you've worked with Victor Wooten's Slap Lesson on Youtube? He talks slow and demonstrates slow for a good beginner lesson-his way.

kenlacam · #12 08-21-2009, 11:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by neatobassman

Keep practicing and be easier on yourself. You are comparing yourself to exceptionally great professional musicians who have been playing for 20+ years each (Victor Wooten since I believe he was 4). And those people on Youtube have been practicing those parts for at least a year.

Also try working on your finger style for a little bit. You use muscles to play, and just like exercising, if you focus on one workout, you will plateau and never progress unless you work on another muscle group for a little bit.

Ditto that! It will take you a lot longer than 2 years to master what Vic Wooten can do, as he has been playing bass a hell of a lot longer than 2 years. Keep it in perspective.

RFord04 · #13 08-21-2009, 12:12 PM

...besides, personally, I'm not impressed with people who go on youtube and play a Victor Wooten song... I'm more impressed that Victor wrote it, and if I want to see it played, I'll watch him do it instead of some nerd sitting in their bedroom trying to show off.

cire113 · #14 08-28-2009, 09:23 PM

From what ive learned about really fast slap is that every 16th note has to be accounted for (or just about?)...

In other words your thumb is continuously moving... Whether you are striking a note or ghost notes... does this make sense?

I just figured this out and also learned how you can mute string, create ghost notes with both hands

cgnortheast · #15 09-30-2009, 11:23 PM

to play wooten's lines you need the double thumb technique. I'm learning to play slap as well and I will share the technical advice I got from a friend who plays that style very well.
Anchor your pinky to the bass (it will come up from time to time but the point remains)
when you "slap" you actually strum down through the string (it still gets the sound) to the string below it (it doesn't play the string, it mutes it, and you can make it a percussive thing if you want), then thumb back up.
pluck the fingered strings when neccessary
play lightly --- this is the KEY, light touches = fast touches

natobasso · #16 01-01-2010, 09:36 PM

I agree with the point that you're trying to do in 2 years what these bassists like Flea and Victor have been doing for more than 20 years. Give it time, in every respect.

You need more than just technique but an understanding of what you're doing and why. Once you learn all that, back to front, then you slow it down, throw it all away, and rebuild using your own rules, but based on the fundamentals.

Who knows, you might even invent a new way of playing along the way!

WalterBush · #17 01-05-2010, 03:54 PM

One thing I haven't seen mentioned yet: the left hand. At least half, if not more, of what you hear going on is how the left and right hands work together. If you're just focusing on raw speed with your thumb, you're only getting part of the sound.

Watch Vic's videos, if you haven't already. I have yet to see the really fast slap player that doesn't hammer on between slaps and pops.

Also, Vic uses a lighter than normal guage of string, and has a really, really low setup. He lets his amp do the work, he's not actually hitting the strings that hard. It's about angle and timing more than speed and force.

big90sbasshorns · #18 01-05-2010, 03:59 PM

Gross muscle movement vs. fine muscle movement: Melee!

In watching Flea's playing style I can make the generalization that he's a very aggressive slap/popper, very cool, and I think it's his attack on the strings that makes his sound so unique.

However, by playing using such gross muscle movement you're limiting the speed that you can play with.

The standard technique that's become associated with thumping today makes use of alot more fine muscle control to help overcome the limits of traditional slap/pop and muscle fatigue.

Take a look at Will K to see where I'm going with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2gRieuBq1o

MonkeyBass · #19 01-05-2010, 04:05 PM

Relax.
Slow down.

If you can't play it slow and relaxed you'll never play it fast.

Now... do this for another 5 years or so and you'll have it.

JWetzel96 · #20 01-21-2010, 12:04 AM

Has anyone else here noticed how playing with LEFT hand when slapping is at least 10 times harder? I mean, the left hand has to be in position to do all of the muting. I find that i play finger-style faster than slap a lot of the time because string muting is more easily handled. This has been really frustrating for me.
My other big concern about slapping is playing scales and linear patterns instead of just octaves. How do you guys approach this? Do you thumb everything? Do you use Victor's double thumb? Do you still alternate thumb and finger when playing scales?