Sweet slap and groove here

[scubaduba]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrRVLZ-imSA

[catsandstrats]

holy moly

[5string5fingers]

He's good no doubt. It just sounds like the same old same old.

[jjk2007]

Brian Bromberg. He's definitely a monster. That song he played on the second half of the vid is pretty old too so he's been doing the "same ole" for quite some time now. Actually if my math's correct, that track is about 16 years old.

[king_biscuit]

Brian is great. He can give an upright a pretty good workout too!

[MattAT]

I use my index so I really don't consider it "same old same old."
That was a really cool video. Thanks

[bassrique]

I like my thump'n groov'n, not show-off. That said, BB is a great player.

[Jason P Bass]

I never, ever like the wankery of showing off either.

BUT it's good stuff to practice, and here's he's actually trying to teach something.

So I'll give it a thumbs up.

But if he's recording that nonsense and calling it a song, I doubt I'd give it a thumbs up. Technically very impressive, but musically offensive.

Is there any standard RH technique for slap bass? I use my 2nd finger like he talks about in the video clip, but I also use my 1st finger. However, I always go from thumb to 2nd finger if I'm crossing more than 2 strings (i.e. B to D or E to G). I taught myself, though, so I have no idea if that's normal or not.

[jonster]

Brian's great.

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by Jason P Bass

I never, ever like the wankery of showing off either.

BUT it's good stuff to practice, and here's he's actually trying to teach something.

So I'll give it a thumbs up.

But if he's recording that nonsense and calling it a song, I doubt I'd give it a thumbs up. Technically very impressive, but musically offensive.

Is there any standard RH technique for slap bass? I use my 2nd finger like he talks about in the video clip, but I also use my 1st finger. However, I always go from thumb to 2nd finger if I'm crossing more than 2 strings (i.e. B to D or E to G). I taught myself, though, so I have no idea if that's normal or not.

Back in the day the technique you described might have been considered a little different, but nowadays, lots of players use their middle fingers, especially when doing the fast middle-index-thumb/double thumb machine gun stunts.

[B4MV]

wow, that was cool.
he does it soo fast, i need to go practice more

[bassrique]

Originally Posted by B4MV

wow, that was cool.
he does it soo fast, i need to go practice more

Do yourself a favor and don't expend valuable resources on parlor tricks. It's an epidemic in the bass community, particularly when it comes to slap. Let it breath.

[bassybill]

Great playing. Ok, you wouldn't really do that in every tune in a set, but if your technique is up to it and you want to put on a bit of a bass showpiece, why not?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by king_biscuit

Brian is great. He can give an upright a pretty good workout too!

+1 While that super technical slap stuff is not very relevant in today's gigging world and music (I think that clip is quite old), Brian is SO much more than that.

I agree with some of the comments above that there are some 'clinicians', etc. that only seem capable of doing the 'wankerville' sort of stuff. However, if you listen to, for example, Bromberg's 'Wood' and 'Wood II' discs (or whatever they are called), he is the massive real deal (both as a bassist and musician). He's really something in that he can play all styles (funk, jazz, country AND western)

[RicPlaya]

He's one of those guys I'd put up there approaching Stanley Clarke. Obviously by some of the comments here some of the posters have not heard him play upright. Saw him at the Detroit Jazz Fest last year with one of the Brecker Brothers. He was on upright the whole gig accept for one tune. They guy is a freak and can hang with the best of them and had killer chops on the upright, he was amazing!