Creating groovy slap lines! come share

vene-nemesis · #1 12-14-2008, 02:56 PM

Ive been playing bass for several years, been practising a lot and i have come to the point where i dominate different aproaches to the slap and pop technique, the double thumping, and i have even developed my very personal aproach to it. But I have come across a mountain to high to me, because most of what i create are slap lines that are too fast, to my ears like a tasteless mark king, containing too much notes and i really see them just as a show off of my skills, but im no longer 16 years old and showing off has become unnecesary and musically vane for me.

I find myself in a point where i need to be more groovy, like marcus miller for example, but as i lack of proper musical knowledge i find myself running in circles when i try to create new bass lines. So i need newer influences and here is when i need your help post as many videos, tips, tabs, advices you can share everything will be welcome.

Thx in advance guys!

jellymax · #2 12-14-2008, 03:18 PM

here is a tip. chord changes are your friend. experiment with your
thumb slap on the root of each chord, & pop the octave or 5th or
10th as appropriately. start slow & solid.

want to fatten your sound? try this. pop very lightly, thump at a medium volume, & turn up the lows.

now, learn to change chords 1 beat early plus start the chord
with a 5th or other appropriate note instead. a good book for
this is Lincoln Goines--'funkifying the clave"

hope that helps
james

quale213 · #3 12-14-2008, 03:57 PM

Here is a question rather than a response: What music do you listen to? its sounds as if u have questions about phrasings, which is a great question. I had similar troubles at one point and found relief in learning more music theory and listening to different musical styles ( i loved RHCP too much). I think highly of miller as well and he is a great example of grooving while slapping. Look at ur musical influences and if they seem to have a hold over ur style, i would recommend stepping away and re-evaluating ur playing. Hope this allegory helped

vene-nemesis · #4 12-14-2008, 04:06 PM

My 3 top bands ATM are RHCP, Primus, and Ima Robot. But i pretty much enjoy whatever band that has bass player that can create bass lines that arent the lower octave of the guitar so other bands like Incubus, Strokes, Muse are usually in my "now playing".

About the notes i watched the intro to VW groove workshop and he said something that i have found to be a trouble to me too, thats being very reticent to work with the rest of notes rather than just playing around with the root.

XavidmanX · #5 12-14-2008, 04:08 PM

Get Tony Oppenheim's book, Slap It! You can chew on that for a good long while and it has a lot of different approaches and grooves in there.

Plantbrain · #6 12-14-2008, 04:31 PM

Try selectively leaving out some of those notes. Leave some space, it adds impact to the notes you play. Yes, you get some ohhhs and ahhs from speed, but where are rhythm folks really, and get the tune moving with that, there's time for flash, add it sparingly. I'm a bit like you, struggling with adding less note, have speed, but making it pretty, clean, ice, fun, and something I can play with other folks.

Slow something down a lot also, see what sounds you like and since you are working with a high rate of notes, you can get more rhythms out of it when you do that. It is harder to play slow than it is to play fast, sounds counter inituitive, but it is true.

Thise other suggestions are great also, might have to get me a book or two

Tom

IdealWay · #7 12-14-2008, 04:48 PM

Definitely check out Swedish bassist Jonas Hellborg. His work with Shawn Lane and Selvaganesh is phenomenal. If you can get your hands on the DVD they released called "Paris" I think you'll be in good shape as far as inspiration goes.

Messiah25 · #8 12-14-2008, 04:50 PM

Get Stuart Claytons book "The Ultimate Slap Bass"
And get your hands on some Ray Riendeau Videos on YouTube
Both of them changed my way of slap and thinking
I can't thank Stuart enough for releasing this great book, it got everything in it from classic slap to the most advanced techniques this day, and finally a book that is not based on slaping around the E open string and deeply talkes about chord changes.
Thank you Stuart

quale213 · #9 12-15-2008, 09:24 AM

+1 to all of the above advice. Definitely look at all those different resources

vene-nemesis · #10 12-15-2008, 10:07 AM

wow thx a lot dudes this is something im really looking foward to so this means a lot to me keep 'em coming!

nemo · #11 12-15-2008, 10:12 AM

Bootsy's basic funk formula

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHE6hZU72A4

daffy · #12 12-16-2008, 02:51 PM

Check out Anthony Vitti's slap books - they are fantastic resources for improving your technique, broadening your approach and also for creating slap solos. He is a big Marcus fan and his style has been influenced by Miller quite a bit. Some of the slap stuff he shows is very demanding, some seems simple until you try to get the subtleties right!!

You can get his books from his web site - daadoomusic, or from amazon, but he offers deals if you go direct. He's a really nice guy too and will answer questions about the studies and exercises. I bought the entire collection and it has helped my playing immensely in all styles across the board.

millerfreak · #13 12-16-2008, 10:40 PM

I know these are standards, but victor and marcus is the essential for me i think. instead of playing their songs, try to analyze their music and their playing.. i found out that good fingers dont make my groove become tight,, but its actually whats in your head (i remember marcus said that ur solo comes from your idea, aint your fingers) so yeah basically what im saying is that you should train your ears,, that way you'll approach slap easier.

Im not being cocky, but i saw people on youtube.. they have good tech but aint making groove at all, tend to be complicated and really hard to understand (duh). MarloweDK also good for ears.

jonster · #14 01-09-2009, 09:01 AM

I've also written a slapping book for Hal Leonard. It's called Funk Bass and is quite popular. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

And to the rest of you, let our friend Vene-Nemesis know what you think if you happen to have a copy.

Thanks!

Jon Liebman

Messiah25 · #15 01-09-2009, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonster

I've also written a slapping book for Hal Leonard. It's called Funk Bass and is quite popular. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

And to the rest of you, let our friend Vene-Nemesis know what you think if you happen to have a copy.

Thanks!

Jon Liebman

Oh my god!!!
That was my first book ever

, still have it till today!!
Great book, Thanks Jon

jonster · #16 01-09-2009, 09:37 AM

Thanks, M25! I hope you're using it.

Jon Liebman

vene-nemesis · #17 01-09-2009, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonster

I've also written a slapping book for Hal Leonard. It's called Funk Bass and is quite popular. Feel free to contact me with any questions.

And to the rest of you, let our friend Vene-Nemesis know what you think if you happen to have a copy.

Thanks!

Jon Liebman

Is it a starter slap book or a chop developer book??????
Does it come with cd or dvd?

jonster · #18 01-09-2009, 11:41 AM

FUNK BASS starts with the very basics and gets pretty advanced by the end. It comes with a CD. Thanks for your interest.

Jon Liebman

vene-nemesis · #19 01-09-2009, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonster

FUNK BASS starts with the very basics and gets pretty advanced by the end. It comes with a CD. Thanks for your interest.

Jon Liebman

do you know any dealer? It would be best if it is european but an american one can be useful too.

jonster · #20 01-09-2009, 02:43 PM

I'm about to become a dealer myself. I'm making a note of your contact information and I'll keep you up to date. What country are you in?