Guidance

pandolph20 · #1 10-06-2008, 04:09 PM

Ive been playing bass now for 5 years and have became pretty solid. I can play and write a wide range of songs and styles and I pride myself on my playing.

The bad thing is, no matter how hard I try, slap bass does not come natural to me. I have small hands, which is not an excuse, and sometimes makes me work very hard to play certain things. There is no doubt I have rythm, but the whole technique is just baffling me.

Does anybody have any suggestions that could possibly steer me in the right direction to at least get some basics out of the way. I have never taken a lesson in my life and I would like to stay that way. I feel like teaching yourself, and learning mistakes, makes you better.

T.O.Bass · #2 10-06-2008, 04:21 PM

Hey man,

I was self taught for at least 6 years before I sat down to a lesson. There's no shame in seeking instruction from someone who is more experienced than yourself. Some people can keep growing as artists without ever seeking training, but they are few and far between. Some of the best players out there were humbled in the past by someone who showed them the ropes.

standupright · #3 10-06-2008, 04:33 PM

+1 to no shame in lessons. i've been playing for over 20 years and still take lessons everyonce in a while. it really does help speed the learning process along. taking lessons from good teachers will help ensure that you learn the correct techniques.

Joe Nerve · #4 10-06-2008, 04:41 PM

I think one of the tricks in slapping is to have patience enough to let your hands memorize what they're doing. If you can hit the string with your thumb, and pluck it with one of the others correctly - then you may only need to put the time in. If you can't can't get a sound I'm sure there's 1000 videos on youtube showing proper technique. This guy's slap bass program is worth every cent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tK_d...eature=related . Maybe you can find his beginning lessons in a search.

Anyhow - going really really slow with a metronome, at 40BPM if necessary just keep doing octaves, speeding up a beat or so every 5 minutes. If you concentrate on making it sound musical, and have patience you'll just wake up one day surprising the crap out of yourself. Your hands go into autopilot and you just start slappin away. There's more to learn than just the above mentioned octaves, but once you've got the technique down you can pick up all kinds of tricks and rhythms and just practice them the same way.

PS. I thought there was no way I could ever play slap bass, it eluded me also. A few years later I'm playing stuff like the first song on my myspace page below (faik). It's all slap. It's not Victor Wooten, but I'm havin just as much fun.

bassplayertom77 · #5 10-06-2008, 04:52 PM

Asking for help is a step in the right direction. Remain teachable. JoeNerve is right on the money.

God I love bass players. I wonder if drummers and guitarists are this cool to each other.

pandolph20 · #6 10-06-2008, 05:09 PM

I appreciate the help, I guess I have been a little bull-headed toward the lesson approach. In the meantime, Ill take it slow just like everything else until I can explode with bass magistry

standupright · #7 10-06-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

I think one of the tricks in slapping is to have patience enough to let your hands memorize what they're doing. If you can hit the string with your thumb, and pluck it with one of the others correctly - then you may only need to put the time in. If you can't can't get a sound I'm sure there's 1000 videos on youtube showing proper technique. This guy's slap bass program is worth every cent http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6tK_d...eature=related . Maybe you can find his beginning lessons in a search.

Anyhow - going really really slow with a metronome, at 40BPM if necessary just keep doing octaves, speeding up a beat or so every 5 minutes. If you concentrate on making it sound musical, and have patience you'll just wake up one day surprising the crap out of yourself. Your hands go into autopilot and you just start slappin away. There's more to learn than just the above mentioned octaves, but once you've got the technique down you can pick up all kinds of tricks and rhythms and just practice them the same way.

PS. I thought there was no way I could ever play slap bass, it eluded me also. A few years later I'm playing stuff like the first song on my myspace page below (faik). It's all slap. It's not Victor Wooten, but I'm havin just as much fun.

+1 on Alexis Sklarevski