Help w/Slapping the A String

[CadaverStiff]

I've just recently started slapping my bass and am running into a roadblock. Whenever I try and slap my A String, my thumb also hits the E string causing it buzz. I know my thumb is monstrously huge, so it's definitely a problem with my technique. I believe i'm hitting with the proper joint, but should I be making my thumb more parallel with my shoulders and the bass's strings (right now it is a bit more diagonally than horizontal along the strings.

Any help would be appreciated!

[Mark Wilson]

Moved to Technique.

[millerfreak]

Originally Posted by CadaverStiff

I've just recently started slapping my bass and am running into a roadblock. Whenever I try and slap my A String, my thumb also hits the E string causing it buzz. I know my thumb is monstrously huge, so it's definitely a problem with my technique. I believe i'm hitting with the proper joint, but should I be making my thumb more parallel with my shoulders and the bass's strings (right now it is a bit more diagonally than horizontal along the strings.

Any help would be appreciated!

How long have you been playing? What you experienced is actually very NORMAL. Just keep playing and get 0.40 for G

[2x4strgkramers]

Practice doing octave slap pluck on the a string and g string. this will improve your accuracy and give you a fun excersize. Also I will sometimes wrap my thum around the back of the neck to Mute the E if I am bitch slapping the piss out of it.

[dulouz]

It is important that you learn to mute the strings you are not using. I use a combination of my left and right hand (palm muting similar to what you would use on guitar).

[2x4strgkramers]

As to muting I often use my palm resting near the bridge in a semi floating thumb method. Or I use my thumb to silence of my left hand. Depends on where on the neck I am moving from and to. but the biggest thing is to start hitting that A string.

I got to thinking about this question last night that you posed and the best way to improve single string accuracy is to work on slapping and then plucking 2 consectuvie note on the same string. This will force you to pay attention to where your hand is position wise.

I would be willing to bet that you are slapping starting with your thumb at a very far distance. This is a tough habit to break. I do not flick my wrist to slap I use my thumb muscles alone. Snapping your thumb takes time to develop but ultimately it allows for very high accuracy and speed. The same goes for the pluck. I pluck with my finger and not with my wrist.

These things take a wee bit of practice and some hand strength training but when properly developed will allow you to slap and pop without moving from the floating thumb or palm resting styles of play and will allow you to seemlessly change technique with a minimum of fuss.

[MindSpark]

I totally agree with 2x4strgkramers about the distance between thumb and strings. Keeping your thumb too far away from the strings will not only affect accuracy, but also speed.
Mark King is a very good example. Look at how his thumb is always really close to the strings. You will also notice that the movement is coming from his wrist and thumb rather than his arm. This allows a powerful, quick and accurate slap without the need for much energy.
What I often do though to mute the E-String is wrap my left-hand thumb around the neck and touch the E-String. This is one common way. Other times, I could use the middle finger if I am not currently fretting with it (here's a video I did using middle finger muting).
But starting to slap with your hand parallel to the strings is also an important factor. If you're having trouble getting the right position, try experimenting with how your arm rests on the bass.

Peace

[jfunch]

Agree with the guys recommending muting other strings with the thumb. Try also to place the left hand finger (whichever you use to press down) on the A-string but in a way so the tip mutes the E-string. Another hint could be to slap in an angle of around 45 degrees to the fretboard. A lot of people slap in a 90 degree angle, but you get more sound if you kind of mix the slap with picking. And you can at the same time let your right hand thumb mute the higher string (ie. D-string if you slap on A). Takes some time to practice but it's good spent.

[bassrique]

Is your thumb more or less parallel with the strings?

[BigOldHarry]

Muting is key - I palm mute my E string when I slap on A -

But I'm one of those odd guys who can't keep his thumb parallel to the strings, so I slap with my thumb joint, which means my thumb ALWAYS hits other strings - so I had to develop some good muting skills early. Happily, good muting skills will help you in any kind of playing, so you might as well work on them!