Mastered Slap Bass and now Im bored....

[bass12]

Originally Posted by slapfunk987

I've been looking for people to play with at my college but seems no one plays the style of music I play.. I mentioned Jaco Pastorius one time and they said "Who???" That threw me off...

And im just not a rock and roll kinda guy. But i heard playing different styles makes u better so maybe ill give it a try...

Ultimately, this is true - the more styles you are comfortable with the more versatile a player you will be (and the more opportunities you'll have as a bassist). That being said, I think it's important to really dive into the kind of music that you want to play and that will keep you inspired. The more music you listen to, however, the more you'll start to hear connections in places that might surprise you. You're into funk? Check out some the stuff that was coming out of Africa in the 1970s - or even more recently. Then check out some Brazilian stuff from Bahia, or some of the Jamaican soul and funk covers from the 1970s. Check out some Band Of Gypsies and Led Zeppelin. I was never a "rock" guy but I ended up learning a whole repertoire of rock stuff playing in various bands. During that process I got to hear how hard a lot of rock grooves, and just how close some of it is to the stuff I tended to gravitate towards as a bassist (R&B, funk, reggae, etc.). And check out some funky blues (Freddie King is a good place to start). Blues is at the root of a LOT of the music you're already listening to and will play in the future. If you need any specific suggestions, we're here to help.

[bassistjoe93]

Originally Posted by slapfunk987

I made a video for everyone.. Once again I apologize for my use of the word "Master" And excuse the sound quality of the camera.. And towards the end where it sounds a little jumbled, its not. The camera just sucks... But you be the judge..

Freestyle Slapbass - YouTube

Gotta be honest, I owe you an apology. I thought youde suck but you're pretty good! I was smelling some trollin, but I had you pegged totally wrong! I would suggest looking into James Jamerson, great finger style funky, smooth playing. Also don't limit yourself to one style of music, I get gigs playing music I don't necessarily like or enjoy but they know I can play and I'm willing and able to play a lot of styles! It's surprising what good players are out there in every genre. Good luck man!

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by ACalbass

You already noticed some position problems in the hand,you deemed it not proper,kind of agreeing something is off and with time can become a problematic and limiting habit.

No, I didn't say it was improper, I said it was unsafe and inefficient. There TONS of bass players who are many times better than I am that do exactly that. It just so happens that there is less risk associated with the technique I suggested.

I admit that him being able to play Teen Town sounds like a stretch but you make it sound like it's impossible. I've watched both of his vids and I didn't see what you're seeing.

[pacojas]

wow,.. man...!

this thread just caused me to play a song i wrote during my slap phase in 1981. that was AWESOME!!!

thanks, OP

[slapfunk987]

Originally Posted by Kwesi

1) You can't be sure of anything.

2) Beyond actual theory, there is very little about music that can be put in terms as black and white as "proper" or "improper." I bet there are some folks that would call Jaco's reinterpretation of Donna Lee improper. Would you agree?

I agree.. At point #2... Jaco's reinterpretation of Naima was amazing to me when I heard it.. So much so I learned it, give or take a few notes. Its how I learned about false harmonics too...

[slapfunk987]

Originally Posted by ACalbass

Ok,I'll bite too
While I am sure you cannot play teen town in the proper way,you've come a long way in an year and a half.
Also,.............
I KNOW WHY YOU ARE BORED !!
From the videos we can see that the only thing you are playing is pentatonic,with a small 6th thrown in there sometimes,and I assume is because what you listen to.
The way you lower the E to D also indicate the same thing to me,is all about to make it sound pentatonic,and the root must be the lower note in the bass (just like when you play on E)
Seems to me you are lacking music fundamentals that would allow you expand your technique,your ear,and your taste into a different level.
You just have to pursue it.
Listen to slapping that is not using pentatonics ,forget about copying licks,learn the scales,drift from the path you are following.
First thing I would advice you is to start playing some MELODIES,some lead melodies of songs for other instruments,like sax,or piano.
Just learn the melodies,it will take you out of your usual pentatonic scale and will give you new ideas.
Check flamenco scales (minor with mayor 7th),locrian mode,augmented,diminished,see if you are up to it,is all completely different than the funky music you are playing,but will widen your universe.

I truly cannot tell the difference between pentatonic and any other scale type at all... Guess its time to really start learning..

[bass12]

Originally Posted by slapfunk987

I truly cannot tell the difference between pentatonic and any other scale type at all... Guess its time to really start learning..

Don't sell yourself short - I played for years before I knew what a pentatonic scale was. But yes, the faster you learn some basic theory the faster your playing (and general knowledge of music) will improve. As someone already suggested, it would be highly beneficial for you to find a good teacher to guide you through some of this stuff.

[henry2513]

I've got to chime in on this thread, when I started playing bass I was much in the same position as the op. I went from never touching any instrument to being able to play teen town, havona, donna lee etc in under a year and a 1/2. It's amazing what 8 hours of practice a day, everyday can do. I thought I'd go onto doing great things on the instrument, what actually happened is that:

1) I developed RSI on both hands, it got to the point where I couldn't finish a set. It was a product of some very bad habits on both right and left hands which I see the OP has, I definitely recommend taking a look at both Gary Willis and Adam Neely's ideas on right and left hand technique.


Also I was way undergeared, playing in a 5 piece fusion band with a 300 Watt amp is no good, I was hitting the strings waaay to hard, breaking strings on regular basis. So OP, make sure you've got a amp good setup, gear goes a long way to helping you do your best work.

2) I got bored and didn't have the patience to really put in the hard work to break through the plateau I hit. I made such rapid progress that when I got to the hard part I got frustrated. This is were patience is key. Back when I started there wasn't very much instructional material online so a teacher was necessary, now days....I'm not so sure you need a teacher anymore. So, to the OP I say be patient and stay focused, lay out a plan with concrete goals and stick to it.

I came back to the instrument about 7 months ago after a layoff of over 15 years and wow was it painful but having some concrete goals, proper and safe technique, focus and what my wife calls a touch of OCD lol (I get up at 5 am to make sure I get in all my practice) definitely helped.

[mcnach]

Originally Posted by henry2513

Also I was way undergeared, playing in a 5 piece fusion band with a 300 Watt amp is no good,

300W is nowhere undergeared.
Not sure what shows you played, but small-medium indoor gigs are fine with that set up, and anything bigger or outdoors surely requires a decent sized PA, which the bass goes through, leaving your 300W amp for onstage sound only. If you can't hear yourself with 300W, then you have to look at some extreme EQ settings and/or maybe the rest of the band is playing unnecessarily loud, in my experience/opinion.

[SGD Lutherie]

Originally Posted by mcnach

300W is nowhere undergeared.
Not sure what shows you played, but small-medium indoor gigs are fine with that set up, and anything bigger or outdoors surely requires a decent sized PA, which the bass goes through, leaving your 300W amp for onstage sound only. If you can't hear yourself with 300W, then you have to look at some extreme EQ settings and/or maybe the rest of the band is playing unnecessarily loud, in my experience/opinion.

I agree. I use a 150Watt Trace Elliot head through a Mesa 4X10 cab, and if anything, I'm asked to turn my stage volume down. I have NEVER been asked to turn up. Dammit.

But i can relate to plucking too hard when you can't hear yourself exactly as you would like on stage.

[Rickett Customs]

For the time that you stated, it would seem you did learn something. However, If you want to challenge what you're already doing:

From me watching your hand positioning, you could take more advantage by trying to keep your thumb on the back of the neck, instead of "over" the edge of the fretboard. You could also try spreading your fingers out a bit (think 1 fret per finger), try shifting your hand more than moving your fingers, when shifting positions and try using your fingers "head on" rather than bending your fingers sideways (it will allow you to develop more strength in your fingers). Also try slapping in other keys, instead of just in "E", try "A" and "D" for example (not the "dropped" D, the high "D") helps you get used to not just focusing on just the "E" string, like most 4 string players tend to.

Just keep in mind, these are only suggestions and will perhaps give you a bit more to work with.......you may realize that there's more than one way to do slap. Just IMO.

Originally Posted by slapfunk987

I made a video for everyone.. Once again I apologize for my use of the word "Master" And excuse the sound quality of the camera.. And towards the end where it sounds a little jumbled, its not. The camera just sucks... But you be the judge..

Freestyle Slapbass - YouTube

[funkyebk]

Ok I've gone from thinking SlapFunk987 was a crack smoking troll to defending him... kinda sorta

Yes, thumb on back of the neck is proper, but it's not the end of the world. You gotta admit... he IS emulating his hero.

[1958Bassman]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

I don't think the OP means that he's literally "mastered" slapping. He's just gotten good enough at it that it bores him. Understandable.

He has limited himself to slapping for a year & a half- that must have annoyed the crap out of anyone within range. I worked at a music store when slapping became popular. EVERYONE who wanted to be a bass player would come in, plug in and slap their brains out until we told them to leave. Apparently, they were trying to impress all of us but in the early '70s, all it did was annoy us.

Playing one style has to get old. To the OP- you have a good start- find a good teacher.

Edited because I hadn't seen the video and my original comments were unnecessarily harsh.

[Roy Vogt]

Re: Thumb around neck vs. thumb on back of neck. Louis Johnson and Marcus Miller sometimes let the thumb go around the neck to bend strings (you'll see that in pictures of Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton). Since your thumb is sort of the anchor for directed force in the fretting hand that makes sense. If you've playing fingerstyle it's much better to keep the thumb in the back of the neck, pointed toward the ceiling with the fingers curved.
For slap technique I tend to flatten out the fretting fingers a bit to mute strings. YMMV.

[henry2513]

Originally Posted by mcnach

300W is nowhere undergeared.
Not sure what shows you played, but small-medium indoor gigs are fine with that set up, and anything bigger or outdoors surely requires a decent sized PA, which the bass goes through, leaving your 300W amp for onstage sound only. If you can't hear yourself with 300W, then you have to look at some extreme EQ settings and/or maybe the rest of the band is playing unnecessarily loud, in my experience/opinion.

Played alot of crappy outdoor gigs, most times with no PA support. Our band was LOUD, Tribal Tech loud even, and if you ever saw them live in the 90's you'd know exactly what I mean by that.

[ACalbass]

In my view,there is not really a "rule of thumb" but you can say there is a NEED for bass players to know and use their thumb in the middle of the neck,instead of on top.
But............

I saw some people using 5 strings using it to mute the B with their thumb,while slapping.
Some people using those very narrow necks have problems to keep the thumb in the middle of the neck if their hand is kind of big.It generally start showing the ugly head over the horizon.
Is all much rudimentary,and can be corrected with some guidance.
But everything is in the hands and mind of the player,if he wants to pursue on perfecting his playing.

[Kwesi]

Originally Posted by ACalbass

In my view,there is not really a "rule of thumb" but you can say there is a NEED for bass players to know and use their thumb in the middle of the neck,instead of on top.
But............

I saw some people using 5 strings using it to mute the B with their thumb,while slapping.
Some people using those very narrow necks have problems to keep the thumb in the middle of the neck if their hand is kind of big.It generally start showing the ugly head over the horizon.
Is all much rudimentary,and can be corrected with some guidance.
But everything is in the hands and mind of the player,if he wants to pursue on perfecting his playing.

That, I'd agree with. My Brubaker has one of the thinnest necks (length parallel to the frets) of ANY bass I've ever played so it's been tough train myself to avoid wrapping my thumb around but I've worked at it.

[Matt R.]

OP definitely seems to have some natural aptitude. So develop it by practice, safe technique and playing different styles, even stuff you don't like.

[narud]

Originally Posted by Roy Vogt

If you've playing fingerstyle it's much better to keep the thumb in the back of the neck, pointed toward the ceiling with the fingers curved.
For slap technique I tend to flatten out the fretting fingers a bit to mute strings. YMMV.

imo its way too personal of a thing to say one is method is better than the other. if im in first or second position, playing a repetitive groove,using 1,2,4 left hand fingerings, the thumb over the neck keeps my wrist straighter and is less fatiguing. playing the same line with my thumb on the back of the neck with the fingers curved or using ofpf as someone else mentioned just leads to pain.

youve got to try both and see which fits best!

[narud]

Originally Posted by lucas vigor

This kid is probably better then 99% of us here.

HA! im glad someone said it. ive seen some posts from tb'rs with some of the wackest groove and feel and theyre quick to point out problems in others playing