slap pop question

[thadg]

I'm a beginner in fingering and s/popping. When i slap the string hits the fret hard and makes a loud slap, but it doesn't sound right. Do i want that fret hitting sound or the the more quick purr? I'm trying higher ground and i finally got it in my head. It's just nothing will come out right after the first triplet.

[ThomasG]

For me, I have my strings low and I adjust the volume that matches my feel, and it comes out the way I want. Assume your technique is correct, I would play around with the tone settings on your amp and bass, and just dwell on it, and you will eventually get the sound your seeking. In slap/pop there are general rules, but once you know those, there really is no right or wrong way to slap. Play around, dwell, and it will evolve to a nice sound and style.

[Team_Steve]

is the sound there when you relly attack the string when you play with your fingures??? it could just be frett buzz?
is happening on the open string? from memory it kicks of on that open a string? it could be your fingers on your fretting hand? maybe they are not hitting the note's clearly?
but if your slapping is fine, i would look ate the set up of your bass and the fingering of your fretting hand.

[Just J]

track is E - G - A slap/popped octaves with some tripplets.

The sound should be clear enough to where you can hear the note clearly, but it should also have a percussive attack.

One thing I had problems with when I first started was "snapping" my thumb off the string. If you hit too hard, or your strings are too low, you'll get a dead sound with no real sustain. When you get the hang of it, you'll notice it's like you're snapping your thumb back up just as it hits the string and intertia does the rest.

Higher Ground is a good beginner song. Play it sloooooow and work on snapping your wrist. I usually "slap" my desk at work when I'm listening to music.

[meev992]

Like ThomasG said, dwell on it for a while.

In my personal experience, I was extremely frustrated with the technique for a long time. One day I was yelling at myself, "This is just a showy technique, I don't need this "

long story short, I got really mad one day and it came to me.

[Torch7]

Something else to consider if the technique is correct, is amp or pre-amp settings, play with your controls until you can better produce an imitation of the sound you want to hear.