"Slap It!" questions (slapping high strings & hammer-ons)

[konaboy]

Hi!

I am a beginner working through the excellent "Slap It!" book.

I have reached the section about hammer-ons. This includes excercises where you hold the 5th fret with 1st finger and then hammer-on the 7th fret with the 3rd finger.

A quick question about this technique, is it a good practice to lift the 1st finger when hammering with the 3rd? I find it easier to do this, kind of like rolling up to the hammer-on.

My second question is about the difficulty I am having slapping the D and G strings with my thumb. Several exercises use this technique even though it is more usual to pop these strings. I am very satisfied with the slap tone I am getting on the bottom two bass strings but on the D and G there is hardly any fundamental tone at all, just a thin click. The problem gets worse as I move up the fretboard.

Any tips gratefully received!

[electracoyote]

1. I generally keep my finger on the lower note when hammering, especially useful when hammering the same note multiple times. It's a good habit IMHO.

2. Ideally, you should have the same accuracy and control slapping all strings. This can be incredibly useful down the road. If the tone is thin or weak, it may be a combination of things including technique (accuracy), EQ (onboard and outboard), pickups (type, height), string gauge, etc.