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  #1  
Old 06-17-2008, 12:48 AM
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Slapping A, /fail

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I seriously cannot slap A without screwing up and hitting E no matter how many hours a day i sink into it...

Im hitting the string with the first joint in my thumb directly on the damn thing...
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  #2  
Old 06-17-2008, 01:01 AM
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Originally Posted by Khatur View Post
I seriously cannot slap A without screwing up and hitting E no matter how many hours a day i sink into it...

Im hitting the string with the first joint in my thumb directly on the damn thing...
might sound like stupid advice but its the best way to learn or teach yourself something involving technique with ANY instrument...

do REALLY REALLY REALLY slowly at first...almost at a snail's pace. Work your way up and do it faster and faster as time goes on. I used to do my thumb at an angle, now i do it parallel to the string and it helps a lot. Sorry I'm not of uber help, only been playing like 3 years =/
  #3  
Old 06-17-2008, 01:08 AM
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A suggestion and a comment for you:

1) Try striking THROUGH the A string and having your thumb come to rest on the D string. Think of it as "rest-stroke" technique for your thumb. This might change the angle of your thumb a bit and help you to miss the E string. It also helps to reduce the amount of motion you need to hit the string a bit as well as setting you up for a "reverse thumb" technique later on down the line.

Also, it should all come from your wrist for now - think of grasping a doorknob with your right hand and turning it back and forth quickly several times. Your forearm shouldn't be moving other than the fact that it's rotating like a rolling pin. This will help your consistency once your aim is improved.

Please note that this is one of possibly HUNDREDS of perfectly valid techniques for playing "slap style", and in this style of bass playing, the end justifies the means - meaning however you're able to get the sound you want is just fine.


2) Whenever you strike a string, no matter how perfect your technique is, the other strings are GOING to ring. The vibration is too much for the strings to lay silent. So you'll want to work on muting techniques for the left hand as well. Fingers that aren't busy holding down notes can be used to keep other strings from ringing. Muting techniques are too individual to really spend a lot of time typing about it, so you'll have to experiment to find what works best for you.

Keep at it - this isn't instant, and some of these techniques take longer to master than others for different people. It took me ten years to get proficient at the "reverse thumb" concept. Here's hoping you get where you want to go in a shorter period of time.
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  #4  
Old 06-17-2008, 01:34 AM
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i had the same problem... try dropping ur elbow so that ur whole arm is in line with the strings

helped me
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  #5  
Old 06-17-2008, 10:31 AM
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How high or low is your bass strapped on?
  #6  
Old 06-17-2008, 02:07 PM
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bout at my abdomen
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  #7  
Old 06-17-2008, 03:46 PM
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If you strap the bass up higher, you should be able to get that thumb in a more parallel position in relation to the strings. This should help with accuracy.
  #8  
Old 06-19-2008, 10:01 PM
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Your thumb is probably perpendicular to the strings. That's how I started because it was convenient, easy, and worked for slapping anything on the E string, but when I had to start slapping A I switched to a more parallel slap position.
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  #9  
Old 06-19-2008, 11:15 PM
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Gahhh.

The whole trick to slapping is muting whatever strings you're not playing.


Check Marcus Miller out.
If his forearm isn't resting on it, then his thumb is overtop of the neck muting it.
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  #10  
Old 06-19-2008, 11:36 PM
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Do this

--x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x---xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx-
---------------------------------------------------
-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx--xx---
---------------------------------------------------

after you can do it really *&^%ing fast it will be no problem to hit A on cue at normal speed.

The second part require you to bounce your thumb twice (which will really add strength to your wrist). Slap at end of neck also (last fret).
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