Is slapping more difficult at higher frets?

[Vandelay]

Is it a general rule that slapping is more difficult at higher frets?

The song we're doing has a little break that features the bass -- it's a riff that I play at the 12th fret, then the 10th, then the 8th, then back to the 10th & 12th again. I thought it would be cool to slap that part instead of playing it fingerstyle, but it's not going well. I'm having trouble getting a solid, consistently loud tone when I slap there. I'm a slapping noob, so I don't know: is this happening because of poor technique (certainly possible in my case!), an improperly setup bass (a Fender Jazz with DR Hi-Beams), or is slapping simply a lot more difficult at those high frets?

By the way, my slap tone sounds fine when I play patterns that involve the first few frets and the open strings.

[Tomass]

generally you cant really slap up that high, pop'ing can be done well though. I think its the properties and the character of slapping, the strings are hitting the frets (i think) and thats creating that sound. If the node is to high, the string doesnt have enough length to bounce off the neck and hence you cant get a good and consistant slap sound from it. Hope this helps, if this is wrong dont hold it against me.

[PIZZAcato]

The way I slap with my thumb is thru the string as a opposed to just bouncing it off and i have to work a little harder in higher frets but it sounds fine and works for me

[Deacon_Blues]

I try to stay below the 10th-12th fret, higher up is harder and it doesn't sound as good there either. Usually I try to play around the 5th fret when slapping.

[iamlowsound]

I actually like slapping between the 5th and 12th frets the most, I find that I get a more consistent and better tone.

lowsound

[lemur821]

I find it's usually fine up to around the 14th, where it gets a little funny. 5 - 10 are prime slapping territory.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by Deacon_Blues

I try to stay below the 10th-12th fret, higher up is harder and it doesn't sound as good there either. Usually I try to play around the 5th fret when slapping.

no no no...the funk is at the 7TH fret! LOL


I slap by bouncing my thumb...up on the neck, I just have to slap a little lighter (quicker rebound) to get the notes to sound cleanly...

[Mark Wilson]

Originally Posted by Tomass

generally you cant really slap up that high, pop'ing can be done well though. I think its the properties and the character of slapping, the strings are hitting the frets (i think) and thats creating that sound. If the node is to high, the string doesnt have enough length to bounce off the neck and hence you cant get a good and consistant slap sound from it. Hope this helps, if this is wrong dont hold it against me.

Tell that to Marcus Miller.

[sockdeluxe_mike]

I think where there's a good amount of relief in the neck seems to be the best place to thumb a string, IMHO - which is probably why around the 5th-10th seems to be a general consensus (I mostly agree with that too!)

[tswd]

I slap through the strings, so I don't have a problem slapping that high. But I do find that popping takes a bit more effort to get a good sound.

The problem is that you've effectively shortened the string so much that it's hard to get enough travel distance to hit the fret board with much force. I haven't tried it, but using a longer neck might make slapping/popping around the 12th fret easier. I have a short, 20 fret neck so the 12th fret is pretty high up.

[Figjam]

Depends on how your bass is set up. marcus miller has really low action and barely any relief, from what it sounds like. His strings basically bottom out above the 12th fret, its really easy to hear, in his percussive fingerstyle tone that lacks sustain. It would be easier to slap up high in this situation. However on a more standard set up, there is a lot of string tension and not too much movement for the string up high so it can be hard to make it sound normal.