Slapping Trouble

Bocete · #1 09-30-2006, 03:47 AM

First of all, I'd like to praise this forum - though I've registered today, i did find many answers to questions I had before. So I believe you people can help me out now.

I play a 4-stringed electric bass for almost a year now. I played piano for 5 years and a trumpet for 2 or 3, so I have great knowledge of scale and rythm (spelling) theory. I am still lousy at playing bass, as I imagine tones I am not able to play as nearly as fast as I imagined it... Anyhoo, I am into imagening music more than anything, do not read tabs but play songs "by ear". The problem is, I can't slap anything new, no matter how much effort i put into it. In the end, I only repeat what I've seen on slap lessons with hardly any change in rythmics.

It's obvious I need to develop the skill to emagine slapping, but how do I do it? Hardly anyone in my enviroment plays funk, so slap-jamming is not an option - until I'm good enough not to fall behind in rythm for thinking what to slap..

Also, I have doubts about my right hand position.. I hold it like Stuart Hamm, and have no problems about it, but I dont see double thumping possible this way, and it doesn't sound as nearly as pounchy as when i hold it like Flea.. Now, I know I should do it the way I feel comfortable, but to me it isn't really comfortable no matter how I put my right hand. Can anyone advise me a techinque or a video showing the way to do it best? I'm still at the phase when I don't have habits, so I can do anything as lousy as anything else

I appologise for all of my bad english, as I'm not a native english speaker. Thanks..

Bocete

morf · #2 09-30-2006, 04:18 AM

Buy the book Slap It! It will give you tons of ideas for slap.

69nites · #3 09-30-2006, 04:28 AM

Your english is better than a lot of native english speakers

rjny36 · #4 09-30-2006, 07:12 AM

Welcome to TalkBass! You'll find a lot of folks that are very knowledgable in pretty much every aspect of music here. Now I'm not an accomplished slapper by any means, but I find that, with any technique, the best thing to do is just constantly practice at it until it becomes second nature.

I don't think there are a lot of folks who start off playing bass, and their fingerstyle technique is flawless from the beginning... so how do they learn? You just keep doing it.

Also, as far as slap is concerned, I found Ed Friedland's "Slap Bass: The Ultimate Guide" DVD helpful, in addition to the Slap It! book that I haven't checked out, but is often recommended.

iamlowsound · #5 09-30-2006, 07:28 PM

Slap with your hand like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8hKjYg-FDg

lowsound

Bocete · #6 10-01-2006, 04:52 AM

I did like Wooten's style, it's much less.. offensive than regular funk bass, or so I believe from what I've read and heared. I will check out the Slap It! book.. Thanks

BTW I've seen the entire clip now.. Wooten is a great teacher, he really points out anything that matters and might give you trouble apart from useless tips you can usually see on teaching clips..