starting slapping and popping

[kennyhoe]

i've been playing bass for about 3-4 years now, all with a pick (exceptional for the occasional song where i didn't have to finger fast)
i am looking to improve and expand as a bass player, so i want to start learning the slap and pop technique

anyone got any suggestions/ideas/websites?

thx

[Jason Carota]

First off, click here - 30+ pages of slapping goodness.

If you are just starting out, make sure you take your time. Start with the basics such as Root/Octave passages (slap the root/pop the octave.) Try to keep the dynamics between slapping and popping equal, also. A softer attack will give a more consistant and well defined slap tone.

A book that I find to be very useful for this technique is "Slap It!," by Tony Oppenheim.

[Howard K]

i didnt learn from this video, but i did buy it for some more advanced techniques and a bit of a work out: the slap bass program with alexis slarveski

practically everyone harps on about it.. because it is actually very very good. if you work through each excercise making sure you nail each one, you should be a right slapper by the end

[corinpills]

Might I humbly suggest that you'll want to really work on your fingering technique before you work on the slapping? Most people tend to alternate between slapping and playing with fingers. For instance, if you're playing any sort of standard tune where there's a solo, a lot of people will switch to fingers for playing under the solo so there's more of a foundation.

Of course, there's no rule that says that you can't switch between pick and slapping. You could probably tuck the pick in your hand while your thumb goes to town, but you may find that getting into slapping will make you use your fngers more.

Also, for the sake of somebody saying it, slapping and popping will not necessarily make you improve as a bass player. It's just a physical technique with very little inherent musical value- most people tend to use it as a party trick to impress other bass players or to show off in music stores. You might be better served by thinking more melodically and harmonically. There's always room to explore in that direction.

[James S]

kennyhoe,

Here is a very basic technique you might enjoy playing.

http://www.jimstinnett.com/movies/bg_tht1.mpg
http://www.jimstinnett.com/movies/bg_tht2.mpg
http://www.jimstinnett.com/movies/bg_tht3.mpg
http://www.jimstinnett.com/movies/bg_tht4.mpg

If you really want to make music slapping the bass it will take some serious study. I teach slap to many students each day and I would like you offer a little advice. Most students learn to slap the bass without playing any music. It is important to play in time and in the chord changes. i.e. Precise rhythms and clear pitches.

I recommend Slap Bass Workout.
http://www.jimstinnett.com/books.html#anchorbassworkout

This is a book of basic techniques with 57 play along tracks. Each of the grooves on the recordings are 2-3 minutes long so one can actual work into the groove and play along. I guarantee you will be able to play most of the songs very quickly. The book was written this simple so you do not have to read much, just use your ears and copy the lines.

The goal here is to develop good time and learn some grooves you can jam with.

Hope this helps.

[kennyhoe]

thx a lot everyone, i'll get started on those asap

[Razor]

Some very good advice and homework on this thread. Good job everyone...keep it coming.

[kennyhoe]

in reply to corinpills,

yes, i also want to learn h ow to use my fingers more often......i really wanna learn slap and pop because it just looks and sounds really cool