To you who slap a million notes a minute

jmac85 · #1 04-18-2008, 09:16 AM

Is there a style that you just can't play? Please, make me feel better, because I can play just about everything else, but I just cannot get that super fast percussive bass style down. I can slap and pop with some nice syncopation and feel, but I just can't get that "shred" slapping down. (Probably not the best term, but it reminds me of guitar shredders hahaha.) Anyways, mad respect to you all that can play that style, its just not in me, and so I'm looking for someone who can play that but just can't get some other style down. I'd like to think I'm a good bassist so I'm hoping that this slap thing is just not in me since I was blessed with being able to play other styles

Mushroo · #2 04-18-2008, 09:29 AM

Don't worry about it--we are all better at some things than others. And super-shreddy slapping is not a requirement for most gigs! (Especially if you can already slap and pop with nice syncopation and feel; what could be better than that?)

If you are serious about increasing your slapping speed, there are plenty of people here on Talkbass who can give you advice (start by doing a search, because there are already some good threads). It is really all about practicing a lot and gradually increasing your speed. But maybe you're just not into it, and that's cool too! I think you have a good attitude about keeping a strong groove and feel; use that as your foundation and you can't go wrong.

funkybassplayer · #3 04-18-2008, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mushroo

Don't worry about it--we are all better at some things than others. And super-shreddy slapping is not a requirement for most gigs! (Especially if you can already slap and pop with nice syncopation and feel; what could be better than that?)

If you are serious about increasing your slapping speed, there are plenty of people here on Talkbass who can give you advice (start by doing a search, because there are already some good threads). It is really all about practicing a lot and gradually increasing your speed. But maybe you're just not into it, and that's cool too! I think you have a good attitude about keeping a strong groove and feel; use that as your foundation and you can't go wrong.

+1

I can look back and see that over the years my slapping has increased in speed and technicality and it really comes down to practice, practice, practice. IMHO, i'm not that great of a slapper but i can definatly see how i have improved from practice.

One of the big things that kept me from slapping fast early on was my inablitly to be dead on on the strings i was going for. I used to practice slapping "stupid slow" to work on my aim and attack. then i just picked up the tempo a bit and kept on going.

practice, ask for tips and suggestions, read some lit on slapping, and keep it slow for a bit. those are the things that i would recommend. good luck to you man.

jsingles · #4 04-18-2008, 09:41 AM

i find a really good slap GROOVE to be much harder (and much better sounding/more important) than a really fast slap line.

Mushroo · #5 04-18-2008, 09:41 AM

It is a lot like learning to touch-type on the keyboard. If you watch a good typist, their fingers barely seem to be moving, yet they crank out lots of words per minute with few mistakes. If you are using significantly more force to slap the bass string than to type on your computer keyboard, you're slapping too hard to get the super-fast thing happening. Keep your wrist loose and use the smallest, most economical movements possible, that's the key I think.

basskababble · #6 04-18-2008, 09:48 AM

i'm a beginner. probably not near what you can do, but i have gotten pretty fast on the slap.

The idea, for me, is similar to rolling on a drumset. Again, correct me if i'm wrong, but on a drumkit the left (or right) stick hits twice, just before the right(or left) stick hits twice. It almost bounces off the heads. Applying the same idea has given me triplettes (slapslappop). If you can handle that, quads could be done with a doublepop. That's hard though... so i've been practicing putting those two slaps after the triplette. (slapslappopslapslap)

there are good technique lessons on youtube as well. I found that the speed comes from having a good wrist position.

To make you feel better though, there are TONs of stupid things I can't do yet. like manage to keep eight notes going over three strings (as in 8ths on the E straight into 8ths on the D)... retarded.

stringslinger95 · #7 04-19-2008, 05:44 PM

Ok so maybe I'm wrong but I think the main point of this was to see if other people are the same and struggle with a specific technique yet can play other things well, not to give slap ideas and tips on where to improve (don't get me wrong thats great too) but as per the main post...I haven't played bass for long and I can't slap at all yet, so I'll share my struggles with the guitar. I played for a long time (although I play more bass now...much more) and I could do pretty much anything but tap. I could finger pick cleanly and fast, sweep pick, any kind of harmonics but when it came time to start tapping something I couldn't for the life of me get it... To this day I can get by but nothing spectacular at all. I guess I just need to spend time on it. As for bass because I played guitar for so long I'm extremely comfortable with a pick so that technique is great, my fingers are fast as well (although I only use 2 not 3 for plucking) but I can't slap at all yet... But yeah I think everyone has their own achilles heel. I hope me sharing my struggles lets you know you certainly aren't alone and instead of dwelling on what you can't do very well, take pride in what you can do and have already accomplished. Remember where you were when you started and how much you've progressed. If you could do everything great what would be the point, cause the journey would have already ended...

Nyarlathotep · #8 04-19-2008, 08:05 PM

I can slap real good. I can pop real good.

But can I do both in a musically pleasing manner? Nope. Does that worry me? Nope.

Now, if you'll excuse me Ive got to work on being able to finger-pluck 16th at 250bpm

j/k (sorta)

The way I figure it some people are better at some styles than others. Just my 2¢

capnsandwich · #9 04-19-2008, 08:18 PM

One little trick I've learned in slapping faster is to keep my right hand closer to the strings, right above the end of the fretboard. Also, if you can learn to incorporate your fretting hand into the percussion as in left hand slapping, that will also give you an extra beat in there. I learned that from Anthony Wellington and Victor Wooten. Those two gentlemen have that technique down to a science.

2 great tools in learning to slap better are www.musicdojo.com and Victor Wooten's website. Musicdojo has a slap bass course taught by Anthony Wellington and Victor Wooten has some lessons on his website that have some of his tricks on it.

One more thing, remember that it's very important to learn to groove while slapping FIRST. After you've learned to hold a groove using that technique then speed will come with time, but if you can't hold a groove then speed will just sound like pure sloppiness.

rodl2005 · #10 04-19-2008, 08:28 PM

Mate.... I've been a gigging bassist since I was 13... 30 yrs!?!?!?!?! I only SAW slapping in late 80's & by then I could GROOVE w/ the best of 'em & still can. Since I broke both wrists in a dumb skateboarding crash 17 yrs ago I have LESS dexterity in 'em, but I don't think THATS the main reason why I aint a FAST slappa. Sure I LOVE LARRY GRAHAM style slap etc... I I CAN do thaT, but NOT @ 10000 mph!! Respect to the guys that can!! But me, I'm happy supplying a SOLID groove, playing with fingers, pick & slap-whatever the song calls for!!

mcm · #11 04-19-2008, 08:34 PM

Don't worry about it. That stuff is very annoying!

Puarija · #12 04-19-2008, 08:36 PM

There are plenty of ultra-fast slappers who frankly suck at bass, so don't worry about it. Same as that guitar "player" in Guitar Center who can play the same 80s lick over and over at a thousand notes per second but simply can't string a group of chords together to save his life.

No worries. Playing good bass lines will always trump playing fast bass lines.

capnsandwich · #13 04-19-2008, 08:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Puarija

No worries. Playing good bass lines will always trump playing fast bass lines.

+1
Truth is spoken in this post!!!

Lonnybass · #14 04-19-2008, 08:40 PM

Don't sweat it. The ability to play certain things well and others not so well is what makes us unique as players!

Lonnybass

sublime0bass · #15 04-19-2008, 08:56 PM

a lot of them cheat by hammer-on then popping

soong · #16 04-24-2008, 09:44 PM

Take it sloooooooow.

My teacher told me once that
People can spend 60% of their practice slapping, yet apply it to less than 5% of musical situations (unless your a wannabe marcus/vic etc). Think about it that way

nysbob · #17 04-24-2008, 10:31 PM

I've done a lot of work as a bassist - done session work for national accounts, many many cds, gigs all over - fretted. fretless, upright. Frankly, I can't slap my way out of a paper bag. I play around with it on my own time, but it's just not my style of playing...I can't control the dynamics very well and it just feels clunky.

I'd love to be good at all techniques, but I think I've reached the conclusion that this one isn't mine. I'm going to try not to lose any sleep over it.

capnsandwich · #18 04-25-2008, 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nysbob

I've done a lot of work as a bassist - done session work for national accounts, many many cds, gigs all over - fretted. fretless, upright. Frankly, I can't slap my way out of a paper bag. I play around with it on my own time, but it's just not my style of playing...I can't control the dynamics very well and it just feels clunky.

I'd love to be good at all techniques, but I think I've reached the conclusion that this one isn't mine. I'm going to try not to lose any sleep over it.

I hear ya. A wise man once told me this, "Tricks get the chicks but quarter notes pay the bills."

**Mark Wilson** · #19 04-29-2008, 08:48 AM

Kind of irrelivent, but has anyone checked out Vic's new album "Palmystery"?
There's a track on there called "Sifu" and he solos, and it's just wankage. but man, I love it.

And then, another song is Song for my Father, done is his own style, but there's still a lot Jazz.

Just wanted to say, that man is diverse! And he can be flashy.

BassplayerBrian · #20 04-29-2008, 02:56 PM

I personally don't like to slap a bajillion notes a minutes... but something thats helped me with it is the buddha rope which is used by Bill "The Buddha" Dickens and its a piece of rope about the size of your middle finger(give or take) that you slot underneath the highest fret, and play exercises with that under there...
and u just gotta try to get a sound out of it while continually running exercises with it in there which will work both ur right and left hand, after a week i had already made a noticeable difference in my speed(i needed to work it up for a dream theater song) and you can slap with that rope in there or pluck or both or whatever...
that's what worked for me, but like other people said, speed is not everything or even close to it, if you can groove really hard, musicians will want you more than if you're just like "hey look what i can do!-flurry of notes-" but that doesn't make it not fun to wank around with it sometimes!

Have fun and good luck with it man!