Slapping Question

[EveryBroken]

I have an Ibanez IJSB90BK, and I was wondering, I'm new to slapping, and when I slap the 5th fret on the E string, it doesn't sound different from a mute on the E-string. Am I doing something wrong?

[AndyW83]

try not slapping as hard....are you talking muting an open E or muting the 5th fret on E? when new to slapping a big mistake is tring to smack the bass like it owes you money or something.....its all in the wrist...relax and practice

[EveryBroken]

Originally Posted by AndyW83

try not slapping as hard....are you talking muting an open E or muting the 5th fret on E? when new to slapping a big mistake is tring to smack the bass like it owes you money or something.....its all in the wrist...relax and practice

Muting an E, but I do it over the 5th fret. And I'll try not as hard.

Oh, and I wanted to ask, where should I slap it at? Some people say slap and hit the string under, but that always makes a weird sound for me, while others say just bounce off. How and where should I slap the bass string?

Thanks in advance.

[Rando McNally]

Originally Posted by EveryBroken

...where should I slap it at? Some people say slap and hit the string under, but that always makes a weird sound for me, while others say just bounce off. How and where should I slap the bass string?

Yup.

There's no one way to do it. You can go for as many string attacks as you can imagine (or copy of someone, but nobody can tell the difference).

[bass12]

Originally Posted by EveryBroken

Muting an E, but I do it over the 5th fret. And I'll try not as hard.

Oh, and I wanted to ask, where should I slap it at? Some people say slap and hit the string under, but that always makes a weird sound for me, while others say just bounce off. How and where should I slap the bass string?

Thanks in advance.

Either way can work. I'd begin with whichever you find more comfortable. With slapping, precision is a lot more important than force. There are some key elements that need to be in place if you are to achieve a decent slap sound. The first is probably the action on your instrument. If your strings are too high off the board, you are unlikely to be able to achieve a good punchy slap. Same thing applies if your strings are dead. Then there is the EQing. Be patient with yourself and try to identify what is coming from you and what is coming from the instrument. Also, check out guys like Larry Graham, Louis Johnson, Mark King and Victor Wooten on Youtube and you'll see that each of these guys approach slapping slightly differently - and all to good effect.

[EveryBroken]

Originally Posted by Rando McNally

Yup.

There's no one way to do it. You can go for as many string attacks as you can imagine (or copy of someone, but nobody can tell the difference).

OK. Thanks.

Does that also mean where you slap the string, or no?