What are the easiest cover songs for beginner at slap technique?

[Tombolino]

Bass and Slap is totally new to me. Wanting to start with (funk) songs that have slap that are easiest so I can build up from there.

Your thoughts?
Thank you

[ksandvik]

I would start with the early roots, Sly & Family Stone's Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Self Again). Maybe this 1969 record and similar Larry Graham takes started this whole slapping genrse.

[Bassist4Eris]

Originally Posted by ksandvik

I would start with the early roots, Sly & Family Stone's Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Self Again). Maybe this 1969 record and similar Larry Graham takes started this whole slapping genrse.

+1. Not only is it seminal, but it's relatively easy. Plus it will start you off with a conception about slap as a groove, as opposed to slap as a weed-whacker impression.

Also consider getting a teacher, or at least a video. This is a technique that you can benefit from watching closely to see how it works. You could probably find stuff on youtube too.

Slap is a technique that (for me at least) encourages rushing. So I suggest practicing with a metronome too.

[Tombolino]

Cool, thanks. What are some "easy" slap songs that are gig common?

[ksandvik]

Originally Posted by Tombolino

Cool, thanks. What are some "easy" slap songs that are gig common?

When you learn to 'control' your slapping so it does not become something like you hear in the GC bass room every day, then you could add slapping to any contemporary dance song, Prince stuff, you name it.

[Alembic7]

Baby Love by Mothers Finest is a good one!

[richntiff]

Mustang Sally. I know, I know :-) But, funk it up a bit by making the bass line the easiest slap bass line ever. Played it last night for a gig and actually had people watching the bass player instead of the guitar and singer :-)

[hernameisrio]

Yeah... +1 on this thread, I was at Guitar Center today trying out a MusicMan Sterling Ray34 and was gritting my teeth against yelling at the kid next to me who was slapping really loudly and playing these obnoxious metal riffs to show off for his girlfriend. I get it, you're 15 years old and cool...come back in ten years and we'll talk. The funny thing is there were three of us there and we all started slapping. I guess it's kinda contagious or something. The more I get into refining my slap technique, the more compelled I am to either study Level 42 songs incessantly and go all out, or just keep it a lot more minimal a la Sly. It seems hard to find the middle ground.

I've been using the drum loops in Garageband to jam along to, which forces me to get creative and make my own grooves. There are a couple of Chili Pepper tunes worth trying... "Fight Like A Brave" comes to mind. Also "Love Rollercoaster"- the original is even better.

[Tombolino]

Thank you. So, let me rephrase....

Which are the most commonly played funk songs with slap for cover band deals?

[zfunkman]

Chilli Pepper's version of Higher Ground. It may take a bit of work but its a good place to start. Its very straight ahead slapping.

[Codydwagner]

Originally Posted by zfunkman

Chilli Pepper's version of Higher Ground. It may take a bit of work but its a good place to start. Its very straight ahead slapping.

+1

[Tombolino]

cool! Pls, more suggestions!

[two fingers]

Most cover band players slap on songs that aren't slap songs. It's annoying. Even Brick House is NOT a slap song. But they always do.

Look, I understand that you are excited about a new-found technique and you want to explore it. And I would never suggest that you don't learn how, because you should know how to do every technique on your instrument. But please PLEASE don't get so excited about it that you feel if you don't play a slap riff every ten second you're going to explode. NOTHING in the entire bass world is more annoying than an over slapper. NOTHING.

Funny thing...... I just spent a few minutes scanning the web having Googled "good cover band songs". Reading list after list (literally hundreds of songs) not ONE had a slap bass line. Again, no reason to avoid the stuff altogether. But use it like strong pepper when you are cooking. Too much can easily ruin your meal.

Learn some Larry Graham to start. Then branch out into some 80's stuff. Prince always had killer players. Surely some of his music had slap bass lines. Maybe some Parliament (P-funk and other incarnations of that band). Have fun. That stuff is a blast to play.

[Jhengsman]

In his Hal Leonard Funk Bass book Chris Kringel uses many fingerstyle funk songs like The Commodores and the Ohio Players as a teaching aid for slapping.

[Tombolino]

@two fingers, you make an interesting point, yes, I cant stand over slappers, tons of those in Atlanta; its almost like a macho thing. However I do feel its part of the bass language I need to have some grasp and available as a tool on as opposed to not at all thats why I wanna start with the easiest slap songs to gradually build a foundation. I do like slap, but I would expect to use it tastefully, not so much.

[vishuddha]

Glide by Pleasure is the first slap bass song I'm learning. I've just about got it except for the little note runs he does between a few riffs. Not too difficult, and it sounds pretty impressive to play. There's a guy with a Lakland who has a tutorial vid on YouTube and it's a fun song to learn.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRJz2RfHWq8

[dreads311]

Originally Posted by Alembic7

Baby Love by Mothers Finest is a good one!

Wow! Blast from the forgotten past! This just made my day.

[Tombolino]

Just started learning Higher Ground RHCP based on the suggestion here. Great suggestion, perfect.

[seanm]

Higher Ground, as done by RHCP, is the only slap song I have ever been asked to do.

[Tombolino]

Food for thought....isnt the amount of slap oriented covers you may play or not partially dictated by the audiences and venues you typically play to? Example in Atlanta, white people mainstream pubs/places are more into rock and country.