im furious

[BassMus1k]

omg
im like losing my mind, k im talking with my buddy who is a guitar player about our progression in musical talent and **** and hes like until u can slap bass perfectly i wont even consider u a real bassist seeing as it is the easiest and most widely used technique of any good bass player.


wow i blew up on him i mean slap sounds good but omg i wanted to strangle him. aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh
i mean i cant slap well and i dont see it fitting in with my coice in music and also this is not to say i dont want to get better (i do, just for another technique in the bag) but this seriously upset me.

im sorry all i know there r a few too many threads like this but i had to vent im like seriously choked at this guy. thanx for listening.

[bassteban]

He wrong- no need slap. I slap a lot- doesn't make me good, or even funky neccesarily. Play what you like, learn to play what you love. Don't let him, me or anyone else define 'good' bass playing to you.

[SomecallmeTim]

Many widely respected bass players never slap. You'd be hard pressed to find examples of slapping from Geddy Lee, one of the consensus favorites on this forum. Many great players do slap, but you don't necessarily have to to be "real" bassist. If your friend can't get past that, don't let it bother you, he's just being obtuse.

Tim

[Corbis]

I would have said

Well until you can be a closed minded and arrogant guitar player i wont even consider you a real guitarist seeing as thats the most widely used techniques of any guitarist.......oh wait you must be like a guitar god.

[nonsqtr]

Well, I agree, and I disagree. There are "many" techniques that are available to the modern bass player, based on the genius of people who've come before us. Slapping is one of them, and tapping, and so on, there's lots of them.

I suspect, at the end of the day, there's an element of truth in what your buddy's saying. Slapping, in today's world, is "important" for a bass player to learn.

That doesn't mean you have to be "perfect" at it, but it does mean you should have some familiarity with the technique.

Is it "necessary" to make a living? Maybe not, if you happen to find just the right band.

But if you're really interested in learning what you can do with a bass, and pushing the limits on that, then slapping will eventually cross your path.

One of the better introductions to slap I've heard, is the Tony Oppenheim course, there's a book, a CD, and a video.

It's well worth checking out, if you have nothing to do someday.

Meanwhile, I'd tell your buddy to "be patient". More bands have disintegrated over "technical issues" like that, than just about anything else (except ego).

[the ombudsman]

Yeah, I guess your buddy's right. Jaco, Rocco, John Entwistle, Chris Squire, Carol Kaye, those cats aren't real bassists, eh?

x 1,000,000

[SteveC]

That comment doesn't deserve a thread dedicated to it. How ignorant. Slapping is just another technique, that, in the hands of some players is WAY over-used and often used in the wrong setting.

Yes, I think it's good to have a grasp of it, but that is true of all techniques. Doesn't mean you need to be Marcus Miller to be a good bassist.

I hate these discussions. I should just ingnore these threads.

[bass-shy]

Originally Posted by SteveC

That comment doesn't deserve a thread dedicated to it. How ignorant. Slapping is just another technique, that, in the hands of some players is WAY over-used and often used in the wrong setting.

Yes, I think it's good to have a grasp of it, but that is true of all techniques. Doesn't mean you need to be Marcus Miller to be a good bassist.

I hate these discussions. I should just ingnore these threads.

Maybe you should. The point here is someone telling someone else that they are worthless unless they can play exactly as they are told. In a perfect world, this would never happen and in this one, it shouldn't. Go tell your guitar player to f--k off.

[Kelly Lee]

Tell him that he is not a real guitar player until he can play classical and Spanish guitar. I mean, any self respecting guitarist can do that stuff, right?

He is obviously a closeminded idiot. I second bass-shy's suggestion.

[SunShine]

It's a good thing I wasn't there, or I'd have broke his hands, then his guitar, then taken a key to his car... or an axe...

[Funkize you]

Originally Posted by BassMus1k

omg
im like losing my mind, k im talking with my buddy who is a guitar player about our progression in musical talent and **** and hes like until u can slap bass perfectly i wont even consider u a real bassist seeing as it is the easiest and most widely used technique of any good bass player.


wow i blew up on him i mean slap sounds good but omg i wanted to strangle him. aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh
i mean i cant slap well and i dont see it fitting in with my coice in music and also this is not to say i dont want to get better (i do, just for another technique in the bag) but this seriously upset me.

im sorry all i know there r a few too many threads like this but i had to vent im like seriously choked at this guy. thanx for listening.

Most guitarists are dumb.

Another crappy story: So about a year ago I was trying out my (SOLD) Cirrus 6, and these guys come in and hear me and comment to each other that Im really good (Im not, but pop musicians dont know that ) and then they told me, so as I'm turning around to say thanks one of 'em says "Its just too bad you play bass instead of guitar.... Its a waiste, bass is worthless...

I WAS PISSED, but I did the right thing and just turned around and ignored them, And turned it up a lot

Another Crappy Story: Same Place, trying out the SAME bass (The first time I tried it) again someone complements me (This time I did think I was good ) and then proceeds to ask if Im in a band, and he said "You could be in ours, but you gotta play one of these" as he points to a Fender Jazz...

AAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!

So guitarists iz dumb. (not all)

[Funkize you]

Originally Posted by bass-shy

Maybe you should. The point here is someone telling someone else that they are worthless unless they can play exactly as they are told. In a perfect world, this would never happen and in this one, it shouldn't. Go tell your guitar player to f--k off.

+1

[Matt Till]

Slap will get you the most attention, but it's quite rare that it is needed.

[invader3k]

I can slap (and pop, which I feel is harder to do well than slap). I think slap is so overrated though...I think it's something guitar players like if they're the kind of player that like to get into extended funk jam (aka noodling and solo-wanking) fests. I really don't care for funk at all, or any sort of "jam" music, so I rarely do any slapping, other than to occasionally accentutate a note.

I think being able to do normal finger style and pick style are much more useful skills.

[Joey3313]

Slap him around.

[SlavaF]

Originally Posted by Funkize you

my (SOLD) Cirrus 6

Damn right!

I've never heard anything that idiotic come from any musician, so I guess I've been pretty fortunate. I don't slap, though I am learning as of now. I still don't see it as a necessary part of a bass player's repetoire, and I don't understand why guitarists would say that without this skill you can't be a good bassist...

What can I say? The guy is clearly an idiot, and nobody can win when arguing with an idiot!

[RAM]

Originally Posted by SomecallmeTim

Many widely respected bass players never slap. You'd be hard pressed to find examples of slapping from Geddy Lee, one of the consensus favorites on this forum. Many great players do slap, but you don't necessarily have to to be "real" bassist. If your friend can't get past that, don't let it bother you, he's just being obtuse.

Tim

+1...not to mention such horrible players as John Entwistle, Jeff Berlin, Chris Squire, Jack Bruce, John Paul Jones...

EDIT: Don't be angry, though. How can you get angry over someone else's ignorance? Instead, perhaps you should pity him for his lack of understanding of music, since it seems such a narrow focus.

[the ombudsman]

Originally Posted by Funkize you

Most amateur guitarists are dumb.

Fixed. A great guitarist should first and foremost be a great musician and shouldn't have such dumb concepts. I know many great guitarists and they never gave me any crap because I don't slap too much.

I think your guitarist buddy is a closed-minded kid who won't go very far in the music business with such an attitude.

[The Golden Boy]

I somehow have managed to get through my whole life without feeling the need to throw a slap part in any song I've ever played. Chances are I've been playing bass longer than he's been alive. I must suck. Tell your guitarist buddy thanks for the epiphany. I shall adjust my life accordingly.