slap bass?

[gruffpuppy]

just starting to try playing slap bass
do i hit the strings dead on or with a downward slap?
stu hamm seems to slap downward, the guy in "the slap bass program" video seems to hit them dead on
thanks for any info

[Christopher]

There's no right way. Some people point their thumbs up (Mark King); others point their thumbs down (Dave LaRue). Some people attack the string from directly above (Flea); others attack the string in a plane nearly horizontal to the strings (Wooten). Whatever you do, pick a position that enables you to play as fast, as clearly and as comfortably as possible.

[JMX]

The crucial part is getting the basic principle right.
The thumb hits the string like a piano hammer(?) would.
It actually touches the string only for a fraction of s second and bounces right off. Any technique is possible, as long as it utilizes this principle.

[Steve S]

I have another question about slap - when you slap the E on a four string, do you pop the G or D string?

[Gard]

Originally posted by Christopher
There's no right way. Some people point their thumbs up (Mark King); others point their thumbs down (Dave LaRue). Some people attack the string from directly above (Flea); others attack the string in a plane nearly horizontal to the strings (Wooten). Whatever you do, pick a position that enables you to play as fast, as clearly and as comfortably as possible.

Uh...HUH?!?!?

...I studied privately with LaRue for 4 years, trust me, his thumb don't point down when he slaps. He holds his thumb at approximately a 45 degree angle across the strings, POINTING UP, keeps his wrist straight, and uses a "twisting" motion of the forearm to slap/pop. He doesn't slam his thumb into the strings, it's a very relaxed and efficient technique.

[Gard]

Originally posted by JMX
The crucial part is getting the basic principle right.
The thumb hits the string like a piano hammer(?) would.
It actually touches the string only for a fraction of s second and bounces right off. Any technique is possible, as long as it utilizes this principle.

Yup!! I always tell my students to imagine their thumb (specifically the joint furtherest from them hand) is a ball, and they're bouncing it off the string. The hardest part of getting a good thumb/slap tone is getting that thumb to not stay on the string.

[SlapDaddy]

Steve S,
Either(or both) The "10th" slap is a useful and easy slap that utilizes the E and G strings

[Gard]

Originally posted by Steve S
I have another question about slap - when you slap the E on a four string, do you pop the G or D string?

Well, I play a 6, and slap quite a bit. There is no hard and fast rule, I'll use my thumb (slap) on my C string, and sometimes (for particular effect) I'll "pop" on the B string (you don't get much of a useful note that way, but some pretty interesting percussive sounds ). Typically though, most slap lines have a string or two between the thumb/slap and pop portions. Either octaves (one string between) or the 10th's (two strings between) that SlapDaddy mentioned are the most common slap/pop combinations. Of course I'm leaving out purely percussive/muted stuff....

[bassdork]

Get a good teacher and practice, practice, practice,.
I taught myself to slap. Not that I'm that great but I just did what felt right and sounded cool!

[Steve S]

Let me see if I've got this right....if I slap the G note on the E string, does "poppin on the 10th" mean that I pop the B note on the G string?

[Gard]

Originally posted by Steve S
Let me see if I've got this right....if I slap the G note on the E string, does "poppin on the 10th" mean that I pop the B note on the G string?

Stevearino (beats callin' ya "SS", don't it? ) -

Exactly. A 10th is a third raised an octave, so the B on the G string, 4th fret is the 10th of the G on the E string, 3rd fret. To be exact, it's the MAJOR 10th, the Bb at the 3rd fret would be the minor 10th.

In a related idea, LaRue used to do this lick in E moving up to the root that was really cool: start with a 10th slap/pop on G, an octave on the A (E 5th fret/oct at 7th, A), and then a minor 6th on B (a G on the D string 5th fret, B on the E 7th fret). Took the typical b3-4-5 octave line and made it interesting by giving it a contrary motion line on top (G-A-B ascending on the bottom, B-A-G descending on the top). I steal it all the time now, makes me look like a genius or something .

[Steve S]

Thank you for clearing this up for me. Now I know how to practice this style of playing.