Any bass tappers out there?

I do it on occasion. Used to have a pretty cool version of "Friday On My Mind" worked out on a 5. Nowadays I just do it for occasional chord work when I hear a part missing. Not a skill that comes up in the usual business of being a working bassist, but it's fun.

 

Yeah I'll do it sometimes... If I actually get a chance to do a solo (which usually means the guitarist popped a string and needs 15 seconds...) I'll do it for smoke and mirrors... I'll bust out the tapping part in "Eruption" and everybody flips because I'm doing it on bass... It's really not that hard once you get the mechanics down and always fun for a quick blast of notes or 2 when nobody's paying attention....

 

I've found tapping basic barre chords up and down sounds a lot cooler than it should for how easy it is. Sometimes I find tapping arpeggios easier than plucking them when I'm keeping up with my guitarists so I'll do that too. Its a lot of fun to whip out every once in a while.

 

I do it during solos if it fits and also so complete solo tunes that I've written.

 

I like to do some simple tapping stuff but it's definitely something that's beyond me. I love watching the masters at work though...Jean Baudin, Jeff Hughell, Stu Hamm...

 

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=t2zl77JiJKI

Here's some tapping!!

 

I do it a lot and find that you can get sweet melodic and rhythmic grooves with the technique.

 

I typically use tapping when I manage to get my fingers tied in knots. Sometimes I'll get all zoned out on the music and get myself in a spot where I need to cross my right hand over to cover a note or two.

I did this yesterday, there's some tapping involved.

http://soundcloud.com/rip_topaz/my-apology/s-JH5A8

 

i try. I mostly fail.

 

I tap just to p!$$ off my guitarist when he does.

One of my good friends is amazing at it. He does a 2 part blues thing that is crazy. Discouraging for me actually!

 

I do it sometimes. Check out 3:08 on this video. Not the best sound quality, but for some reason the songs people uploaded onto YouTube have vanished... I guess our record label being a bit overzealous haha.

Anyway, kinda stole the last bit from Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata.

 

I did a simple tapping pattern in the main bass riff on this tune.

 

I was invited up to jam at a concert in toronto back in 1987 with a then-currently-en-vogue instrumental jazz/classical fusion band that had a couple of albums out.

I had my buddy's dan armstrong ampeg plexiglass 4 string fretted bass with me as I happened to be there with my high school jazz band (I was still in grade 12!). concert was pretty huge, stage was giant, I was an arrogant young prick who just days before was being used as an example of how to play clean fast jazz improvised walking bass lines while accompanying a singing group... and I thought I was way better than I was.

In the brief blues jam I was offered a solo so I threw every trick I could think of into that 40 seconds.... slap, pop, speedy runs fingering each note, runs where the left hand did most of the work, high fretwork, vibrato, neck bending (!)...

and tapping

after which their bassist made some comments about eddie van halen playing bass and I walked back down into the crowd.

folks were screaming about how great it all was... I said thanks, one guy said...

"NO! YOU DOUCHE! WE'RE TALKING ABOUT {insert famous band name here}!!! WHAT A FREAKIN A$$BUMP!! HE THOUGHT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT HIM!!! HEY LOOK 'I CAN PLAY ERRUPTION ON BASS' LMFAO"

and so on.

erm...

So yea I don't tap in public now unless it's NOT for a big crowd or if it's a proper part of the song with some reason other than arrogantly trying to show off... which is exactly why I did it that first time in that big guest spot.

My ego has taken a hit many many times over the years... but that one hit hard. I honestly thought they were liking what I did LoL, I mean, others had told me as much.

So tapping - awesome. But do it for the right reasons, and do it damn well or don't bother at all :-D

 

I do it in one song. Its lots of fun to play, sounds cool and looks like I really know what I'm doing on the bass lol.

 

Never. But then again, I don't slap either.

 

I tap on Pink Floyd's "One Of These Days". It's the only way I can get that sound.

 

Oh me too, I thought by tapping the op meant evh style hammer ons and pull offs with alternating right hand fret tapping on a note.

Ala eruption. That's what I did in that I'll fated ego driven guest invitation solo that went down so badly with the crowd.

 

I tap alot more than I slap. I like to think I'm tasteful about it and I really don't do it that often, but I like to.

 

I tap, slap, pluck, finger, thumb, pop, pick, hammer on, flamenco, punch, belt, hit, and any other method that is out there ... But I haven't tried funk fingers yet ...

I actually thought I invented a couple of bass playing methods and then I saw someone else doing it on an instruction video.