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Any comments on my slap style?

Eric Braunstein

Eric Braunstein

Nov 14, 2005
33
0
38
New York, NY
#1
Been playing bass for about 10 years, but just started playing slap over the summer. I feel like my technique is coming along, but when I watch pro videos they seem to look kind of different than the way I figured out to do it. Something about having their thumb more out from their hand and not really "slapping" as much. Not really sure how they do it and still get the sound. Any comments on my video would be appreciated. I know that the bass playing isn't perfect (we didn't have too much time to prepare).



Also apologies about the poor sound quality. My camera isn't great for video.

Edit: Also if you have any comments on the bass solo about 3:05 in that would be cool too. :-)
 
#2
Good cover and I like how all your guitars match :) I thought the solo was pretty good as well, very energetic.

I used to take lessons and I was told that ideally your thumb should be horizontal along the string when slapping whereas yours is almost vertical or at a 45 deg. angle. You might have to move your bass higher to do that. Also, according to the way I learned slap, you should be using the the wrist as a pivot point to hit the string and not be moving your arm much. It does help to do it this way IMO when you start using double thumb technique and more advanced things like that. It sounds fine as-is though so maybe there's no need. My teacher also said there's no wrong way to do anything there's just more and less efficient ways (unless a technique causes some sort of repetitive stress injury or something like that)
 
#4
Eric, you're off to the races, just keep on keepin' on. Make small adjustments and use your judgment about what feels and sounds best. Get your hands on a good method book and compare your style to what the pros are doing. I think you've got a great start going.

P.S.--Maybe you and the guys can tap your feet or move just a little bit?
 
#5
It is sad that we can't hear you very well because I would have like to hear what you do since I did that song too some years ago.

And your slap, well you have the same position of Flea. Maybe not the best for advanced technic like double thumb. For the sound well, if you like it good. If it was the best for the song = no.
 
#6
J. Montgomery said:
Just take a deep breath and relax, try to lay back in the groove a little more.
Click to expand...

electracoyote said:
Maybe you and the guys can tap your feet or move just a little bit?
Click to expand...

Yea, it was the first song of our first show, so we were all a little nervous and stiff looking. We've definitely since gotten better about moving around and looking a little more into it. :bassist:
In fact really just better in general I think.
 
#7
Mayers said:
And your slap, well you have the same position of Flea. Maybe not the best for advanced technic like double thumb. For the sound well, if you like it good. If it was the best for the song = no.
Click to expand...

I have to agree, get the technique right... but learn the way Flea plays it as well. Two different techniques altogether in my opinion. Besides the more conventional (thumb up or parallel to the strings) leaves you open to options like double thumbing like Mayers said above.
 
#8
hey-
Glad you mentioned this because ive been struggling with the same thing. I have been slapping the way you/flea do if for probably 6/7 years now and am only just starting to realize I really wanna switch so that my thumb is parallel to the string. My advice to you is learn how to do this "different position" from the beggining because its a LOT harder for me to switch after having developed so many grooves that i play in this position.

Question for "parallel slapping" people: STRING CROSSINGS....what attracted me to the angled thumb approach is how easy it is to play octaves, 5ths etc becuase your thumb is naturally a string or two down from your fingers. When moving your thumb parallel to teh string do you then move your whole hand over two strings to hit an octave?

P.S. if this is considered a "thread hijack" i will accept the proper verbal abuse. I've just been wondering about this for a long time...
 
#9
g&lplayer said:
hey-
Question for "parallel slapping" people: STRING CROSSINGS....what attracted me to the angled thumb approach is how easy it is to play octaves, 5ths etc becuase your thumb is naturally a string or two down from your fingers. When moving your thumb parallel to teh string do you then move your whole hand over two strings to hit an octave?
Click to expand...

I do move my whole hand. You pretty much have to to stay parallel. It's somewhat automatic now and I really had to think about it to even visualize how I do it. Usually though I would be popping the octave so in that scenario my hand is in the same place. Also I usually only slap the E or A string so my right hand doesn't really have to move very much.
 
#11
The slap was fine (much like Flea plays it), and man I wish I had played bass for 10 years! Tonewise I'd favor the back PU and add some highs.
Completely unrelated to the OP but I didn't feel much communication between you and the drummer. I like to set up to the drummers hihat so that we can really look at each other to keep a good pulse. It's the difference in a band and a bunch of guys on stage playing their parts.
 
#12
g&lplayer said:
How is this possible if your thumb is parallel to the string? wouldnt you need to move your hand two strings over to get the octave? or do you just reach over two strings with your plucking finger?
Click to expand...
My thumb would still be above the slapped string and I would leave my hand in the same place and then pluck with my pointer finger 2 strings down. That's the way I've seen move people do it. It should work unless you have really tiny hands and huge string spacing. Hard to type what it actually looks like though. Check out this guy at about 0:55 seconds into the video and you'll see what I'm talking about visually.

 
#13
johnboy65 said:
Completely unrelated to the OP but I didn't feel much communication between you and the drummer. I like to set up to the drummers hihat so that we can really look at each other to keep a good pulse. It's the difference in a band and a bunch of guys on stage playing their parts.
Click to expand...

Yea you're definitely right in this song (and the show in general). Watching the recording you can feel that the bass and drums aren't quite together. We didn't move the drum set far enough forward and we found out afterwards that the drummer was having a really hard time hearing anything because he was behind the amps. Anyway we've since corrected it and I think we are a lot more in sync and together now.
 
#17
Eric Braunstein said:
Been playing bass for about 10 years, but just started playing slap over the summer. I feel like my technique is coming along, but when I watch pro videos they seem to look kind of different than the way I figured out to do it. Something about having their thumb more out from their hand and not really "slapping" as much. Not really sure how they do it and still get the sound. Any comments on my video would be appreciated. I know that the bass playing isn't perfect (we didn't have too much time to prepare).



Also apologies about the poor sound quality. My camera isn't great for video.

Edit: Also if you have any comments on the bass solo about 3:05 in that would be cool too. :-)
Click to expand...


I didn't watch the clip, but I think you're talking about double thumb. I have the slap and pop style down very well, but that double thumb technique is going to take another year or so for me to learn well. I can almost do it, but ulimately it sounds like string farts right now :)
 

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