Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Can I play funk without slap?
- Thread starter AdamK
- Start date
Listen to a bunch of old Philly Soul and Motown stuff. Jamerson and Babbit were masters on the bass. No slapping, and DEEP funk. So yes, you can play very funky stuff without the slap.
Listen to Joe Dart of Vulfpeck. The guy defines "funk" for me and hardly ever slaps.
Can I play funk without slap?
Absolutely! It is all about feel, groove and timing.
Absolutely! It is all about feel, groove and timing.
Funk -- like everything else about the bass -- is about being in the pocket. I play hella funky without slapping.
I have to ask - where do you draw the line between soul/R&B and funk?
Yes. You can (Maybe. I dunno. I've never heard you play). I'll at least say that it can be done.
The thing about funk is that it's all in the attack and tone, among other things.
Personally, if I were to go concentrate on playing funk, I'd go get my bass set up for it with a medium to high action. NOT MILE HIGH ACTION!!! I could do it myself, and I recommend you do the same if you know how.
From there, I find a heavy hand and digging in works best. One of the keys, in my mind, is articulation
AND DO NOT SCREW UP THE GROOVE!!!
The thing about funk is that it's all in the attack and tone, among other things.
Personally, if I were to go concentrate on playing funk, I'd go get my bass set up for it with a medium to high action. NOT MILE HIGH ACTION!!! I could do it myself, and I recommend you do the same if you know how.
From there, I find a heavy hand and digging in works best. One of the keys, in my mind, is articulation
AND DO NOT SCREW UP THE GROOVE!!!
There is SO MUCH funk out there w/o slapping.......OMG!
Has it really come to this, that people think funk = slap (or is it the other way around)?
OY!
Has it really come to this, that people think funk = slap (or is it the other way around)?
OY!
like others ... I think of it as Finger Funk ... like Tower of Power ... ' What is Hip . ? '
but learning to do an occasional thump/slap just here and there would be just fine ... for variety's sake .. ?
but learning to do an occasional thump/slap just here and there would be just fine ... for variety's sake .. ?
Whenever someone asks if he or she can play funk without slapping, it is a dead giveaway that the person in question has listened to very little funk.
That was the first thing that came to my mind as well..
Listen to "everybody on the bus", "down to the nightclub", "what is hip", "squib cakes" and so many other songs.
I got too lazy to find a creative way of saying "yes".
I'm a new owner of a very sweet P, and have been abusing my G string by hitting it with notes an octave above whatever's getting played on the A, esp on the 2 and 4. And the more I dig in, the funkier & more P-ish the sound is. Big ol' BOUMP. It's great. And nary a slap in it, just pluckin'.
With that said, it's a worthwhile technique to get familiar with, esp if you're doing covers. Even if not, at least knowing how to lay out a nice pop is good for broadening your tonal palette.
I'm a new owner of a very sweet P, and have been abusing my G string by hitting it with notes an octave above whatever's getting played on the A, esp on the 2 and 4. And the more I dig in, the funkier & more P-ish the sound is. Big ol' BOUMP. It's great. And nary a slap in it, just pluckin'.
With that said, it's a worthwhile technique to get familiar with, esp if you're doing covers. Even if not, at least knowing how to lay out a nice pop is good for broadening your tonal palette.
I agree with lfmn16, if you are playing originals well then you can play the songs anyway you write them. If you are playing slap covers with distinct slap lines then... ?
Really it deppends what the band wants from you, all of us have listened to enough funk artists to know that not only is slap bass not necessary for funk we could even name funk bands without bassists at all. But a lot of people who don't listen to much funk might expect you to play slap, and if you don't they may not want to hire you or play with you.
I wonder why you are so resistant to learn a bit of slap? I personally don't love slap either, it kind of throws your tone and mids out the window and makes everything sound like "clackity clack clack." For instance I much prefer Fleas tone when he isn't slapping. When he slaps it just sounds like loose tingy roundwounds snapping off a fretboard. Just my oppinion. But that being said, I can do enough of it to get by in certain sittuations if a song calls for it or is expected, and it's quite fun even if it's not my favorite tone.
Now about that George Porter Jr. video, I never saw him slap before either but I am even more suprised to see him playing through that Ampeg! When did this happen?
I get verbal compliments on my slapping, but I see more people grooze when I get downright funky (which is usually without slapping). Aside from the obvious funk artists already mentioned above, listen to Jamerson on all those Motown recordings... no slap, tons o' funk.
To answer the question.....yes...you can definitely play funk without slap.
