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Contemporary R&B: Slap is Extinct
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
I agree. There's something about slapping that makes it sound so fixed in time -- so dated.
One of my personal pet peeves is that you can play a whole evening of brilliant fingerstyle bass, and barely get noticed, and then you slap two notes and some drunken clown in the audience screams "Woo-hoo" or "NOW we're talkin'!" or something. Never fails.
I'm a big fan of most styles. Rocco is great and so is Larry Graham. I like to try and be a well rounded bassist which includes slapping. I like it when done tastefully and well executed. Never really cared too much about what someone watching likes. Drunken clowns are not where you want to get your validation.
I like Robert Trujillo's comments about slapping with Metallica-
Fans of the band will say "Seinfeld in the house".
Nice avatar.
Funny...just today, my co-worker was talking about watching ZARDOZ last night. He said his wife couldn't hang.
I could never understand anyone who thought Seinfeld reminded them of an electric bass unless one is never around an electric bass. It so obviously sounds like a digital synthesizer to me.
Last year, I just put new strings on my bass and was warming up at the gig when I guy I've played with for years said "hey that sounds like Seinfeld" I turned to him and said, you do know that the Seinfeld show is keyboard bass, he didn't!
That statement is soooo true. Yes, I'm sick of people requesting the Seinfel theme. I a klutz with keys.:scowl:
Does he look like this?
Link Removed <<<<< Edit: dude puking image
But seriously, s--t like that made me want to quit thumping altogether.
I think the main reason slap isn't as prominent these days in recordings is because slap is usually used in the context of a live show. I think there should be some distinction of a groups live act and their studio offerings, its a totally different thing.
"That Estelle song, "American Boy" is another example."-Dr. Cheese
^this is the perfect example...this song is playing in most malls and radio stations across America and possibly abroad, do yourself a favor and look up that song live on youtube, her bassist is amazingly nasty and slaps through the whole song. (my band actually covered it at a gig...look up Ampersand Gainesville on youtube, I cant get on youtube here at work or I would post a link).
With that being said, the reason slap is mostly prominent in Gospel music is because Gospel music is usually live. There is very little "Gospel" music that I like that was recorded in a studio (even Fred Hammond's newest has toned town slap on cd, you got to watch the DVD!).
And all that really goes to a deeper subject of America's younger generation hardly has appreciation for good live show/music. There is a reason many bands aren't putting out Live albums, non musicians just dont always get it.
"That Estelle song, "American Boy" is another example."-Dr. Cheese
^this is the perfect example...this song is playing in most malls and radio stations across America and possibly abroad, do yourself a favor and look up that song live on youtube, her bassist is amazingly nasty and slaps through the whole song. (my band actually covered it at a gig...look up Ampersand Gainesville on youtube, I cant get on youtube here at work or I would post a link).
With that being said, the reason slap is mostly prominent in Gospel music is because Gospel music is usually live. There is very little "Gospel" music that I like that was recorded in a studio (even Fred Hammond's newest has toned town slap on cd, you got to watch the DVD!).
And all that really goes to a deeper subject of America's younger generation hardly has appreciation for good live show/music. There is a reason many bands aren't putting out Live albums, non musicians just dont always get it.
I think it still says something about a change in taste that slap is not on studio songs very much. Exactly what it says, however, I do not know.
My take is that most songs are not written on bass and many times the bassline is NOT up to the discretion of the bassist. Unless a bassist has control over what they play, most likely you won't get a slapped bassline. So while you won't hear much slap on most R&B or Pop recordings, you will hear it on some Contemporary Jazz and Gospel music where musicians are allowed a bit more freedom and creativity! You will also hear more slap bass during live shows. Slap ain't going away folks. There's way too many bassists out there with way too much time invested in the art!
This is probably not the right thread to say this but....I'm kind of digging those videos of them ! (Never heard of Bleach before....definitely not something I listen to regularly... !)
A total reversal from the late '70s-mid '80s, huh?
I'm sure we have all read comments about Anthony Jackson not getting a lotta work in that time frame 'cause he was not into "slapping for slapping's sake" (he commented how slapping was even heard on ballads...how b7s/Root was used on major-sounding tunes, etc).
When auditioning for a gig, I was always asked, within the first minute (IIRC)-
"Can you play slap bass"?
This is funny - I've had "mature" studio cats, music teachers and band leaders completely reject the slap technique, only to warm up once it's put in a funky context. I mean, if Marcus comes to your gig and he decides to thump it, you're going to sound awesome!
Heck, I play salsa with an Ampeg Baby Bass and gut strings. I was told for years that electric bass was wack. Then I show up with a Tobias and all the guys now want to hear slap tumbaos, to make it sound funky and turn up the amp!
People don't like tap, unless it's beautiful. They don't like pick playing unless it's Carol Kaye making a session work. They don't like slap unless you make it a deep groove.
Bottom line, if you hit the bass with a Chilean sea bass and people feel it, you'll get work.
Heck, I play salsa with an Ampeg Baby Bass and gut strings. I was told for years that electric bass was wack. Then I show up with a Tobias and all the guys now want to hear slap tumbaos, to make it sound funky and turn up the amp!
People don't like tap, unless it's beautiful. They don't like pick playing unless it's Carol Kaye making a session work. They don't like slap unless you make it a deep groove.
Bottom line, if you hit the bass with a Chilean sea bass and people feel it, you'll get work.
