Contemporary R&B: Slap is Extinct

[xafofo]

most of the r&b I hear nowadays isn't even really r&b.. it's hip hop. it's just a producer making "BEATS" on his MPC or whatever and having a singer sing a 2 note melody (root + minor 3rd). there's definitely no place for slap bass, or any live instruments for that matter

 

[diglo]

Today's R&B is trying to copy hip hop, catering more to sine bass. The smooth but boomy sound. I wish it would get it's own sound back. I feel it changed when we replaced the SOUL title with R&B. That's another subject. So that's why I think you don't have a lot of slap bass. I'm still learning this art of bass and most of my bass friends tell me to LEARN finger style more these days and just PRACTICE slapping. I prefer finger to slapping, but I grew up on too much soul music not to learn it also. If you listen to some southern hip-hop, it incorporates it more than R&B. It's not coming through like Louis Johnson, but you might hear a slap & pull running through a wah pedal. Check out some of Outkast's music. I programmed a track about a month ago using slap and keyboard bass and cat's were diggin the sound.

Also, if they hadn't came out with booming car system, you might would be hearing it a lil more today. Marcus Miller's thump doesn't come across to well runinng through 4 JL Audio 15's. HAHAHAHA!

 

[Baryonyx]

They don't like pick playing unless it's Carol Kaye making a session work.

I hear a guy called Anthony Jackson made it work for himself....

 

[Dr. Cheese]

I just bought the 2007 Erykah Badu "Amerykah Vol. 1," and heard a couple of slap/pop licks thrown in. No prominent grooves completely slapping, but those particular riffs did grab my attention, so I thought I would post the relevance here (I'll have to look up who the bass player is, haven't read the liner notes yet).

Anyway, yeah, I agree that's it's sort of passe for right now, but you never know when it could be used to great effect.

For example, anyone see the Youtube clip about Steely Dan cutting "Peg?" They specifically didn't want Chuck Rainey to slap on the tune, so he just turned around so that they wouldn't see him slapping through the studio glass on every chorus. For me, that's one of the elements that makes the tune, and even Donald Fagen and Walter Becker had to admit that it helped better the song. Given that is an old song now, but it's the same "no slap" attitude that was eventually turned around.

So, maybe if we are sneaky, we can bring slap back into the mainstream!

I finally gave Amerykah a good listen, and there was some low key plucking on "The Hump" featuring Stephen Bruner. That young man is a total monster on bass! His playing on "The Cell" would not be out of place on a chops heavy fusion record, but he makes it work on a funky Badu jam! I can see why Andrew Gouche took him under his wing and hooked him up with Mike Tobias.

 

[jgbass]

Gotta remember that in the "old days" ('60s, '70s...) popular studio tracks were mixed to sound good on 2" AM radio speakers.

Ha, wish they still were. Since I have to drive, I make it enjoyable by putting on K-ERTH (60's,70's pop/rock/Motown) car radio and enjoying those great bass lines. What a bass player's education too!