How to learn slapping?

[NotHereNow]

Hey guys. I’m looking to improve my slap technique. Does anyone have a recommendation for a book or online lessons? Looking for a beginner level system.

 

[icarus88]

Book: Ed friedland's bass method book, last part.

 

[Groove Doctor]

I tried 3-4 methods over 20 years before I morphed them together into my own style.

Try a few of the ones recommended and see what fits best with you. Marcus Miller and Stu Hamm and Mark King (Level 42) methods were a terrible fit for me personally. YMMV.

I’m closer to Abe Laboriel’s style now, but I really wasn’t anywhere capable of his technique when I started was my journey.

Be patient with yourself…

 

[ajkula66]

Jonas Hellborg's "Thumb Basics" book. Likely out of print, but it should be obtainable second-hand.

 

[Klangfarbe]

 

[malukopower]

Adding to the discussion, how do you guys specifically do the thumb?

I feel that I can get a much more clearer and loud sound when resting my thumb on the string below right after the strike. But when I try just to bounce my thumb on the string I'm slapping, I can't get that great slap sound. Any tips on how can I get a better sound of it without needing to strike through and rest on the next string?

 

[pepj]

You need to set the bass up for that bounce because if you don't, you'll never be able to do it.
Go into a shop and try various basses and you'll find some basses will not do it and others just can.
You just want to roll the wrist and hit with the bone of the thumb.
And at the time, follow up with a left hand slap to shut the string down.

Alternatively, strike down in a picking motion and pull up... which is a whole new take on the thumb thing.

 

[mambo4]

Mark J Smith ( Talkingbass.net) has a you tube playlist for beginner slap lessons

 

[enricogaletta]

In my opinion the best book for beginners is still SLAP IT, it would give you the knowlodgments to understand and develop your own slap dictionary if you do it step by step. Don't think about learning challenging tunes, that will come later and it would be easier then what you think.
Then there are other books to go on advanced way of playing it.
Here are some samples from Slap It:

 

[Deleted member 409773]

I never learned slapping with tutorials. I'm a former guitarist and I started playing the slap bass for fun in the rehearsal room (because I loved Level 42 in the '90s).

 

[lowfreqgeek]

Others will have to give book and video recommendations, but I was given a piece of advice almost 30 years ago that has served me well: "it's like opening the peanut butter jar". Yes, it gets more complicated that than, but that's essentially the wrist motion.

The guy that told me that was a Nashville bassist and not a small fellow...

 

[ryco]

I started in earnest with "Slappin': a Complete Study of Slap Technique" by Marc Ensign
then read through "Percussive Slap Bass" by Chris Matheos

Also the old Star Video (now Hal Leonard) of Louie Johnson "Instructional Bass"
= "and now this is lick #9 -- and everybody asks me 'how do you do that?' - and now I can finally tell you that I don't know". Rest easy, Louis, ya done good!!
"I wanna haul off and see those thumbs a*flyin'!" What a prince!

 

[InhumanResource]

Hey guys. I’m looking to improve my slap technique. Does anyone have a recommendation for a book or online lessons? Looking for a beginner level system.

Books and videos are great, but nothing beats an honest to goodness lesson with a good teacher. It took like one lesson for me to understand what I was doing wrong and I was off to the races after that.

 

[tshapiro]

Might sound odd, but, learn to do the classic 16th note funk rhythm on guitar. At the same time, commit 6 months to playing everything on bass using only slap… blues, rock, jazz and funk(obviously). Do these 2 things and your slap playing will be the envy of all bass players… like mine


My secret sauce: new strings, super low action, scooped EQ, amp turned up loud, play with a soft touch, mute your pops, amp and speaker cab must have lots of head room.