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How to pop the string without hurting your pointer finger?
- Thread starter ppatricklydonn
- Start date
Try lining your wrist up with your forearm. It's not shown in the video, but I bet your wrist is bent so your hand points more towards the ground. By straightening your wrist, you will make your popping finger (index in this case) be more parallel to the strings. It's currently more perpendicular, which has the effect of slamming your cuticle into the G string when you're popping the D string. Basically you should be popping a little more with the side of your finger vs. the tip. That will fix the cuticle issue and also make your slap playing more efficient.
Thank you very much for these suggestions! Im gonna take it slow and try to relearn a new habit.
That makes a lot of sense actually. Probably due to my hitchhikers thumb I can get my thumb pretty parallel without needing to make my wrist straight. So I need to fix that and straighten my thumb and wrist
I find one of the MOST critical things about slap/pop for me, is to have the instrument set up to allow that technique with some economy of motion and finesse. No major Flea-like histrionics for me. Plus I'm singing and slapping so I have to keep pretty tight on the mic. For the bass, that includes having fairly low action as well as string gauge that helps facilitate easier playing slap/pop technique. I'm sure I have some callous built up, unknowingly after doing it for 30+ years.
My bass-playing hero, Mark King:
I agree. There's a sweet spot where you hook just barely enough finger under the string to snap it. I use Victor Wooten's two-finger "flam" approach with the plucking/popping motion and with practice you can get two attacks on a single string with minimal wrist/hand movement. It helps a lot when you want to play too many notes and get yourself fired.
Agree with all comments so far.
A few finesse tips to look at
1. Percussive notes
- I whack the PALM side of my hand/fingets against the strings for a percussive note.
- Try using your ring and pinky fingers for this, or just the ring finger and palm whilst slapping. (may as well put them to use).
That way you don’t have to keep whacking your cuticle.
- or you don’t have to straightening & bending the Index & Middle fingers to alternate popping & muting.
2. Posture
- do you slap standing? I’d love to see how your technique & bass angle/height changes.
I prefer a lower plucking hand & more vertical neck. I slide the strap on my shoulder to get this angle.
- are you hunching or often looking at your hands? Stand in front of a mirror for better posture & ease of viewing hands.
Try playing with eyes shut to see where your body feels most relaxed when playing.
3. Tape the back of your finger.
- everyone’s anatomy is different. If this is the only position, or the best position by far for your hands…. try some bandage/adhesive sports tape only over your cuticle area.
Some Double Bassists tape their fingers a lot esp Rockabilly-Slap bass style.
Thai stuff is the ducks nutts.
A few finesse tips to look at
1. Percussive notes
- I whack the PALM side of my hand/fingets against the strings for a percussive note.
- Try using your ring and pinky fingers for this, or just the ring finger and palm whilst slapping. (may as well put them to use).
That way you don’t have to keep whacking your cuticle.
- or you don’t have to straightening & bending the Index & Middle fingers to alternate popping & muting.
2. Posture
- do you slap standing? I’d love to see how your technique & bass angle/height changes.
I prefer a lower plucking hand & more vertical neck. I slide the strap on my shoulder to get this angle.
- are you hunching or often looking at your hands? Stand in front of a mirror for better posture & ease of viewing hands.
Try playing with eyes shut to see where your body feels most relaxed when playing.
3. Tape the back of your finger.
- everyone’s anatomy is different. If this is the only position, or the best position by far for your hands…. try some bandage/adhesive sports tape only over your cuticle area.
Some Double Bassists tape their fingers a lot esp Rockabilly-Slap bass style.
Thai stuff is the ducks nutts.
Last edited:
Meant to comment on this days ago 
. My slap has evolved without me really thinking about it on a conscious level.
My primary pop finger appears to be my ring finger. The middle finger comes into play infrequently.
I can still pop with the index finger but it feels less natural and involves a slight rotation of the wrist.
On occasion I may use all three fingers (index, middle, ring) in no particular order.
Regarding the problem where you are hurting your index finger, perhaps you should explore popping with the other fingers to see if it may mitigate the problem.
The ideal choice could vary with the spacing of your strings, where you pluck, how hard you pluck, how high you wear the bass, etc.
. My slap has evolved without me really thinking about it on a conscious level. My primary pop finger appears to be my ring finger. The middle finger comes into play infrequently.
I can still pop with the index finger but it feels less natural and involves a slight rotation of the wrist.
On occasion I may use all three fingers (index, middle, ring) in no particular order.
Regarding the problem where you are hurting your index finger, perhaps you should explore popping with the other fingers to see if it may mitigate the problem.
The ideal choice could vary with the spacing of your strings, where you pluck, how hard you pluck, how high you wear the bass, etc.
Shorter strap got me in the zone. If it didn't I'd probably try taping my finger to see if I could get it to slide past the G string
Do it 1000 times a day and your finger will get tough its just like lifting weights gotta put in the hours
