Maybe its just too easy for a proper bass player, but if I could do that.... I would be a happy man.
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In Defense of Slapping
- Thread starter Bassist4Eris
- Start date
I'm a pro slapper. I'm also on the fence with these types of threads because they still attract the anti-slap folks and negative comments seems to seep through.
Here is my response to this 'non-problem' :
I like slap, and other things.
I don't care what others like.
I like slap, and other things.
I don't care what others like.
Life's too short to hate on stuff like this. I say go for it but practice those chops before you showcase them.
To me Slap is like Chineese food - when its good it's really really good, but when it's bad it's horrible. And unfortunately in the amature ranks I hear far far more bad than I do good. In the professional ranks I hear a lot of good stuff but I still can take only so much. I personally don't like to hear 20 back to back slap songs any more than I'd want to eat Chineese dinners for the next 20 days in a row. I really do like both but in moderation.
Full disclosure: finger player here (and not even great at that). Never really took to slap, tap or even a pick for the music I play.
To me Slap is like Chineese food - when its good it's really really good, but when it's bad it's horrible. And unfortunately in the amature ranks I hear far far more bad than I do good. In the professional ranks I hear a lot of good stuff but I still can take only so much. I personally don't like to hear 20 back to back slap songs any more than I'd want to eat Chineese dinners for the next 20 days in a row. I really do like both but in moderation.
Full disclosure: finger player here (and not even great at that). Never really took to slap, tap or even a pick for the music I play.
Maybe I'm crazy, but I'm not seeing a lot of hatin' going here. Not really sure any technique needs "defending" either. Are the villagers coming with pitchforks and torches? 
I think the issue is that 'slap' playing has been way over used and thus has lost any novelty. A little here and there can go a long way. Most of the slap playing I see these days is nothing more than wankery just like a lead guitarist noodling constantly.
It's easy, play what you like and leave it at that. I slap a lot, and play fingerstyle a lot. It depends on what particular sound I'm after. I slap in metal, I do fingerstyle solos in funky slap tunes. It all depends on whether I want that aggressive or rhythmic sound or not. To me it's natural to slap the B string during some 7 string guitar riffs to give me that really heavy sound. Others may want something different, and that's entirely up to them. The "hate" towards slap is just another elitist musician thing. A lot of musicians are extremely arrogant and elitist in general I'm afraid.
And most of the finger plucking I hear on bass these days is the same. So forget "hating" slap - using the kind of logic some people seem to be espousing I should just hate bass. I'm now going to go and start a "Is anyone else over bass?" thread. Wish me luck!
Okay, nice topic btw. I believe i've seen you defend slapping elsewhere on this forum, that's why i clicked
Cool. This is one case where I wouldn't mind being thought of as "that guy".
You may have a point here. Flea and Les Claypool were the bassists of the moment when I started. They definitely had an influence.
IMHO, one of the big problems with many players, slappers and non-slappers alike, is they fail to grasp that grooves need to breathe.
You may have also hit on part of the problem. Could it be that some of the younger haters simply haven't ever heard slap used as a tool for groove? Maybe all they've heard are the self-indulgent showoffs?
Exactly! What could have more potential for groove than treating the bass like a percussion instrument?
Friendly advice: advise is a verb. FWIW.
Also, this goes back to what I was saying about the uber-pros. I've learned to sight read pretty proficiently, but I have literally NEVER been called on to use it. Why? Because I play primarily in independent DIY bands where writing your own part is the rule, not the exception. If pbass6811's goal is to play in a wedding/corporate band, play sessions, play for the theater, etc, than YES, the sight reading might conceivably be the top priority. But there are many, many perfectly valid personal paths he/she could choose in which sight reading is about as crucial as your appendix.
I personally never could master that Vic Wooten double thumb thing though.
Hey, maybe I should start hating on it.
To get that sound correctly, you also need an autowah.
Uhhhh....... unless we're talking about a different kind of slapping here?
Interesting. I'm actually the exact opposite. I find it difficult to improvise with the technique effectively. I find I'm far more prone to falling back on cheap clichés. I write my slap parts and don't vary them, and when it's time to solo, I usually switch to fingerstyle.
There is one song we do where I slap the solo. The section is over a static E7 chord.
I love this post! So many people hate on Les, and say he overplays. To say "he plays what's needed for the situation" goes against all bass player orthodoxy, but I so agree. He's one of the all-time greats. He's just too weird for the more musically conservative elements among us.
"To defy the laws of tradition is a crusade only of the brave."
And thanks for the compliment.
You, sir, are just cool.
That was the most eloquent reply of the whole thread.
That's just the thing though. You can't even mention the technique without the trolls coming out. I felt it was time for something to be said.
That said, this thread has been overwhelmingly positive, and I think that's awesome.
I think MOST bass players, whether it is their cup of tea or not, don't hate on it. I guess to the minority that do, bashing something that is not "them" or "theirs" makes them feel more secure or superior. Whatever. Their threads DO get boring though, and makes them seem narrow minded and insecure. You saw someone overdo or poorly do something, once (or several times) so the whole concept is invalid? Sorry, I don't see the logic.
It's a pattern we see often, not limited to slap. Sometimes it's 5 strings, P basses, inexpensive basses, ad nausium. If you don't like something great! Do/play something different! Variety is the spice of life! Just don't whine so much!
For the record, I don't slap much, and am not very good at it.
It's a pattern we see often, not limited to slap. Sometimes it's 5 strings, P basses, inexpensive basses, ad nausium. If you don't like something great! Do/play something different! Variety is the spice of life! Just don't whine so much!
For the record, I don't slap much, and am not very good at it.
Plain and simple, "slap bass" has gone the way of the "hairband" guitar soloist in most people's eyes. It's become a pop culture cliche in the music community that people love to hate. The comments about musical "elitism" are very true. If you ever walk into a Nashville studio situation do not, under any circumstances, thump or pop a single note (even as pre-session warm ups). The producer will roll his eyes and (not so kindly) show you the door (and don't even get me started about showing up w/out a p bass). It's unfortunate that the stigma that gets associated with slap players is "guys who can't help but over play", but that's the fight you pick when you choose to un-holster that gun.
Since I first started playing 20 years ago, I've always had fun slapping, but never really used the technique in any song I've put a bass line to (and there have been many). Still, I make sure I slap out a couple lines almost every day, just to keep my hands in shape. I may not make much use of it now, but I won't rule out the possibility that it'll be perfect for a song I work on in the future.
That scenario may be true for a newbie but well known pros have no problem with any style they play. Warming up is warming up. Wooten is in Nashville, isn't he?? If you're in the studio to play a certain style, that's what get's played and recorded. Doesn't make sense to toss someone just because they warmed up playing some slap lines!
I refuse to believe Nashville is against slap bass in this day and age unless it's an old school, down home, country session and even still............
Slapping.. Hmm.. my inability to play that style even after 25+ years probably is why I am not a fan.. But that probably isn't fair.
That said, I watched a youtube video of Les Claypool and Buckethead slapping away and it was beyond annoying.
But tomato, tomahto.
And I am just some stiff sitting at a desk who plays rock star once or twice a week.
That said, I watched a youtube video of Les Claypool and Buckethead slapping away and it was beyond annoying.
But tomato, tomahto.
And I am just some stiff sitting at a desk who plays rock star once or twice a week.
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f21/slap-bass-anyone-else-over-1030245/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f22/slap-bass-overdose-981099/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f21/am-i-only-bassist-who-thinks-slap-bass-lame-977652/
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f21/slap-technique-overused-954197/
And that's just the threads. Mention slapping in ANY thread, and the comments are as predictable as they are inevitable.
We play MJ's Rock With You. I play the pocket groove as per recording - fingerstyle thru most of it, but thumb the normal notes in the prechorus/chorus sections for a little lift.
I pretty much only thumb the groove-notes you'd normally play if you were doing fingerstyle. I keep the pops for well placed fills - otherwise it can easily kill that particular groove.
Mind you - a passive P with old Roto rounds doesn't get much sizzle, so more 'old-skool slap' which suits that song really well.
I pretty much only thumb the groove-notes you'd normally play if you were doing fingerstyle. I keep the pops for well placed fills - otherwise it can easily kill that particular groove.
Mind you - a passive P with old Roto rounds doesn't get much sizzle, so more 'old-skool slap' which suits that song really well.
I will try not go deep with this, but Nashville session players/producers have a very specific way of doing things. That's why Nashville has such a signature sound, those rules keep things consistent. You can always tell projects that were done in Nashville (even beyond country) if you know what to listen for. Nashville still wages war on anything but a 4 string (p) bass for crying out loud! Yes, there are exceptions when bringing in groups who just use Nashville as a facility, but I'm talking about the working players down there who get stuff done day in and day out.
