Is slap necessary for a working bassist?

[easyj]

...or you could just use a Korg M1 to play Seinfeld and skip the slap bass skills.

 

[WrapRough]

Here’s are good example of his slap tone. Very clean and excellent technique...

Nice.

Love Detroit, I'm learning it at the moment. That damn double thumb bit is above my current ability though, which is very annoying.

 

[thmsjordan]

Honestly that stuff just does not impress me. What impresses me on bass is when you lay a groove that instantly makes me nod my head. That's what bass is for me. Anyone can practice loads and get really good technically, but not everyone can lay down a stanky groove and make people move

I totally agree but slap can be part of that. It seems like slap has progressed or digressed depending upon your point of view into what might be described as:

1. Ensemble friendly stuff that is tastefully done as in this clip in which Nathan East handles slap with musicality and grace while integrating it into his fingerstyle playing.


2. Pyrotechnics that seem really over the top


I am far more interested in playing like in the first example and not interested at all with the second.

My point is I suppose that like you mention, example 1 gets my foot tapping and head nodding and type two just makes me want to click away to something else. SO for me playing a really good groove and doing music well has little to do with pyrotechnics and more with serving the spirit of the composition. You CAN do that with slap as Nathan East so eloquently shows here.

as an aside (But a relevant one) your post reminds me of a life changing experience I had when I was in my 30's. I had been a super chops guy up to that point, playing as if I were being paid by the note and not really making a lot of music in the process. Then I went to hear Ray Brown's trio live. All night he played nothing much faster than a 16th note at moderate tempos and nothing much higher on the fingerboard than a Bb above the octave G on the top string. What he did do however was this: He had every foot in the place tapping and every head nodding along with the beat. With nothing more than what I described, he captivated a huge room of listeners of all ages for an entire evening. Everyone was smiling as they went to their cars afterwards. That night changed everything about how I approached the bass from that moment forward so, I get what you are saying and I dig it.

I suppose to those of you who are dissing slap style I would say this. There is more than one type of slap style going on out there. Some of it is extremely showy and perhaps self serving and some of it is just sublime the way it propels the groove forward. Don't throw out the baby with the bath water.

 

[BasEd]

Nice.

Love Detroit, I'm learning it at the moment. That damn double thumb bit is above my current ability though, which is very annoying.

Yes that double thumb thing is awkward. Keep your wrist and thumb straight (rigid) and move at your elbow using your thumb like a pick.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I've played in over 100 bands. I currently play in a heavily booked wedding/club band. I know how to slap. I've never had to slap outside of a RHCP tribute I played in for a short while.

 

[Kael]

Gawd I love funk funerstyle !!! I knew what you meant though. We have a new bass term !!! I love it.

Meh, I typed that on my phone at a stoplight. I will stand by my error though. I die on this hill.

 

[WrapRough]

Meh, I typed that on my phone at a stoplight. I will stand by my error though. I die on this hill.

We're gonna need a demo of this funerstyle you speak of

 

[Pops OB]

After all of these answers, I need to revise my simple “no” above. Slap is SOMETIMES necessary for a bassist. Occasionally, the drummer needs to be slapped and the lead guitarist always needs slapping.

Is it necessary to slap my bass? No.

 

[logdrum]

Upright slap -- for all the *Billy genres are often more rhythmically complicated than the bass guitar slap - and they can do entire sets slapping away - yeah more endurance than Wooten and others. Very hard to do and my hats to those guys and gals.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Slap Bass?

 

[JonathanPDX]

These threads always go exactly the same way:

"Should I learn to do a thing?"

"I don't know how to do it and nobody else should either!"

 

[LowActionHero]

I don't play many songs that 'need' slap, but when I do, I'd like to do it right. I don't need to be Flea, but I'd like to pull the basics off authentically and without embarrassing myself. So I do practice it sometimes. Plus I just don't like idea of some technique I can't do at least reasonably well, and I like to learn.

 

[dan1952]

Learning to slap is only necessary if you are going to go to the NAMM show and wank for hours in every bass exhibit booth for the whole weekend...

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Hey you wacky hipsters

I just wanted to say that this post was inspired by the venerable Dr Cheese who inspired me to ask this question. In his thread "What aspect of your technique impresses you the least?" I noticed many players bemoaning their poor slap technique. I am 61 now and have had a very busy freelance career doing Show work, Jazz gigs, and Classical orchestral work to the point where I never learned to "slappa da bass". I recently left the Eastern US and relocated back to my home town (fairly good sized city btw) to spent my later years with family. I gotta say I was never asked to use it by anyone who hired me and only close friends I play with are asking me to play more contemporary jazz stuff that has it in the original recording. So I am considering putting the student hat on after all these years to learn.


NOW - this is not a post to either endorse or discourage slap technique but rather to ask: What do you gents and ladies think? What is your experience? Is it a necessary part of a working bassists tool kit? Please include what you do in your answer. Are you a bedroom bassist? Session player? Weekend Warrior? Teacher? etc.

I already have my answer. My experience has been that I never really needed it and I know of lots of UBER FUNKY players such as Jimmy Johnson, Paul Jackson, Rocco Prestia, Jaco Pastorious etc. who got by without it and there are numerous examples of players who use it well. It is always interesting to learn new things and so I want to hear from all or you.

If you play that kind of music where slap is appropriate, you’d better learn how to do it. If you don’t, and never will (as it is in my case), why bother?

 

[Watchootognbout]

Do you plan on playing ALL types of music?
Taking any gig offered regardless of your preference?
Do you want to be a "jack of all trades"?
Then yes.

Otherwise no.

 

[Billy Bob Bass]

Hey you wacky hipsters

I just wanted to say that this post was inspired by the venerable Dr Cheese who inspired me to ask this question. In his thread "What aspect of your technique impresses you the least?" I noticed many players bemoaning their poor slap technique. I am 61 now and have had a very busy freelance career doing Show work, Jazz gigs, and Classical orchestral work to the point where I never learned to "slappa da bass". I recently left the Eastern US and relocated back to my home town (fairly good sized city btw) to spent my later years with family. I gotta say I was never asked to use it by anyone who hired me and only close friends I play with are asking me to play more contemporary jazz stuff that has it in the original recording. So I am considering putting the student hat on after all these years to learn.


NOW - this is not a post to either endorse or discourage slap technique but rather to ask: What do you gents and ladies think? What is your experience? Is it a necessary part of a working bassists tool kit? Please include what you do in your answer. Are you a bedroom bassist? Session player? Weekend Warrior? Teacher? etc.

I already have my answer. My experience has been that I never really needed it and I know of lots of UBER FUNKY players such as Jimmy Johnson, Paul Jackson, Rocco Prestia, Jaco Pastorious etc. who got by without it and there are numerous examples of players who use it well. It is always interesting to learn new things and so I want to hear from all or you.

There's no need to slap a working bassist.

 

[Rottie Roo Roo]

00s nu metal

 

[dasherf17]

Hey you wacky hipsters

I just wanted to say that this post was inspired by the venerable Dr Cheese who inspired me to ask this question. In his thread "What aspect of your technique impresses you the least?" I noticed many players bemoaning their poor slap technique. I am 61 now and have had a very busy freelance career doing Show work, Jazz gigs, and Classical orchestral work to the point where I never learned to "slappa da bass". I recently left the Eastern US and relocated back to my home town (fairly good sized city btw) to spent my later years with family. I gotta say I was never asked to use it by anyone who hired me and only close friends I play with are asking me to play more contemporary jazz stuff that has it in the original recording. So I am considering putting the student hat on after all these years to learn.


NOW - this is not a post to either endorse or discourage slap technique but rather to ask: What do you gents and ladies think? What is your experience? Is it a necessary part of a working bassists tool kit? Please include what you do in your answer. Are you a bedroom bassist? Session player? Weekend Warrior? Teacher? etc.

I already have my answer. My experience has been that I never really needed it and I know of lots of UBER FUNKY players such as Jimmy Johnson, Paul Jackson, Rocco Prestia, Jaco Pastorious etc. who got by without it and there are numerous examples of players who use it well. It is always interesting to learn new things and so I want to hear from all or you.

"Is slap necessary for a working bassist?"
Only if he misses a lot of notes...
No, just kidding...
Nothing is really necessary...playing exactly like the record, exact notes "everytime"...when the mood hits, do it...if everything's synched up, sure, why not?

 

[bigbottom32]

The key word here is "working". To working consistently as a bassist or in any other musical capacity you need to be a versatile as possible. Living and working in the melting pot of Southern California for over 40 years, I've had to sharpen my skills playing styles and genres that I don't particularly care for to keep myself in the game, or else be left off the list of players that can "do the job". With the sound and texture slap bass being firmly established in popular music worldwide, I would say the answer is YES. You don't have to slap like Marcus Miller, but you need to be able to pull off some of his lines if that's what the gig calls for.