Is slap necessary for a working bassist?

[Nephilymbass]

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.

I’m more of a weekend warrior. I do play some slap. Some for covers. I remember the first slap line I learned was “take the power back” by rage against the machine. Have recorded 6 albums of original music but none of those albums have more than one slapping section of one song per album. So it’s not a huge part of my playing but I do like to throw it in from time to time. More so lately as it’s really fun to play slap on my Dingwall. I do very much try to avoid the stereotypical “look at me in guitar center” generic form of slapping though. Here’s an example of me playing an original slap part if you go to around 34:30 this slap part is all open low b and low C with some double stops and ghost notes.

 

[punchdrunk]

Not at all

 

[Axtman]

Years ago I took a workshop from Norm Stockton entitled "Bass Pyrotechnics".

Norm started off telling the class, "What I am about to show you will probably get you fired." (That is definitely an attention grabbing opening statement!) He then proceeded to show us popping, slapping, hammer-ons, two-hand playing (like what Eddie Van Halen did on his solos), etc.

 

[stretch80]

They're usually just amazed that I learned their audition list.

That made me laugh! But you're right. Play the songs well, sound good.

FWIW, I'm in a similar boat - older, very experienced player, and I decided to clean up my weak slap technique this year. Just slowing down and working on it has been fun. Not sure how much I'll actually use it -- like others, the things I play don't often demand it - but it's fun to pop in a little!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

I'm curious if anyone can recommend a definitive slap method system to work on developing slap. I have yet to find anything that works for me. Thanks.

Get a teacher for a month or two. Learning slap on my own ended up with me doing some things very wrong.

 

[GretschWretch]

Every time I try to get in some slap practice, some neighborhood kid shows up and offers to start my lawnmower for me.

 

[Danny O Danny]

I learned the technique back in the 80's from Beaver Felton's Superchops 4 Bass (on cassette!). Haven't had a need to use the technique in about 30 years, but maybe that's due to the genres I've played. Though judging from how often slapping is done on YouTube bass demonstration videos, it still seems to be popular somewhere.

 

[Dr. Keebs]

I’m not an advanced slapper, but I do have a medium degree of facility when needed. It does depend on the job.

 

[BaltoNealio]

I love slap bass, but no other musicians I have ever played with did

LOL! I’m okay with the technique, better at slapping than poppin,’ or at least feel more confident with slap. Devil that I can be at times, during rehearsals, when the going gets slow (usually lead guitar coaching the drummer or singer through a gnarly part), I’ll intentionally annoy them by playing a little bit of Freddie Washington’s bass slap n pop groove in Forget Me Nots. They’ve been stunned that I could play it well, but expressed their annoyance with my slappin’ when I should have been displaying a more pro attitude by being patient.

As soon as they made their point I slapped a little Bill Withers Just the Two of Us. After the eye rolls, titty twisters on me, and playful ass kicking, they eventually accepted the goofiness and I seriously curtailed the adolescent transgressions.

We play mostly punk, some straight R&R, so slap n pop ain’t welcomed. My preference is finger style, but I need to use picking a lot. Green Day’s When I Come Around has one brief pop.

 

[3bc]

Seems to me that people tend to seek work doing things that they enjoy. If you enjoy slap maybe you are more likely to be looking for modern jazz/gospel/funk opportunities than someone who loves playing a p bass with flats. I imagine crucial for some and faux pas for the other 98% of us!

 

[pbass2]

I haven't needed to slap professionally since the 80's except for a couple times. That's because slap waned over the years since then in popularity (unless you count Youtube bass demos and people at Guitar Center), and the genres I have worked in mostly - rootsy American music, indie rock/pop, reggae, dub, neo soul, folky stuff, punk and a few others - typically don't call for it. But I have had to slap a few times in a tongue-in-cheek capacity on a few sessions though, as little overdubs.

 

[thabassmon]

Most of the time you won't need it, but you may come across a tune in which a section or fill is played with a slap technique.

Like any technique, it can be taken to ridiculously complex levels, but the basics are not hard it is just another way to play a string after all.

I'd recommend going to to the source and learning to play some Sly and the Family Stone (Even Sly played slap on a few of the tunes). Check out how Larry Graham actually plays it, he ain't hitting hard.

 

[Smooth_bass88]

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.

I'm a very busy working bass player, do a lot of sessions, have worked with Kenny Aronoff, Peter Tork, and otheres. I've been doing this for many years and play virtually every kind of music.

I can count on one hand using maybe three fingers the number of times I've been called on to slap n pop. People just don't require it anymore and honestly I don't want to known as someone who does it because I don't want to come off as sounding busy or show-off'y.

 

[BrotherMister]

Thank God I have never had to play Rent or Return to Forbidden Planet !! CATS however still has me seeing a therapist occasionally after all these years!!!!

It sounds like we have had parallel careers my friend!

Cats is awful. Basically any Andrew Lloyd Webber show starts to have things for the sake of having them!

 

[Rayjay]

If you just don’t do slap no matter what, snd the boss asks you to slap, you better be able to do something really good in its place and bring it! Because if you don’t, he’s gonna hire someone with a callous on their thumb.

 

[thmsjordan]

I'm a very busy working bass player, do a lot of sessions, have worked with Kenny Aronoff, Peter Tork, and otheres. I've been doing this for many years and play virtually every kind of music.

I can count on one hand using maybe three fingers the number of times I've been called on to slap n pop. People just don't require it anymore and honestly I don't want to known as someone who does it because I don't want to come off as sounding busy or show-off'y.

Yes, I have few big names on my resume as well and honestly it is best to speak softly and carry faultless time, a great pocket, and an easy to work with persona if you want to get somewhere. I get where you are coming from and it has worked for me as well. I keep coming back to this video and while his playing is what some may consider old, old old school, his advice is as sage now as it ever was. He doesn't mention time and pocket but he plays with both. The intonation advice is good but if you play fretted, have your bass properly adjusted, and keep it in tune you have that covered. The money is in being a great sideman, being able to deliver what your employer wants and 98% of the time that is a good sound, good time and a line that supports the music. I suppose the other 2% that uses slap is useful too if you end up being asked to deliver it:

 

[tbz]

I started playing bass in the late 90s when slap and pop and/or slap + strum were both very popular.

Primus was, technically speaking, a pop band at the time. RHCP was everywhere. Incubus still had Dirk/Alex. Korn was big. etc, etc.

So, as a "child" of that era, I went pretty far down the slap rabbit hole. More or less learned everything Primus did through 2001 or so.

I've really only used those chops, in the intervening 20ish years, in original bands. Even in those cases it was only an option in bands where it made sense musically. e.g. drums, bass, guitar, vocal things.

If you add in keys, or a second guitar, it's really hard to do any sort of advanced slapping or strumming, while keeping roles and sonic space sorted out. My personal take is that Les Claypool, for example, would never have gotten away with being Les, if he didn't write the songs, if he didn't sing the songs, or if Primus had a 4th instrument.

In the highest caliber music situations I've played in (e.g. gigs and jams with people much better than me) slap is usually considered kind of a joke technique. Their attitude is more of "oh that's a thing wankers do at NAMM".

So, no. Outside of a very basic ability, you'll rarely use those chops. Unless you're in a Primus cover band, or are working on originals where it's needed.

 

[thmsjordan]

Cats is awful. Basically any Andrew Lloyd Webber show starts to have things for the sake of having them!

HA!! Ok, Ok, but if you wanna start a fight we are going to have to change the subject because I am total agreement .. lol.

 

[JeezyMcNuggles]

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.

Not really. Slap is never necessary. Neither is a pick. Neither are roundwound, flatwound, or tapewound strings.

Although, in times, they all prove themselves to be perfect for those times.

 

[Freekmagnet]

True story: back in the late 80s-early 90s my band shared management with none other than Primus. As a result, we shared a lot of bills with Primus. At the time, the entire Bay Area was in the throes of a massive “thrash-funk” scene, which basically amounted to a lot of renegades from the local heavy metal scene discovering “funk” for the first time and regurgitating a fast and overly syncopated interpretation of funk music.

Being a lifelong R&B fan, I was aghast at how un-funky this music was. I heard and saw so many kids slapping maniacally in such a short period of time, and it became a kind of arms race of slap bass. Eventually, I decided it would be OK if never heard slap bass again. Unless it’s Larry Graham and a few other exceptions.