Is slap necessary for me?

[Josh Kneisel]

As a fellow bassist who cant slap.... It's not terribly important as far as I've noticed to getting gigs since most styles don't really call for it, but every tool is worth trying to master.

 

[bholder]

Well, one thing that can help is that it's more your wrist. Your thumb is along for the ride.

Yeah, except every how to slap video I've ever seen shows the right thumb bent back at almost a 90 degree angle, creating a nice big round bump on the side of the knuckle. Mine doesn't bend at all past dead straight. I still haven't seen a slap video that was slow motion enough for me to understand what's actually going on - anyone know of good examples?

 

[Killed_by_Death]

Should I stoop over to slap?

Only you can make that choice, but I never will.
I find it kind of weird that so many people think slap is how bass is played & that if you don't then something is wrong with you.

 

[Flatwoundround]

When I first started to TRY to learn slap my wife threatened to leave me if I didn't stop immediately, so I gave up even trying. Then a few years later the band I am in wanted me to play a Chilli Peppers song with slapping. So I learned how to do it and got smoother and smoother with it although I do not play machine gun slap style. Whats so great about it is the percussive aspect with the ghost notes, it will help you with rhythm for sure though. People always are like "wow!" when you play it but it really is not that big a deal to learn the basics of it - a few months of practicing half hour a day

 

[primusfan1989]

Hello all. I play bass more then 10 years but I practice seriously for 2 years.

I play with two metal bands that include covers from heavy metal to progressive. I play Iron maiden to Dream Theater to Death etc. And I have 2 hours practice routine for weekdays and 4-5 hours for weekends. But routine does not include any slap practices because I don't need slap for our genre.

when I talk with other bass players, they measure my qualification with slap playing and most of them are amazed when they hear I don't play slap also one of my guitarist too( we play death metal and he knows there is no place for slap). I don't have any motivation to practice slap because I have lots of to do with finger style - fast plucking, shredding, tapping, fretless playing etc. Do I miss something without slap? Maybe practicing slap improve other bass technics too, I don'n know? Should I stoop over to slap?

Slap bass is no measure of how good a bass player your are, its just one technique amongst many. Personally I find slap bass to be incredibly tacky and very dated sounding (coming from the p bass + flats guy, i can appreciate the irony, no offense to those who do slap, this is just my opinion in reference to my playing).

At the end of the day do whats right for you, if finger style is what you like keep going with it. Their is no rule that requires bass players to play slap bass or play with their fingers or play with a pick. They're all paint brushes, use them however you'd like

 

[jazzyvee]

Can you silence the roaring sound of Niagara Falls?
It's strange but my fingers don't hurt.

Thanks for you nice words.

I use that double thumbing only when we play "What is Hip?" and it doesn't hurt my fingers either but it does wear out my thumbnail and make my forearm ache if we start it off at the wrong tempo.

 

[Volunteerk9]

I can't slap to save my soul, my thumb just doesn't work that way. Never needed to, either. Then again, I'm an old rocker fart.

I'm in the same boat as you. I've tried, and tried, and tried. My 15 year old son came in the living room one day while I was attempting to slap and asked why I was so mad at my bass because I was beating the stew out of it. I'm envious of those that can but I personally give up on trying to learn.

 

[FirewalZ]

IMO technique is only matters to the extent that it helps you play what you hear in your head......I dont hear much slapping/tapping internally when playing, so I don't focus on those techniques. However, if I hear some other cool sound or run that I am unable to play....thats what I practice.

 

[jazzyvee]

Anyway, IMO slap is a lot like garlic. It has its uses, but a little bit goes a long way and it's not appropriate in all circumstances. Plus people went crazy for it in the 70s and 80s. Yep, just like garlic!

I'd rather slap than use garlic......

 

[AngelCrusher]

Yeah, except every how to slap video I've ever seen shows the right thumb bent back at almost a 90 degree angle, creating a nice big round bump on the side of the knuckle. Mine doesn't bend at all past dead straight. I still haven't seen a slap video that was slow motion enough for me to understand what's actually going on - anyone know of good examples?

Can you make the thumbs up sign with your hand? That's really it in essence. I have been slapping for 20 years. Its so much more about the wrist.

 

[brianrost]

Do I miss something without slap?

Nope, you're missing nothing.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I wish I have never learned that Slap.
It's kind of expensive for me - a lot of strings to replace and plus that unnecessary wasted time while changing strings.
Just compare your solidly-nice avatar to my picture that shows the effects of Double Thumbing on the A string from this morning.
Do you want that kind of life?

View attachment 988451

I have been slapping for 25 years and literally never broken a string because of it (I've broken 2 strings, once from user error, and once appeared to be a defective string). I think you may need to adjust your technique or look for a sharp spot at the bridge. That just shouldn't be happening

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Ernie Ball sells slap-oriented basses *and* strings. Coincidence? I think not!

I've tried all of them with the same result.

Can you make the thumbs up sign with your hand? That's really it in essence.

I completely agree with your "thumbs up sign", but there are quite a few and SUPERB bass players who use a different right hand technique and sound SO GOOD.

From here:

 

[MrLenny1]

No. Not needed for the style you play.
I work in rock,pop New Country & Blues bands and
do not slap in any band.

 

[MobileHolmes]

I don't think slap is a necessity at all. I do it because I like it (and grew up on RHCP and Primus), but I don't think it is a necessity for any genre, particularly not metal.

 

[pbass2]

I'm at best a rudimentary slapper, but it never kept me from workin'.

That said, it all depends on the music you want to play. Couldn't hurt to practice some basic slap just to have it in your quiver.

 

[Robert Sperling]

It's not for everyone, and not everyone is capable. A long time friend of mine who is a guitar and bass teacher
cannot slap no matter how much he tries. That being said, are you able to play the songs you want using a different technique? Then no problem. I myself am a decent slap player, but that's because I've made a concerted effort to
add the technique used by some of my influences (Stanley Clarke, Flea, Louis Johnson etc.). I think it's fun, but
bass is generally not considered a lead instrument, while the style makes it more of a lead instrument. Sometimes
I'll play a song slap style just to liven it up a bit, but really, unless specifically chosen, it's only appropriate about
5% of the time....like using a pick!

 

[Odinbass]

Learn like one impressive slap lick. One day you may find yourself in engaged in a bass off at Guitar Center. You'll want to be ready.

 

[ZenG]

You don't see McCartney slapping and you didn't see Carol Kaye slapping.....that's good enough for me..

 

[Freekmagnet]

I've never been a very good slapper mainly because I never really got into it. I started playing and n a cover band a few years back and started to learn slap for when we played Brick House and stuff like that. I gradually realized that I'm still not into slapping and I'm still not that good at it. I was dreading all our slap today tunes, so I started incorporating various envelope filters in lieu of slap. I'm much happier now.