Is slap necessary for me?

[Danielle Meyer]

I have one bad ass slap riff that shuts people up if they are pressuring me about being able to slap. Otherwise I don't slap because I don't like to slap a bass guitar. I love upright bass slap though.
For me slap is a cliche stereotype of bass that most people don't do well. The ones that do it well are frickin amazing and break out of the cliches completely. I never want to hear the root slapped with the thumb, min7th popped, then octave hammered on EVER again!

Really it wouldn't matter if you kick the strings with your foot. if it's on time, you have a good note, and you like it, then it would be cool with me.

 

[desert_rain]

Lots of point mentioned. Thanks to everyone! I agree that another toolbox will be fine. And I will practice slapping after gain good vibrato(fretless) and tapping skills.

 

[desert_rain]

I have one bad ass slap riff that shuts people up if they are pressuring me about being able to slap. Otherwise I don't slap because I don't like to slap a bass guitar. I love upright bass slap though.
For me slap is a cliche stereotype of bass that most people don't do well. The ones that do it well are frickin amazing and break out of the cliches completely. I never want to hear the root slapped with the thumb, min7th popped, then octave hammered on EVER again!

Really it wouldn't matter if you kick the strings with your foot. if it's on time, you have a good note, and you like it, then it would be cool with me.

I also think same.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

When many years ago I picked up the bass guitar, Slap was just a "baby", and we did not have the Internet, YouTube, etc...

I remember one time a Pro bass player stopped by and seriously impressed me by playing/showing off intricate harmonics on the bass. WOW! drool
I've learned harmonics but...
NOBODY asked me to play it (or I've never needed to play it) while playing the bass with various (different Music Styles) bands.
The next thing that REALLY impressed me was Tapping. Another huge WOW!

How many times I showed my knowledge of Tapping while playing/comping the bass?
Zilch, zero, zippo, nil, nada.

But I needed to play quite a few slap bass-lines, even against my will.

 

[bassbully]

Slap to me is an under used and over rated technique. Its cool if you have it but don't expect to use it much. concentrate of what technique you need to play the music you play. Its much more important for showing off to other players. In over 15 years of playing I have not had to slap once or been asked to.

 

[enricogaletta]

I agree with some of the previous posts, slap is not a vital technique to play the bass but can be helpful to improve other techniques and last but not least some other skills of your playing, timing first of all.
It's just like for a bass player that never plays in latin or jazz scenario, usually it's common to think that is useless learning walking or playing clave grooves. but the truth is that if you wanna achieve certain goals on your bass playing, you need to discover and develop at least some basic rules of other playing styles.
If you need more help feel free to contact me.

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

I currently only have one bass and it's strung with La Bella Low-Tension Flexible Flats. I don't think they are very slap-friendly strings. However, I want to learn the slap bass lines in these songs. What can I do?

 

[BassChuck]

I've done finger style for almost 40 years and almost all the music I deal with today doesn't not require slap. That said, I spend most of my performance time in musical theater pit orchestras and now and again there is a need for slap... like one song out of 25 and even then only for about 16 or 32 bars. I do have to spend a little time working on it so that when it comes up I can sound convincing, but I'd never do that at a GC trying out basses or even as a warm up that people can hear. It's just not my thing.

 

[iplay5]

I can do it, but like most here, very little if any is necessary. However, when I do hear a slap line that's really cool like Forget Me Not (I think that's the title) it nice to break it down.
Like most effective playing, the open space in a line is just as important as notes played.

In a recent set I played one of the songs had a power chord feel, but also had funky thing happening. I really felt like doing a slap part. I ended up playing mostly regular finger style, but accented certain parts with alittle slap/pop.
I got a high-five from one of the singers as we were leaving the stage.
Like everything else, time and place.

 

[JusttheBassics]

If you want to fit in at a Guitar Center, you're going to have to learn to slap, buddy !!

Funny how true that is. But the most memorable GC player I've ever heard was taking everyone to school on a smokin' walking bass line!

 

[el_Bajo_Verde]

If you want to fit in at a Guitar Center, you're going to have to learn to slap, buddy !!

What the bass section of Guitar Center sounded like on Black Friday:

 

[desert_rain]

What the bass section of Guitar Center sounded like on Black Friday:

nice

 

[40Hz]

Necessary? Probably not.

I developed some ability to do it just for the sake of trying to stay well-rounded and generally up on things. But I never play slap. It's just not my thing. And there are enough other people who love to slap (and are good at it) that my absence from that particular school of technique won't be noticed.

"Suum cuique." as the Romans put it.

 

[NoiseNinja]

While it never hurts to broaden your arsenal of techniques, my guess is you will not miss not being able to slap.

I for one never really needed or missed it.

I couldn't slap properly if my life depended on it, but then again I never really liked the sound of it in particular or did any serious effort to learn how to do it.

I guess if you played funk or was in a Red Hot Chli Peppers cover band, my answer would have been different.

But as it is, no!

As I said you will get perfectly well by not being able to slap, though if you really want to be able to do it properly, then by all means learn how to do it, it can only add to your overall playing skills to learn a new technique.

 

[two fingers]

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?

1) You absolutely can have a successful bass career without learning to slap.

2) MOST of the bassists who "measure qualification with slap playing" do it WAY to much and end up annoying the crap out of most of us who don't see it as the end all be all of playing. Many of them simply see it as a way of playing more notes fast. It's that simple. I have yet to see a hugely successful player who ONLY slaps. Larry Graham, Bootsy, Victor, Flea, Stanley Clark, Louis Johnson etc. ALL are known for their slap playing. But they ALL use it when it is needed, and play finger style when that is called for. They don't ONLY slap even though they are good at it. And I can name you several famous funky bass players who rarely if ever do/did.

3) All that being said, I would learn how. I try to have as many bass weapons in my arsenal as possible. I know how to slap and can when needed. Don't avoid it, but don't use it as your main technique.

4) Find YOUR voice on bass and use THAT to speak to your audience. Don't take my advice or anyone else's.

 

[Chris Inburque]

Short answer. No.

Longer answer... Maybe.

I do not slap, never really have, likely never will. However, I have come up with slap lines and then made a fingerstyle line based on the initial slapped line. It can help you come up with lines you might normally not have come up with.

At the end of the day, Anthony Jackson doesn't slap, sounds absolutely phenomenal and has played on more records, stages, nations and hits than I could hope to count or imitate (the accomplishments and control he evidences). Play your passion, learn and take from what you can and be YOU.

Hello all. I play bass more then 10 years...

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?