- I've have anew bass in the mail and am going to start learning slap style. Last time I played upright was in the 90s and was studying with a Jazz player.
I get how the right hand works in this style and why we turn the bass at the angle normally seen when playing slap.
The right hand however worries me. Every Rockabilly player I have run across hangs the elbow down low creating a potential for wrist problems. At least that's how I was taught. The strength to "fret" a note is supposed to come from the shoulder and not the hand. Granted, using the "correct" right hand position with the bass turned at an angle to make slap easier looks like it would make the traditional way of playing uncomfortable.
Rockabilly vids always talk about the right hand but seem to pass over the left.
I want to be careful to avoid injury.
This clip explains the way I was taught,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPJV3z3qVCs#t=259
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Double Bass Left hand position in Rockabilly. Whats with the elbow?
- Thread starter DeepSouth
- Start date
There's no reason to abandon the good technique you previously learned.
It seems no two people slap exactly alike, there's no wrong way unless it causes pain.
So long as you avoid any kind of injuries (including long-term buildup such as RSI, of course), and can play in tune and in time then you're golden.
I don`t try to keep my elbow up or my wrist straight anymore. I try to be as relaxed as possible, not stretching my fingers or anything else, and let the gravity do the work. Since I let most of the elbows up and hand shapes go I´ve been able to play with higher action, triple the amount of daily playing time and the duration of each session. More sound with less fighting. Intonation ain`t quite there yet but it wasn`t with the raised elbow and hand shape either. It`s not my left hand that forces me to stop playing nowadays, it`s the right hand and bowarm.
Works for me, for you it might be something else.
All the best, Reiska
Works for me, for you it might be something else.
All the best, Reiska
You only need to keep your elbow up high enough to prevent breaking at the wrist which robs you of power and mobility. If you play with the the peg lower and the nut at eye level you don't need to keep your elbow as high as you would with the peg out further and the bass higher. The angle you hold the instrument at is a factor too. If you sit with it tipped back or lean the bass into you at a greater angle you can get away with your elbow pretty low and still not break at the wrist badly.
Here are two pics of different players both with impressive chops.
The first one of Ron Carter with the bass low and held at an angle illustrates what I'm talking about.
The following one of Avishai Cohen who plays his bass a lot higher and more vertical shows why you might need to keep your elbow up more.
Here are two pics of different players both with impressive chops.
The first one of Ron Carter with the bass low and held at an angle illustrates what I'm talking about.
The following one of Avishai Cohen who plays his bass a lot higher and more vertical shows why you might need to keep your elbow up more.
Seems to me slapping is more from the side while pizz is from a different angle. But on to more important things: Is that one of those nifty painted FMI basses in your profile photo? If so, let us know how you like it.
Well..... One pic is what I thought I was buying and the second is what came in. Considering I'm paying $2,000 for a cheapo bass to get a cool paint job I'd have expected it to look allot closer to what I ordered.
As you can see, the pin striping is much less detailed, no pin stipe at all on the tail piece and the bridge is not ebony.
I've asked for a refund and am interested to see if they give me problems or just take it back.
As far as the bass itself. It would get the job done in a seedy bar where you might would worry about bringing something really expensive out.
Attachments
An ebony bridge on a double bass? Why? To make that thing sound even worse?
And I was concurring with you Jeff, and expanding on't. 
The word "Ebonized" itself sounds ludicrous! 
Depending on the bass, a blackened bridge can look quite fetching!
The word "Ebonized" itself sounds ludicrous! Depending on the bass, a blackened bridge can look quite fetching!
And I was concurring with you Jeff, and expanding on't.
Whenever I hear the word "ebonized" I always get this visual of a bad 30's hollywood movie with white guys in blackface and fake leopard skin pretending to be "natives".
