People who whine about slapping

[SpankBazz]

And yet what? I just said I don't care about it but you play however you want....

 

[StereoPlayer]

John Paul Jones…now he could slap!

 

[socialleper]

I for one don't get people that don't see the irony in whining about people who whine

I can't slap but wish I could

 

[turf3]

Yes, but this is meta-whining, so there's no irony ...

Actually, I think we've passed that - I haven't been keeping count, are we up to meta-meta-meta-whining yet, or just two metas? And how come no one ever points out that the new name of Fakebook's new "parent company" is the same word as the name for a popular brand of psyllium fiber wafers, intended to improve and stimulate elimination?

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Slap electric is cool, slap DB is outrageous. It's too bad that the same word is used for two very diiferent things, but on very similar instruments. Evidently there is a movie in which "slappa the bass" is prevalent. Ive been asked if I can "slappa the bass" a few times by chuckleheads. I answered " if only I could slap like Willy Dixon"

Haha, yeah Willie Dixon was great.

Back in the ‘70s I was fortunate to see Ed Garland live in a smallish club.
He was one of the first jazz double bass players recorded, and toured right into old age.

During his extended bass solo his fellow band members chanted ‘SLAP That Bass RIGHT in the Face’!
So awesome!

 

[Pauly 4001]

The ones you've got to worry about are the ones who slap about whining

 

[legalbass]

Well I for one can appreciate that when I want thousands of strangers to stop complaining about a subject, ranting about it on a message board always seems to do the trick

 

[turf3]

John Paul Jones…now he could slap!

I'd have thought he was more prone to giving lashes, maybe the occasional keelhauling.

 

[socialleper]

It’s definitely a TalkBass thing that rears its head fairly regularly. Someone sees a bass demo video and gripes because they slapped the bass instead of playing finger style or with a pick. Somehow that evolved into the silly notion that any amount of slap is too much slap.

Personally, on a demo video I want to hear fingerstyle and slap. I have no interest in hearing the pick. But I don’t whine about it. I just fast-forward. Some folks around here should learn to do the same.

The Talkbass Bubble is strong.
All the "tone is in your fingers" and "there's no money above the 4th fret" guys. Any sort of technique is considered flashy to them.

 

[SpankBazz]

Well I for one can appreciate that when I want thousands of strangers to stop complaining about a subject, ranting about it on a message board always seems to do the trick

We can all go home now, guys!

 

[Kael]

Coolio. Have a lovely day.

 

[Don Hergert]

Move to the double bass, where slap is respected and historically goes back to the early 1900s with early jazz (ie: Pops Foster).

I mean... Ok, I'll bite even if it smells like trolling to me.

Remembering that this thread was originally posted on the double bass side of the house, this was not trolling. Just informational.

Carrion.

 

[turf3]

I'm finding that if you ignore the people posting things like "stop whining about whining" or describing slap as non-musical then there is some good conversation to be had in this thread

I dunno, the only sensible things I've seen in the thread are along the lines of

"Come on, it's a technique; if you need it, learn it and use it; just like anything there's a time and place for this technique." Which while accurate isn't exactly earth-shattering.

In other news: Sometimes bands play songs in different keys than they were recorded, becauase the singer's range won't cover the original key!

 

[Gluvhand]

I blame the players/content providers that have made slap a clickbait-y circus trick. I love some good slap. I happen to REALLY suck at it but I'll try where I think it fits but any criticism is meant with a ridiculously thin skinned defensiveness.

 

[Harper]

I myself find slapping to get old real quick because I’ve crossed paths with many many bass players who can only play a slapped groove in E minor, nothing more and nothing less.

Have you really though? I think the "Sure, he can play some flashy licks, but let's hear him play some REAL bass with a band!" boogie man only exists in music forums. How do you come across that? Do you corner the kid slapping at Guitar Center and demand that he play some ZZ Top?

 

[jdjk7]

But which happens? From other bass players? Other band members? Music directors? Family members? Venue managers?

It kind of sounds like you really identify with slapping, like you are being unfairly persecuted. Is that happening?

Sometimes people will ask me to turn down, and depending on who they are and what are the circumstances, I may or I may ignore them. I might even turn up. This situation seems very similar to me, but it sounds very different the way you’ve presented it, so there’s something I feel I’m not getting here.

I'm having trouble understanding what you're not understanding.

I don't keep a log book of every time someone has criticized me. I've been told not to play a pick by other bass players, by guitar players, and by other instrumentalists, both on gigs and in jam situations, and just in offhand conversation.

I'm not sure what's selling to you that I "really identify with slapping". I simply think that some people (mostly non-bass players) pigeonhole the bass guitar into this conservative ideal that a "proper bass player" consists of a Fender Precision Bass into a Fender amp played finger style with a bassline consisting of 8th note roots, or fifths if you want to spice it up.

That description is hyperbolic, but it's indicative of how some people (mostly non-bass players) think about the instrument... and I don't care for that kind of thinking. That is the point that I am making when I say that it's nobody's concern but mine that I play with a pick (or slap, or use pedals, or use a funky bass, etc)

 

[slagheap]

 

[kevindahl]

I love to slap, use my fingers as well as a pick. I would love to be able to tap but that technique has eluded me and I find my tone is not there for a live situation.

Slap, don't slap.

I am just happy that there so many gifted players willing to expose themselves publicly. I have learned a ton and it has also motivated me to become better.

Hint: One can always fast forward or click off if they don't like it. I do.

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

people who whine about people who whine

 

[yaksonator]

I mean 5% of the time it sounds good. Because you can doesn’t mean you should. .