slap bass on jam sessions

[bramvdhoeven]

I've been playing in jam sessions around town and it's going well.
I love playing slap bass, and I thought I had my technique down pretty well. I've been doing it for many years in different settings. However, making up slap lines on the spot that work with the rest of the band and support the music properly has been difficult. I've seen more slappers having a hard time, it doesn't sound good.

When I play simple tonic + octave lines it goes best, but anything more complicated and it gets lost, or too difficult to play. I am honestly a bit baffled by how all of a sudden my slap skills seem downgraded.
I do think there's a lot of potential for the crowd to get enthusiastic and it can be a way to drive the band if done well. I really want to explore it more.

Any tips on how to do it better and to prepare for doing it properly during jam sessions?

 

[bass12]

How much of the issue is your sound, how much is your technique and how much is the musical ideas themselves? Getting a good slap sound in a live setting can be tricky, depending on what equipment your working with. Technique should be consistent from practice space to stage, although if you always practice sitting down and you perform live standing then that can expose some technical weakness.

 

[bramvdhoeven]

How much of the issue is your sound, how much is your technique and how much is the musical ideas themselves? Getting a good slap sound in a live setting can be tricky, depending on what equipment your working with. Technique should be consistent from practice space to stage, although if you always practice sitting down and you perform live standing then that can expose some technical weakness.

I do practice a lot sitting down. A lot. I hope I did not mess up doing that...
I think it's a bit of everything you said.
It's easy for me to lose low frequencies in the sound when slapping.
Maybe quickly switch some settings when transitioning?
What are some things to keep in mind when making up a slap line on the spot during sessions?
I try to play with the kick and snare. Thumb + pop. That does the job, but it is not exactly the most interesting thing.
But I would love to be able to add some more ghost notes and flourishes at the right times, but not sure how to.

 

[J Wilson]

Slap had its place . . . . though some don't know the address.

When I first came to Nashville in the 90's, I was hardly alone in the New Kid in Town queue. I was dumbstruck to be at an open jam and the leader would call out some old country standard from Hank Sr. or the like, they count it off, and sure enough a few guys would pop,pop,bang their way through it.

Holy Smokes.

 

[Queue]

IMO, this is all the slap you need...

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Know numbers theory? Are you on a major chord slapping the elements of the chord?

 

[bramvdhoeven]

Slap had its place . . . . though some don't know the address.

When I first came to Nashville in the 90's, I was hardly alone in the New Kid in Town queue. I was dumbstruck to be at an open jam and the leader would call out some old country standard from Hank Sr. or the like, they count it off, and sure enough a few guys would pop,pop,bang their way through it.

Holy Smokes.

Yea. It is very much a "feel the room" thing.
I do think it could be less controversial if it develops a more comfortable place in the bass canon, it does not have to be flashy or distracting, you know?

 

[jdjk7]

I've been playing in jam sessions around town and it's going well.
I love playing slap bass, and I thought I had my technique down pretty well. I've been doing it for many years in different settings. However, making up slap lines on the spot that work with the rest of the band and support the music properly has been difficult. I've seen more slappers having a hard time, it doesn't sound good.

When I play simple tonic + octave lines it goes best, but anything more complicated and it gets lost, or too difficult to play. I am honestly a bit baffled by how all of a sudden my slap skills seem downgraded.
I do think there's a lot of potential for the crowd to get enthusiastic and it can be a way to drive the band if done well. I really want to explore it more.

Any tips on how to do it better and to prepare for doing it properly during jam sessions?

Slap and melody is a hard one. There are different ways I personally deal with this. FWIW, my slap-bass "idol" is Tetsuo Sakurai, and these are some things I've picked up from studying his playing:

If you want to just pedal octaves, one thing you can do is walk chord tones. Imagine playing a normal melodic bassline, possibly like a walking bassline, following chord tones, just add the octaves and adjust the rhythm/note values accordingly.

Another option is that, if you want to play a melodic bassline but want to lay back, try ignoring the "pop" and focus just on slapping your chosen line. You might then add pops in for rhythmic accent at choice moments.

Finally, if you want to play normal-sounding basslines that carry a melody while also having the strong tone of slap, try both slapping and popping on the low strings. It's common wisdom that you slap the E and A and pop the D and G, but there's no reason you can't slap the high strings or pop the low ones. That's just a rule of thumb. You can adjust your technique to let you get an authoritative sound out of those low notes.

With any of these techniques, you can experiment with hammer-on and pull-off notes, as well as ghost notes. I sometimes pull off to/hammer on from open notes. You generally want to make sure those open notes are in the correct key, though. I also combine slap playing with normal finger style, normal thumb playing, or even strumming to get different effects.

Speaking of authoritative, I would also consider trying playing in different hand positions. I personally play slap right on the neck, but I realize that there are other players who do it farther from the neck/closer to the bridge. I personally find it a little harder to do, but it can give you a bit more punch in certain situations.

(Side note: this is my current favorite performance of all time, courtesy of the aforementioned Tetsuo Sakurai of the band Casiopea, and even completely ignoring the bass solo in the middle, I learned a lot simply by studying these lines, their variations, etc. I suggest doing this for any player who exhibits the sound/technique you want to learn.)

 

[bramvdhoeven]

Know numbers theory? Are you on a major chord slapping the elements of the chord?

This is a good point.
I tend to slap a lot of fifths, fourths, octaves and min7.
By that time there's still no third, so taking care of that more often should strengthen the line and support it's giving.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

This is a good point.
I tend to slap a lot of fifths, fourths, octaves and min7.
By that time there's still no third, so taking care of that more often should strengthen the line and support it's giving.

Can't go wrong with root-8, root flat 7-8, simple stuff. We are elements as needed.

 

[bramvdhoeven]

Slap and melody is a hard one. There are different ways I personally deal with this. FWIW, my slap-bass "idol" is Tetsuo Sakurai, and these are some things I've picked up from studying his playing:

If you want to just pedal octaves, one thing you can do is walk chord tones. Imagine playing a normal melodic bassline, possibly like a walking bassline, following chord tones, just add the octaves and adjust the rhythm/note values accordingly.

Another option is that, if you want to play a melodic bassline but want to lay back, try ignoring the "pop" and focus just on slapping your chosen line. You might then add pops in for rhythmic accent at choice moments.

Finally, if you want to play normal-sounding basslines that carry a melody while also having the strong tone of slap, try both slapping and popping on the low strings. It's common wisdom that you slap the E and A and pop the D and G, but there's no reason you can't slap the high strings or pop the low ones. That's just a rule of thumb. You can adjust your technique to let you get an authoritative sound out of those low notes.

With any of these techniques, you can experiment with hammer-on and pull-off notes, as well as ghost notes. I sometimes pull off to/hammer on from open notes. You generally want to make sure those open notes are in the correct key, though. I also combine slap playing with normal finger style, normal thumb playing, or even strumming to get different effects.

Speaking of authoritative, I would also consider trying playing in different hand positions. I personally play slap right on the neck, but I realize that there are other players who do it farther from the neck/closer to the bridge. I personally find it a little harder to do, but it can give you a bit more punch in certain situations.

(Side note: this is my current favorite performance of all time, courtesy of the aforementioned Tetsuo Sakurai of the band Casiopea, and even completely ignoring the bass solo in the middle, I learned a lot simply by studying these lines, their variations, etc. I suggest doing this for any player who exhibits the sound/technique you want to learn.)

These are fantastic tips, thank you! octave chord tones and varying the rhythm already opens up so much with a simple idea.

 

[bass12]

I do practice a lot sitting down. A lot. I hope I did not mess up doing that...
I think it's a bit of everything you said.
It's easy for me to lose low frequencies in the sound when slapping.
Maybe quickly switch some settings when transitioning?
What are some things to keep in mind when making up a slap line on the spot during sessions?
I try to play with the kick and snare. Thumb + pop. That does the job, but it is not exactly the most interesting thing.
But I would love to be able to add some more ghost notes and flourishes at the right times, but not sure how to.

Not all basses slap the same. Some just sound dead, some drop out in volume, some sound boosted - and the amp makes a difference too. If you are experiencing drop out in volume (across the board or just with certain frequencies in particular) then the most obvious solution would be to get a boost pedal with some EQ controls.

As for slap lines on the spot I always think of Marcus Miller. Keep things simple, at least at the beginning. Aim for solid thumbed notes rather than trying to be fancy. Once you’ve established that foundation then you can stretch out a bit. For more ghost notes you might look at using your fretting hand to add some percussion (the way Mark King does).

 

[bherman]

I play bass in alot of situations in jams, as part of the house band. Honestly, there a very situations where I think someone sitting in on bass and slapping would be a good choice, unless done very sparingly and tastefully, or if given a solo. For me, it kinda defeats the role of the bass player in a jam, as part of the Rhythm Section. Usually there's enough going on in a jam with multiple other instruments to the extent that slap bass could easily become a distraction.

 

[ole Jason]

To think about it another way, many drummers don't know how to play with a bassist slapping complicated lines. Same deal for guitarists and keys players if they're actually listening to you. In a jam session it's not generally the type of bass playing people are expecting or accustomed to hearing.

 

[bcbassman]

Slapping bass is a percussive style and it is inappropriate for most jam sessions where the other players are expecting a bass line. If a particular song is called that features a slapped bass line, go ahead and slap. But IMHO you should play to support the band and that means conventional bass playing. Don't slap unless asked to do so.

 

[logdrum]

Provide momentary excitement -- milestone effect that should be used sparingly. However Rockabilly Upright Bass slap is a must and it can go on for the whole night. Completely different animal. Not sure if you can do that on an electric bass.

 

[Killing Floor]

Do the other musicians in the jam group know your intent? Slapping is cool and unless the jam has space for a bass solo sumpthin gotta give.

 

[Element Zero]

Slap and melody is a hard one. There are different ways I personally deal with this. FWIW, my slap-bass "idol" is Tetsuo Sakurai, and these are some things I've picked up from studying his playing:

If you want to just pedal octaves, one thing you can do is walk chord tones. Imagine playing a normal melodic bassline, possibly like a walking bassline, following chord tones, just add the octaves and adjust the rhythm/note values accordingly.

Another option is that, if you want to play a melodic bassline but want to lay back, try ignoring the "pop" and focus just on slapping your chosen line. You might then add pops in for rhythmic accent at choice moments.

Finally, if you want to play normal-sounding basslines that carry a melody while also having the strong tone of slap, try both slapping and popping on the low strings. It's common wisdom that you slap the E and A and pop the D and G, but there's no reason you can't slap the high strings or pop the low ones. That's just a rule of thumb. You can adjust your technique to let you get an authoritative sound out of those low notes.

With any of these techniques, you can experiment with hammer-on and pull-off notes, as well as ghost notes. I sometimes pull off to/hammer on from open notes. You generally want to make sure those open notes are in the correct key, though. I also combine slap playing with normal finger style, normal thumb playing, or even strumming to get different effects.

Speaking of authoritative, I would also consider trying playing in different hand positions. I personally play slap right on the neck, but I realize that there are other players who do it farther from the neck/closer to the bridge. I personally find it a little harder to do, but it can give you a bit more punch in certain situations.

(Side note: this is my current favorite performance of all time, courtesy of the aforementioned Tetsuo Sakurai of the band Casiopea, and even completely ignoring the bass solo in the middle, I learned a lot simply by studying these lines, their variations, etc. I suggest doing this for any player who exhibits the sound/technique you want to learn.)

Tetsuo was an amazing YouTube find for me about a decade ago.

 

[Rib 13]

One of the virtues of slap bass is that it is often a two or more voiced style.....sometimes ill do melodic passages with the thumb and a counter melody with the pops, ascending thumb/ descending pops as one example.

I agree with everyone that said you'll impress more folks by providing them support in jam situations as opposed to showboating your slap prowess.....but as a guy that has hosted many jams as well as participated in them, I do understand that jam nights are about having fun and jamming.... and playing nothing but simple parts and walking 12 bar blues lines in the allotted approx 20 minutes isn't exactly a barrel of joy for me. I'll do that in my band, but I want to let my hair hang down at a jam, so I get where you're coming from

 

[conttador]

If I’m slapping I’m taking two basses & a two channel amp. Usually my slap bass is turned up louder than if I’m playing finger style.

I’m not an all slap all the time kinda guy so I’d have to fiddle with knobs and I just don’t want to do that so I have a separate bass for slap & funk.