Slapping (They never end, do they?)

[Beginner Bass]

I've seen several slap videos, but they often say different things. Some show it as bouncing your thumb off the string, whil others show it as going through. Which one do use? And, I know this can be a volatile question with a lot of things, but what is the RIGHT way, if there is one?

 

[drunkenrobot]

IME, when playing slap, you bounce your thumb off the string. It's when using the double thumb technique that you play "through" the string.

 

[ChipFunk]

You could bounce your thumb "through" the string.

 

[Dbassmon]

different actions are needed depending on the type of slap figure being played. some require a bounce, some require that tip of the thumb strike on the down and up strokes. There are many variations. Get a teacher. Usually start simply and work up to the more challenging techniques within that style

 

[Beginner Bass]

OK, to clarify, it seemed to me like the thumb was just hitting the top of the string, and then coming off.

 

[Li Shenron]

I've seen several slap videos, but they often say different things. Some show it as bouncing your thumb off the string, whil others show it as going through. Which one do use? And, I know this can be a volatile question with a lot of things, but what is the RIGHT way, if there is one?

I watched many video lessons about slap&pop and other techniques on youtube before I bought my bass (that was about 2 month ago...), because I wanted to understand the basic movements. Indeed bass players are doing it in different ways...

I really wanted to start with the "going through" technique for slapping, as for example taught by Stuart Hamm, for some reason I felt like it had more potential on the long run. However I have found that way much more challenging compared to for instance the "bouncing" technique of Flea. To me Flea style is a piece of cake compared to Hamm style... so I admit that so far I prefer to practice the bouncing technique, it's so much more rewarding when you can immediately slap LOUD!

Still, I have that feeling that I should really keep practicing the Hamm way at least a few minutes per session, and see where it leads me to...

 

[DougD]

I've seen several slap videos, but they often say different things. Some show it as bouncing your thumb off the string, whil others show it as going through. Which one do use? And, I know this can be a volatile question with a lot of things, but what is the RIGHT way, if there is one?

There is really no RIGHT way. Just do it the way that is the most comfortable for you. You'll progress faster..Really

 

[anonymous101511]

the right way is the way that SOUNDS right to you.
The wrong way is every other way.

 

[BritFunk]

My Friends,

To reiterate what as already been posted: the right way is what works for you.

There are more than a dozen factors that will influence how you slap, ranging from string gauge, string height, contours of the instrument body, the height at which you hang the bass while playing, body mechanics, etc. Strive for a clear, bell-like ringing tone with every slap and concentrate on repeating that exact tone every time. THEN worry about getting more fancy with it (double-thumbing, etc.).

Start slow - you can't do it good fast until you can do it good slow.

Practice - not until you can do it right, but instead until you can't do it wrong.

----
Kurt

 

[DougD]

My Friends,

To reiterate what as already been posted: the right way is what works for you.

There are more than a dozen factors that will influence how you slap, ranging from string gauge, string height, contours of the instrument body, the height at which you hang the bass while playing, body mechanics, etc. Strive for a clear, bell-like ringing tone with every slap and concentrate on repeating that exact tone every time. THEN worry about getting more fancy with it (double-thumbing, etc.).

Start slow - you can't do it good fast until you can do it good slow.


Practice - not until you can do it right, but instead until you can't do it wrong.

----
Kurt

+1

 

[251]

I've seen several slap videos, but they often say different things. Some show it as bouncing your thumb off the string, whil others show it as going through. Which one do use? And, I know this can be a volatile question with a lot of things, but what is the RIGHT way, if there is one?

Both! Why would you limit yourself to 1 way to do anything? They sound different & each leaves your hand in a different position relative to the strings. Wait, does percussive slap/mute with 3 fingers count, too?

Where is it written that I must choose & use a particular technique?

 

[251]

OK, to clarify, it seemed to me like the thumb was just hitting the top of the string, and then coming off.

That's 1 way to do it.

 

[Double Agent]

I used to do the bounce thing until I watched some of Vic Wooten's instructional video. I tried it his way (slap "through" the string) and since I started doing that, my slap technique improved dramatically.

What specifically improved, in my case, was my ability to slap on 5 or 6 string basses with narrower string spacing. The bouncing technique was never a problem on 4-strings or wide-spaced 5 strings, but when I was playing Spector 5-strings, with 17mm spacing, my slap technique felt and sounded sloppy. Using the slap "through" technique allowed me to play much cleaner on those basses, which was great because I loved the tight spacing for fingerstyle and now, I feel confident slapping with the tight spacing as well.

What I also found was that the slap "through" technique yielded MUCH cleaner results when recording. Using the bouncing technique, I would hit the strings way too hard and I really had to struggle with that technique not to pound the strings so hard that it clipped all the time, plus I needed lots of compression to get my slapping down to the same level as my fingerstyle playing. I used to see all the videos of Flea and Louis Johnson and, wanting to sound like them, I hit the strings just as hard as them, but the results I was getting were much sloppier. I probably wasn't doing it (the bouncing technique) the correct way.But, after switching to slapping through the strings, I got much better results when recording, so my bass didn't have to be as compressed and I could run a hotter signal to the board without clipping. Of course, if I had never used a bass with tighter string spacing, I would probably still be using the bouncing thumb technique.

Bottom line is, use the way that works best for you. If you get good results bouncing your thumb off of the strings, stick with it. It certainly works for a lot of bassists who are far better than I am. But, if you aren't getting good results that way, try slapping through the strings and see if that works better for you. Or, come up with your own different way that gets you the results you are after.

 

[MisterV619]

the right way is the way that SOUNDS right to you.
The wrong way is every other way.

I bounce on the low strings, but the high strings I've had to slap through to get the same level of sound and tone quality. So definitely a +1 from me on what vail_bass said.