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Slapping
- Thread starter Q Bass
- Start date
I'll jump on many of band wagons featured in this thread:
- slapping is not normally the first thing we work on when learning bass
- your setup may or may not be an issue
- without seeing/hearing what you are trying, it's nearly impossible to provide useful feedback
- lessons with a an instructor who knows slap would be beneficial - even just a couple
Slap is just not an easy skill to get rolling. I've been playing bass for 8 1/2 years now. Having had a serious background in music, I was able to get up to "play with other musicians" speed in a couple of weeks. I'm now a fairly accomplished player, gigging over 30 times a year. Two techniques that have eluded me for most of this time are slap and pick. Just last year, I finally found the ability to make reasonably good noises (good enough for stage) using slap technique. There are several things that allow slap to be attainable:
1. Of course, technique - it's just not as simple as it looks
2. strings - need really bright and fresh strings to really get the slap tone
3. EQ settings
4. set up
I'm not really sure what I did/watched that finally allowed me to turn the corner. I normally play a P bass with flats, which of course just will not work for any aggressive slap tone. I did buy a bass (PJ) with the two pups a coupe of years ago. Along with new strings, this bass built my slap confidence. I also put bright strings on my backup P bass and have used that for a bit of slap as well. I'm still learning how to control things a little better and I'll never be in any sort of decent class of slappers. I can do a few things OK. I think I would have gotten there faster if I had taken a few lessons, but honestly, didn't really have a need or application to use slap until a couple of years ago, so I really didn't care if progress was slow.
Time and good information are your friends.
- slapping is not normally the first thing we work on when learning bass
- your setup may or may not be an issue
- without seeing/hearing what you are trying, it's nearly impossible to provide useful feedback
- lessons with a an instructor who knows slap would be beneficial - even just a couple
Slap is just not an easy skill to get rolling. I've been playing bass for 8 1/2 years now. Having had a serious background in music, I was able to get up to "play with other musicians" speed in a couple of weeks. I'm now a fairly accomplished player, gigging over 30 times a year. Two techniques that have eluded me for most of this time are slap and pick. Just last year, I finally found the ability to make reasonably good noises (good enough for stage) using slap technique. There are several things that allow slap to be attainable:
1. Of course, technique - it's just not as simple as it looks
2. strings - need really bright and fresh strings to really get the slap tone
3. EQ settings
4. set up
I'm not really sure what I did/watched that finally allowed me to turn the corner. I normally play a P bass with flats, which of course just will not work for any aggressive slap tone. I did buy a bass (PJ) with the two pups a coupe of years ago. Along with new strings, this bass built my slap confidence. I also put bright strings on my backup P bass and have used that for a bit of slap as well. I'm still learning how to control things a little better and I'll never be in any sort of decent class of slappers. I can do a few things OK. I think I would have gotten there faster if I had taken a few lessons, but honestly, didn't really have a need or application to use slap until a couple of years ago, so I really didn't care if progress was slow.
Time and good information are your friends.
I learned basic slap from Alexis Sklarevski slap bass video school someone mentioned above. You can find it whole on YouTube.
The thumb needs to float freely and yet possess speed and accuracy; for this you need to use whole hand, not just thumb or wrist. Slap thumb is like the end of a whip. It takes time.
Good song to check whether you are already there is Thank you for letting me be myself by Sly & Family Stone. Thumbs on E string, pops on G. Your task is to get the loudness of thumb in line with the pops.
The thumb needs to float freely and yet possess speed and accuracy; for this you need to use whole hand, not just thumb or wrist. Slap thumb is like the end of a whip. It takes time.
Good song to check whether you are already there is Thank you for letting me be myself by Sly & Family Stone. Thumbs on E string, pops on G. Your task is to get the loudness of thumb in line with the pops.
Whah? It’s almost impossible to draw that conclusion based on the information provided.
That bass looks like it has 18mm string spacing at the bridge, that shouldn’t be a problem for anyone. I slap and double thumb on all of my basses with 16.5-17mm string spacing and I don’t have small hands, and 19mm string spacing is super uncomfortable for me. YMMV
Here's an instructional video that may help:
This x10,000 ^
As much as I love to noodle around with slap/pop (and wrote a few songs that use it too), it's a very niche technique compared to the ubiquitous finger plucking or using a pick on bass. There are plenty of things to keep you busy on that front for years to come (don't neglect your fretting hand techniques either!)
That having been said, welcome to the low end
Things that have worked for me are:
- Slap through the string with a parallel thumb, so that your thumb impacts the heel of the neck.
- Slap between the neck pickup and neck heel
- In a move that doesn't seem to make sense, play lighter and focus on making solid contact with your thumb
- minimize extra movement
ok so you want to thump with your thumb.. so right hand is your focus.. keep it stupid simple.. hand looks like extreme hitchhiker thumb.. then thumb is parallel or above the strings.. thumb goes thru string and rebounds.. you can move the wrist or arm.. different ppl do different things.. but slap is like drumming a pattern.. and in this style of drumming it's very choked-muted-dampened-chopped notes.. the less sound the better..
honestly most ppl don't slap.. or if they do it's for like one-two songs.. they leave the amp at neutral.. and use an eq pedal or compressor pedal..
Had trouble slapping for years, but just a hobby player.
With some good into vids, you should be able to thumb-slap about anything. At the risk of sacrilege, I actually prefer slapping on flat-wounds. Thumb-slap is easy. Tell me you can't do this. ONE NOTE: G.
BTW, in that vid, the player is not slapping, but "thumbing through". A slap has your thumb bounce off the string. A "thumb-through" is half a double-thumb, slamming your thumb through the string and resting on the next string. Thumb-slap "rings" more, but only works well on low strings and low frets. Thumb-through gives you less ring, more fundamental, and works higher up the neck. Think Marcus Miller.
Next is adding slapping "ghost notes" into the mix. Then hand-slap. So simple. Again, look for intro vids. Think drum-set, with variety of slapped note, slapped ghost-note and hand-slap. That is where slap was born: Larry Gramm used his bass as drums, since they lost the drummer. For a while, he doubled on bass-pedals on an organ (bass was for drums).
Plucking and double-thumbing came later.
Pinky-plucking can be harder, but not much. Thumb the root, and pluck the octave. This is where 19mm string spacing helps (read: not 6-string bass with narrow string-spacing).
If I can do it, ANYONE can.
Double-thumbing is harder for me. Here, I defer to the experts...
With some good into vids, you should be able to thumb-slap about anything. At the risk of sacrilege, I actually prefer slapping on flat-wounds. Thumb-slap is easy. Tell me you can't do this. ONE NOTE: G.
BTW, in that vid, the player is not slapping, but "thumbing through". A slap has your thumb bounce off the string. A "thumb-through" is half a double-thumb, slamming your thumb through the string and resting on the next string. Thumb-slap "rings" more, but only works well on low strings and low frets. Thumb-through gives you less ring, more fundamental, and works higher up the neck. Think Marcus Miller.
Next is adding slapping "ghost notes" into the mix. Then hand-slap. So simple. Again, look for intro vids. Think drum-set, with variety of slapped note, slapped ghost-note and hand-slap. That is where slap was born: Larry Gramm used his bass as drums, since they lost the drummer. For a while, he doubled on bass-pedals on an organ (bass was for drums).
Plucking and double-thumbing came later.
Pinky-plucking can be harder, but not much. Thumb the root, and pluck the octave. This is where 19mm string spacing helps (read: not 6-string bass with narrow string-spacing).
If I can do it, ANYONE can.
Double-thumbing is harder for me. Here, I defer to the experts...
Last edited:
JeezyMcNuggles
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- Feb 23, 2018
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The OP can tell the tech they want it setup to allow for slap, which will avoid an "incorrect" setup for that style. The tech, at the least the better ones, will often ask the owner how they play and what their preferences are.
An instructor, just like a setup, costs money. So you're either paying for a setup, or for an instructor. You're spending money either way.
There is no "ideal setup for slapping". There IS ideal setup, which works for pizz, slap, and tapping.
That's not a low action. For slapping you'd typically want millimetres between the string and the fret.
30 years of keyboards, there's no point telling you how to learn an instrument. Or how to practise.
There's 2 types of slap. Double thumb and bouncing your thumb off the string by rotating the wrist. Let's call it bouncing. Bouncing don't lend itself to a steady stream of 16th notes. Before double thumb slappers would use pops, hammer-ons, left hand slaps etc to get 16th note rhythms. And they sound so cool that double thumb uses them as well. Bouncing is more limiting but not by much. You should probably learn one first then the other.
The other thing beginners need to know is, especially on 5 or 6 string basses, unused strings will start ringing if you don't control them. Fixing that will affect how you hold your thumb. Best to get on top of it early. Common methods are using the heel of the palm or the RH wrist and forearm. Unused LH fingers or fretting with the pads so your fingertips touch the string below (by pitch) the fretted one can help.
For slap/pop combinations start with octaves. Then work on 5ths. Then learn to alternate slap and pop on the same strings.
Popping with 2 fingers lets you easily play triplets whatever thunb style you use. Also good for double stops. 3 finger popping is largely gratuitous. But never say never.
And ghost notes. For mindless weedwhacker flash and for integral dynamics in your grooves.
Have at it, amigo.
There's 2 types of slap. Double thumb and bouncing your thumb off the string by rotating the wrist. Let's call it bouncing. Bouncing don't lend itself to a steady stream of 16th notes. Before double thumb slappers would use pops, hammer-ons, left hand slaps etc to get 16th note rhythms. And they sound so cool that double thumb uses them as well. Bouncing is more limiting but not by much. You should probably learn one first then the other.
The other thing beginners need to know is, especially on 5 or 6 string basses, unused strings will start ringing if you don't control them. Fixing that will affect how you hold your thumb. Best to get on top of it early. Common methods are using the heel of the palm or the RH wrist and forearm. Unused LH fingers or fretting with the pads so your fingertips touch the string below (by pitch) the fretted one can help.
For slap/pop combinations start with octaves. Then work on 5ths. Then learn to alternate slap and pop on the same strings.
Popping with 2 fingers lets you easily play triplets whatever thunb style you use. Also good for double stops. 3 finger popping is largely gratuitous. But never say never.
And ghost notes. For mindless weedwhacker flash and for integral dynamics in your grooves.
Have at it, amigo.
