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Slapping?????
- Thread starter kyokyo
- Start date
no. lower action might help but really you can slap anything.
have you tried on other basses? because it sounds like a technique issue
have you tried on other basses? because it sounds like a technique issue
Essentially any bass that is properly set up can be slapped. I'll do it on my violin bass just to turn a few heads because it's just not expected.
First you need to determine if your bass' action is too high. Measure the string height above the fingerboard in various locations and post the measurements.
When I first took up the bass I also tried to slap but failed miserably. But then I learned how to set a bass up with the appropriate action and learning the technique was so much easier.
Where? At the local GC or such shop? Don't take too much stock in that because most music stores I visit rarely have a bass properly set up.
if you can't slap you can't slap, don't act like adjusting a bass will magically give you skill and that that's the issue here.
just search the forum for slap tutorials and work on it, it's hard at first to get the precision you need with the technique
- Aug 5, 2005
- 7,243
- 92
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses
CENTIMETERS?!
That's your problem. Find a local tech or search around online for a setup guide (Gary Willis has a good one) and get your bass set up into a decent playing condition.
If the strings are too high, they don't easily make contact with the last fret, which is the biggest determining factor in a slap sound.
Plus, it will make playability 12914786392423942352 times easier.
then your action is really low and you shouldnt have a problem!
Just practice...
Just to compare here are the measurements of my basses, they slap fine and have an action twice as high as yours!
1mm on first fret
3 mm on seventh fret
4 mmon twelth fret
4.5 mm on twenty-first fret
1. Hold your playing hand (let's just assume it's your right hand) into the shape of a thumb's-up, like you're hitching a ride.
2. Position your hand so that it's about 1" to 1.5" away from the strings (any further and you'll miss the string)
3. To make the slapping motion, try your best to ONLY twist your wrist along your arm.
4. If you do it right, you should strike the desired string about 4 frets in from the bridge, right over the fret. The string should make contact with your thumb about halfway between the pad and the bony edge, right in-line with your joint.
5. (bonus!) To pluck the octave (popping), lightly hook your pinky under the string you want to pluck and snap it. You can also do hammer-ons with your left hand to make some killer grooves.
But remember!: never pull your hand further than about an inch away from the strings. Any more is unnecessary and you don't have to slap and pop that hard to get a good sound. When you twist your wrist, your thumb might rotate back further than an inch, but your hand should stay in the same spot relative to the guitar, always in the correct, "thumbs-up" position.
Hope that helps.
2. Position your hand so that it's about 1" to 1.5" away from the strings (any further and you'll miss the string)
3. To make the slapping motion, try your best to ONLY twist your wrist along your arm.
4. If you do it right, you should strike the desired string about 4 frets in from the bridge, right over the fret. The string should make contact with your thumb about halfway between the pad and the bony edge, right in-line with your joint.
5. (bonus!) To pluck the octave (popping), lightly hook your pinky under the string you want to pluck and snap it. You can also do hammer-ons with your left hand to make some killer grooves.
But remember!: never pull your hand further than about an inch away from the strings. Any more is unnecessary and you don't have to slap and pop that hard to get a good sound. When you twist your wrist, your thumb might rotate back further than an inch, but your hand should stay in the same spot relative to the guitar, always in the correct, "thumbs-up" position.
Hope that helps.
