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slapping
- Thread starter jbaxter90
- Start date
- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
It's all in the technique. Flea and Bootsy didn't learn to slap like they do over night. Practice, practice and practice some more. Flea attacks the bass like he's trying to kill it. Do you have anyone to teach you how to slap/pop or are you trying to learn on your own? There are a bunch of good videos on youtube that can teach you some basics.
as someone who also learned to slap on his own, and who also tried to start with rhcp, i can say that you want to start simple. slapping and popping octaves gets boring, but its a necessary process in my opinion. higher ground annoys the **** out of me now, but it sure is fun to have a song thats easy to slap, instead of just slapping octaves. larry graham also has plenty of stuff that is easy. i forget what songs though; been a while.
slapping was a tricky thing for me... i tried for years and couldn't get the hang of it, then a buddy of mine who is actually a GUITAR player showed me two things and then the world opened up...
let me try to tab it..
A----------5
E---0-5-7----
-----T H H P
then try this..
D--------7-----
A-------------
E---0-5---------
---- T H P
the biggest issue for me was getting the plucking motion because i kept rushing for it, when i put the hammer on between the thump and the pop, i was able to give my finger enough time to get adjusted, doing that for about 20-30 minutes got me into a nice groove and after a while, i was able to play it faster and faster, and now I don't need to rely on the hammer on in between... but the hammer on helps it sound more busy lol
let me try to tab it..
A----------5
E---0-5-7----
-----T H H P
then try this..
D--------7-----
A-------------
E---0-5---------
---- T H P
the biggest issue for me was getting the plucking motion because i kept rushing for it, when i put the hammer on between the thump and the pop, i was able to give my finger enough time to get adjusted, doing that for about 20-30 minutes got me into a nice groove and after a while, i was able to play it faster and faster, and now I don't need to rely on the hammer on in between... but the hammer on helps it sound more busy lol
After Being inspired to pick up a bass by my frustration with lead guitar (I found my hands were way to big, made playing some chords and songs difficult as hell) a few months ago, I decided to try some slap. Spent a whole day (when i should have been studying for finals lol) just doin octaves to get the slap-pop action right, ended up with no skin on my thumb or index finger but found I can now play slap well enough to try most songs. felt so good when I got the right sound the first time!! 
- Jul 11, 2005
- 3,113
- 1,449
- Disclosures
- Gecko Leatherworks
what does "stuff it up sometimes" mean exactly? are the notes getting muted/not ringing through? if you are slapping, left hand muting will be your best friend. accuracy, and how quickly you bounce off a string will be next. i wouldnt suggest starting off slapping through the strings. bounce it off quickly, with just enough force to let the note ring in time.
if you occasionally mess up on easier songs, maybe just try to perfect those before moving on. you dont want to skip a step.
so its not really ringing through clearly? just think about it like punching someone. the forward motion is as much a part of it as the pulling away is. you can hit the string and stay on it long enough to mute it with your right hand. if you can play other styles you should be able to use you left hand good enough to work it out. id bet your problem is your right hand. quick bounce man! it should mostly work your fore arm muscles. dont put your shoulder into it.
Get a metronome and always run whatever you play with a metronome. You really will have a very difficult time if you don't get the concept of slapping behind the beat and understanding syncopation and signature timing (written) with out using one. The first hour you use one you'll never go back to practice without one.
Most everyone who teaches Slap professionally has their people use a metronome because it too difficult to explain funk timing & related stuff without reference to time elements.
QUOTE:
-=I could never get the hang of the"slapping" of the left hand fingers on the fretboard=-
This is a VERY good example of why using a metronome is productive. You are syncopating right/left. Start slowly of course and let your index (of left hand) press down but the rest of the fingers are muting and work on the beat one after another then behind the best. It's like drumming with bongos. Pick a octave and start with one, two, three; then mix them then move to more complex rhythms. Slap, pop, (lefthand) smack - repeat.
The other thing is to run all your scales with your thumb slap. When you can run them start to use blues grooves with just your thumb; popping should be a bit less loud then your slap. I use both finger pushed between the D&G so I have a faster start-off but you need to control it so you can have both a "spring" sound and a clean sound.
Most everyone who teaches Slap professionally has their people use a metronome because it too difficult to explain funk timing & related stuff without reference to time elements.
QUOTE:
-=I could never get the hang of the"slapping" of the left hand fingers on the fretboard=-
This is a VERY good example of why using a metronome is productive. You are syncopating right/left. Start slowly of course and let your index (of left hand) press down but the rest of the fingers are muting and work on the beat one after another then behind the best. It's like drumming with bongos. Pick a octave and start with one, two, three; then mix them then move to more complex rhythms. Slap, pop, (lefthand) smack - repeat.
The other thing is to run all your scales with your thumb slap. When you can run them start to use blues grooves with just your thumb; popping should be a bit less loud then your slap. I use both finger pushed between the D&G so I have a faster start-off but you need to control it so you can have both a "spring" sound and a clean sound.
