- Apr 21, 2000
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- Gallien Krueger for the last 12 years!
I slap about 30% of the time. I prefer fingerstyle, but when I get a chance to slap....whoa mama! 
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To slap or not to slap/why I hate it
- Thread starter JAUQO III-X
- Start date
Morf, maybe you're right..
But, now, I keep running into kids with serious holes in their knowledge.
They all want to slap, without knowing any harmony, or theory. "Let's get to the cool stuff," is the norm.
There are bassplayers and bass owners. The owners outnumber the players about 40 to 1, and I'm afraid this dumbing down mentality is prevalent more than ever...
On average, by the time reality hits them, they'll hopefully be weeded out of the scene. I think you'll agree that most of these "knowledge intolerant" players wouldn't hesitate to underbid any of us just to show off their slap chops in public.
But, now, I keep running into kids with serious holes in their knowledge.
They all want to slap, without knowing any harmony, or theory. "Let's get to the cool stuff," is the norm.
There are bassplayers and bass owners. The owners outnumber the players about 40 to 1, and I'm afraid this dumbing down mentality is prevalent more than ever...
On average, by the time reality hits them, they'll hopefully be weeded out of the scene. I think you'll agree that most of these "knowledge intolerant" players wouldn't hesitate to underbid any of us just to show off their slap chops in public.
I find myself using slap when I'm playing bass by myself, or when there is no drummer present. I played drums before I played bass/guitar, so I naturally gravitate towards keeping rhythm.
When playing with a drummer, I'll usually do fingerpicking, or play with a pick.
When playing with a drummer, I'll usually do fingerpicking, or play with a pick.
- Sep 3, 2003
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- Endorsing Artist: Fuzzrocious Pedals
I dislike it because people get caught up in trying to sound cool and make crazy slapping basslines that they forget what suits a song. I find alot of people can slap really fast and make some cool rythms on a bass, but a good musical bassline will always standout more in a song to me.
As others have mentioned, a well done slap part is nice to hear.
Dr Cheese mentioned that that was how he heard bass, because he was exposed to it early on. I don't hear bass that way, my main influence being John Paul Jones. I could do it if I have to, I just don't need it in the music I play and write.
Dr Cheese mentioned that that was how he heard bass, because he was exposed to it early on. I don't hear bass that way, my main influence being John Paul Jones. I could do it if I have to, I just don't need it in the music I play and write.
For the less experienced players, slap is an immediate gratification technique. It's easy to impress friends and relations with it. Unfortunately, most friends and relations don't know the sort of taste, restraint, and "big ears" it takes to play bass effectively in a group format. It's probably an unpopular notion with the young lions, but that's the stuff that should be applauded
I certainly don't dislike slap playing - if it's done right and respects the music. Usually, it takes an exceptional player to pull this off. In the last few decades, slap playing has been encompassed and co-opted into styles of music where it doesn't really work or serve the song - it's more of a peacock-feather display for a bassist.
For that reason, along with the incessant OHP slap-fests that pass for "exemplary" playing these days in both local and national scenes, I'm sort of retired from the slap game. The older I get, the less I find myself slapping. I don't particulary feel bad about this.
I certainly don't dislike slap playing - if it's done right and respects the music. Usually, it takes an exceptional player to pull this off. In the last few decades, slap playing has been encompassed and co-opted into styles of music where it doesn't really work or serve the song - it's more of a peacock-feather display for a bassist.
For that reason, along with the incessant OHP slap-fests that pass for "exemplary" playing these days in both local and national scenes, I'm sort of retired from the slap game. The older I get, the less I find myself slapping. I don't particulary feel bad about this.
Dr. Cheese said:
+1
If it serves the music....do it. We have a couple of originals that are 100% slap songs and was even written around that technique and groove. Something I am doing lately since I have gear that supports it is subtle slaps and pops here and there. Tasteful little tid-bits that accent more than anything. It's a nice effect when it's done right, and I'm still learning when and when not to slip it in.
about applying myself and learning how to slap. It would be a useful tool. The turn off to me is; whenever I see a guitard trying to demonstrate his bass playing capabilties, they slap and pop constantly. Most of them have a beat like a cop.
Best of Luck,
Wesley R.
Best of Luck,
Wesley R.
I'm no where near the best in the world at it... mainly just hitting octaves and some scales in some funk/jazz breakdowns. But I really enjoy creating the percussive sounds in a few of our tunes.
I do agree that it can, and often is, over used. It just depends on the mood of the song.
I do agree that it can, and often is, over used. It just depends on the mood of the song.
I've been doing it (slap! what were you thinking?!) for a few years now and am really trying to improve the tone I'm getting from thumbing the strings. It has its place but is dependent upon the style of the song. Some of the songs involve going from using fingers to slap within the same song so I'm trying to develop better volume balance between the two techniques.
I recall reading some comments from Anthony Jackson about slap. If I recall correctly he is very anti-slap but he comes across as being too sophisticated for it (although he is a great player, IMO).
I recall reading some comments from Anthony Jackson about slap. If I recall correctly he is very anti-slap but he comes across as being too sophisticated for it (although he is a great player, IMO).
I don't slap in any song / band situations. I'm just not good enough at it, and I've always felt that devoting my practice time to learning slap was a bit of a waste. There are plenty of other skills that I practice that serve me better in actual musical situations. When I play a funk song I favor the bridge p/up on my J bass a bit, crank the treble, play WAY back by the bridge and dig in as hard as I can. It sounds funky, almost as funky as slap. It works for me, but I don't play a lot of funk. With that said, I can slap just enough to play the intro riff Higher Ground just in case I ever get into a Guitar Center battle and need to show some punk how much I rule!
I don't hate it at all. I admire anybody who's really good at it, and I enjoy hearing it when it's done well and musically. However, I find that I personally am less into it than I used to be; I guess I just lost interest. I'm hardly anti-technique; but no technique has any inherent musical value--it's only valuable insofar as you're making music with it, and the music I feel like making these days largely doesn't require slap. Also, I'm not currently in any paid playing situations where I'm being asked or required to slap much. All in all, I don't do a lot of it any more, but that doesn't mean I hate it.
Never use it.
I'll never slap anything out of my own accord, I hate the sound it gives. What I'll do though is slap or pop a note here and then to add some punch when the other guys in my band want me to do it.
But to get me to slap a note, they have to buy me a beer. One beer for each note they make me slap.
I'll never slap anything out of my own accord, I hate the sound it gives. What I'll do though is slap or pop a note here and then to add some punch when the other guys in my band want me to do it.
But to get me to slap a note, they have to buy me a beer. One beer for each note they make me slap.
dhadleyray said:
Sure, but then again most of these are what, 14-16 year old kids? Let em have their fun I say. If they want to get right down to the slap/pop/hammer on/dead note/slap slap slap/pop pop pop kinda thing and theyre having fun doing it I dont care if they try to seem cool or outplay me in a music store, I just laugh and shake my head in those situations
They'll grow out of it, the ones who get bored after that will quit playing bass, the ones who dont will grow to be hopefully great players, and the world still spins on its axis.
I almost never use it. I can't say that I love it or hate it on its own... to me, it's just another technique. The folks that can find the right time to use it, and are good at it, by all means should.
That said, I have, at best, a beginner's slap technique. It's not something I ever heard much of, and I never explored it on my own. ... Though not long ago, I was messing around with the drummer at a soundcheck, and did just a few slaps/pops, and a couple younger people thought it was the greatest thing on earth... I was fairly confused as to how they thought my extremely basic slap/pop was geat, but hey, it kept them at the show...
That said, I have, at best, a beginner's slap technique. It's not something I ever heard much of, and I never explored it on my own. ... Though not long ago, I was messing around with the drummer at a soundcheck, and did just a few slaps/pops, and a couple younger people thought it was the greatest thing on earth... I was fairly confused as to how they thought my extremely basic slap/pop was geat, but hey, it kept them at the show...
My slap technique is passable, but I'm by no means a slap monster. I use it sparingly, especially since a lot of my playing is jazz based or light rock trio work.
I have nothing against it, but 1000000% agree that far too many young players learn to slap and then never learn to groove at all. Many of these kids can't work their way through a C major walking bass line, have little to no knowledge of theory, can't read standard notation ... the usual list of youth-related complaints.
I hate walking into a music store and hearing everyone whack-a-da-whacking, frankly it's annoying as can be and to me it only shows their limitations. Someone here at TB has a sig line that says something like "sure, you can slap every Victor Wooten lick, but can you play the bass line to My Girl?"
I guess I feel that slapping is fine when used in the proper context, but when it's the entire bag of tricks for a bass player then that player has some serious studying to do ...
I have nothing against it, but 1000000% agree that far too many young players learn to slap and then never learn to groove at all. Many of these kids can't work their way through a C major walking bass line, have little to no knowledge of theory, can't read standard notation ... the usual list of youth-related complaints.
I hate walking into a music store and hearing everyone whack-a-da-whacking, frankly it's annoying as can be and to me it only shows their limitations. Someone here at TB has a sig line that says something like "sure, you can slap every Victor Wooten lick, but can you play the bass line to My Girl?"
I guess I feel that slapping is fine when used in the proper context, but when it's the entire bag of tricks for a bass player then that player has some serious studying to do ...
