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To slap or not to slap/why I hate it

To slap or not to slap/why I hate it

  • Total voters
    321
  • Poll closed .
#81
its not my thing... i keep my chops fresh by using the oppenheim book... i rarely use it... unless
A) im feeling froggy and need to spice up a boring gig
or im asked to.

With my band... all funk grooves are hard finger picking + lots of midrange.

its good to have it in your arsenal tho never know when you need it.
 
#90
I can slap a line or two, but I wouldn't call myself a slapper. I like the technique. I like listening to a good slapper. By that I mean that it adds to the song. I hate listening to someone that slaps and spits ( playing fast and missing strings, inconsistant pop, hammer -on, pull off, trill technique or generally bad technique) Slapping to me sounds good in a slow to med dirty funk tune. The exception to that is faster progressive jazz. Some cats can pull that off pretty good. Slapping on an instrument that has good tone is nice to hear. To master the whole technique takes alot of dedication and quite frankly should be a rule that if you cant finger the line correctly, dont try slapping it !!
 
#91
Like Steve66, I can slap, but i wouldn't call me a slapper. I listen to guys like Miller, Caron, Wooten, Flea and cie and enjoy it. I'm working on the technique, and I hope one day be able to play cool stuff.

I bought a Slap It
Click to expand...

Do you like it? I'm planning buying this book but i'm not sure if it worth the money (16 and not working so 35$ is expensive for me :P)
 
#92
Slap It! is a great book, well worth whatever Tony charges for it now.

However, I have decreased my slapping drastically these days, and believe it or not, I enjoy slapping on flatwounds much more than roundwounds. I am so sick of that twangy "boing boing boing" overly treble slap sound. Nowadays I decrease the treble and use a lot more bass on my sound, and when I slap, you almost can't tell except it's got a bit of percussion to it. Instead of a boing, I get a much fatter and more pleasant sounding thump, more like early 70's slap bass. To me, the best slap sounds I have ever heard are on old Sly and the Family Stone records, with a close second being the sound on the Commodores' "Brick House." All done with flatwounds and a bassy tone.
 
#98
I admit I'm not much of a slapper. I can do it a bit, but the stuff I play never calls for it. I never see anyone using it at a gig anymore unless it's a jazz fusion or retro funk gig. I AM amazed & respectful of the technique some players have taken way beyond what I thought was possible. It just seems kinda dated and dare I say indulgent. Not really supporting the melody or singer in most cases. Flea's playing is somewhat of an exception to that. He doesn't overdo it. The place I hear excessive whacking, popping, spitting & other bedspring sounds is in music stores or NAMM show demos. That's why we refer to slap style as " music store chops". Check it out, you never hear anybody playing a country bass line in a music store. Usually they play stuff they'd never play at their gig....music store chops!
 
#100
I used to slap alot, but when I started concentrating on playing with a pick it started to seem redundant. I find that a good pick technique can give me all of the percussiveness I need. Of course it's probably not a coincidence that I almost completely stopped slapping when I started playing a 6 string, but I'll still enjoy slapping and popping by someone else when it's done well.
 

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