What is it with guitarists and slapping?

Most guitarists are obsessed with Animals As Leaders. Could be the culprit.

 

Slap is "flashy" and "showy". It's often fast and "sounds cool", so, a lot of people gravitate to it.

 

It’s not just guitarists. I’ve had folks over the years do the exact same thing. Only one person, in over 20yrs, ever picked up my bass and used their fingers to play a few notes, but he doesn’t count because he was another bassist.

Everyone else just wants to, pardon my using this overly tired and over used saying, “slappa du byass”.

 

What is worse is when they slap it and then tell you that you should learn that riff insinuating you would then be a great bassist.

 

Maybe, they know they don't have the finger technique, so the only way to get any sound out of the instrument is to beat the snot out of it.

 

I don’t think there’s an overwhelming number of guitarists that know about them. Yes, they have a substantial following, but they’re still kind of niche, not exactly household names.

 

I have just given up and worked on making my slap&pop flashier for last couple of months. When in Rome...
I'll be using it like a secret weapon, just like females use their clevage when needed. Everyone knows it's there and it's tasteless to show it, but you still do and you get full effect.

 

I used to work with two guitar players, great guys. One was a really good bassist, as in he played like a bassist and not a guitarist. The other guy didn’t play bass much, but damn if he wasn’t one of the best slap-style guys I’ve ever run across. I couldn’t do what he does.

 

Back in 2000 I was playing in a Prog band.
While messing around,between songs,I started slapping this John Patitucci intro.

The guitarist got wide eyed and paid attention.
Maybe there was a little bit of admiration.

This was long before AAL.

 

In my experience, bass players turn their noses up at slap more than any other demographic.

 

I think slap is sort of the guitarist equivalent of tapping. I don't know.

 

A guitar player picked up my bass once, after asking and starts playing this slap thing (always in E). He looks at me all proud and I just said, “What do you do for songs with more than one chord?”

What can I say, I’m a people person.

 

I like my bass to stay in tune longer,no slappin and popin here.LOL.I guess its showy for a guitarist.Maybe they have the wrong perception of what bass is supposed to be.Many different types of music out there though, and some do require the slap technic. I dont know. I like Jamerson,McCartney,melodic groove stuff.Just my oppinion.Though,the occasional pop slap in smooth jazz sounds kinda cool to me.But Im old LOL

 

Those guitarists probably all just saw this scene and wanted to achieve the same level of cool: