Why Slap When Demonstrating Gear?

[jeffb28451]

I have no idea. I watched some old MojoTone demos with Greg Taylor demoing. He is a very decent slapper but
we agree that a demo of pickups, showing tone, range, depth, etc. is already hard enough to get recorded and
slapping just doesn't show what a pickup can do.

I guess maybe someone could argue that transient response
of a pickup is important and I am 100% in agreement. However, there is simply no way to capture that using
regular recording and play-back techniques and equipment that most folks have access to.

So, just slap a little, if you must, but please demo with other techniques as well.

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Nobody is stopping anyone from making a fingerstyle video.

 

[Savage_Dreams]

Ive never watched a single promo or review that was just slapping.
some people slap, why wouldnt they show it?
its no different than a pick player saying why are they showing fingerstyle or vice versa.

 

[micahwc]

I don't like review videos that are all slap. If they slap, but also pluck and maybe even play with a pick while demonstrating different settings, then its okay.

 

[rmayer]

One of the best people for bass demos, IMO, has been Ed Friedland (The Bass Whisperer). He gives a thorough overview and demo of each bass, with all styles of playing.
His review of the G&L LB100 bass convinced me and my bass buddy to order them sight unseen. We were not disappointed.

 

[Pyrrho Epoche]

I've noticed too many reviews of gear using slap only or the majority of the time, when the majority of the time it's not used, thus not getting a good representation of use in the real world.

Rubes everywhere! This dude I know, is the guitar player for probably the best known band in Pittsburgh---been playing guitar for 30+ yrs. You hand him a bass and he starts hammering it with his thumbs and popping strings. Basically, I think alot of those people that demo bass stuff are actually guitarists. I could be wrong. Indeed annoying.

 

[pglaser01]

It’s probably to showcase perceived talent.

While we as bassists are clicking on a specific gear combination and demo video, that person is trying to generate content the believe will drive more viewership to their other videos or channel, thus making them more marketable. In all likelihood, they may believe slapping=talent which then could say, “I should see what else this good player recommends”

 

[Nephilymbass]

I've noticed too many reviews of gear using slap only or the majority of the time, when the majority of the time it's not used, thus not getting a good representation of use in the real world.

I say the same about demo videos that only use pick playing. I just assumed people stick to one style because these days people have zero attention span or because they aren’t very good at another style

 

[Spectre Gunner]

Maybe it's just me but I find that most sound demos on Youtube to be worthless. When it comes the subtle differences of sound between various basses or other gear I rarely hear much if any difference and I use headphones, earbuds or through the TV output to my stereo system. However, I find there are a few reviewers I trust that provide useful info about the bass or gear but sound coming from YT is often one of the least useful parts of a review for me. Online sound reviews don't come close to actually playing the bass in my favorite guitar store or hearing a skilled and knowledgeable bass player compare instruments in person.

Effect pedals are a different story because I'm usually listening for what the effect does rather than sound quality. For sound quality I need to hear it from the source without all the compressing and processing layers you get from YT videos.

 

[Eric Ryan]

I find the same annoyance when the demonstrator has a 5-string, & goes to the B maybe once during the review. C'mon, man!

If you slap too much, if you talk more than play, if you are not demonstrating all of the instruments/amps/cabs capabilities, I'm probably going to find something else to do.

 

[Gervais Cote]

Japanese in general are very prone to do slapping demos………
But at the end of the video, all I know is the bass is good for slapping and is very funky but I have no clue if I can make music with it !

 

[Isaac_James]

One suggestion (that may or may not be valid): the “real world” today consists of someone making videos in his bedroom hoping to get clicks - and slapping gets clicks.

Yeah, this is the heart of it. YouTube is a huge platform and the only way to get your content seen is to make videos that get clicks. This is why so many video thumbnails have the hosts making weird, hyper-exaggerated faces or those enormous wide mouth smiles that look like they're trying to suck your soul out through your eyeballs. It's eye catching and it gets people to click on it.

Slap bass gets attention. Gear reviews or demos that are basically "behold, my stuff!" get attention. Any number of things that aren't very useful if you're looking for information are very useful if the channel is trying to get as many people to watch as possible, which is by far the main influence on what you see on YouTube.

 

[Aussie Player]

Hate it and delete any review as soon as that starts. It is a BASS guitar. Why beat treble out of it? They all sound the same and lose a % of the buying public. Never played a song ever, that required it. Guess I just like bass guitar to play bass.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I've noticed too many reviews of gear using slap only or the majority of the time, when the majority of the time it's not used, thus not getting a good representation of use in the real world.

I think slap is an art unto itself. And when tastefully applied it can be show stopper and really add a lot to the performance. I’m a total fan of it and wish I could do it.

I’m also going to suggest at great risk, when playing alone, slap is a lot more fun than playing scales and arpeggios, and stressing over the proper mode to get from Chord I to Chord IV. In essence, it’s more like being a one man band. And on that score, there are a whole a lot more bassists that will never play in a band/ensemble than will.

Hence you will see a lot of demos showing slap than more for note JMO.

 

[Barticus]

I agree with the OP. What I find more annoying with bass demos is when the accompanying drum machine or music track is seven times louder than the actual bass being demoed. Don’t these people have ears?!

THIS.
Just turn off the drum machine

 

[Isaac_James]

I agree with the OP. What I find more annoying with bass demos is when the accompanying drum machine or music track is seven times louder than the actual bass being demoed. Don’t these people have ears?!

I guess the idea here is to get a sense of what it sounds like in a mix if you are working with a sound engineer who loves the production on "...And Justice For All"

 

[Element Zero]

Japanese in general are very prone to do slapping demos………
But at the end of the video, all I know is the bass is good for slapping and is very funky but I have no clue if I can make music with it !

Are you saying that slapping isn’t music?

 

[Rib 13]

Slapped bass on roundwounds opens up a lot of harmonic structure and string detail. I can hear a broader spectrum to analyze a pickup or preamp.....when I do reviews on my YT, I do the three primary techniques ( fingers, slap, and pick) but I personally prefer slap demos for the reason stated above: I can gauge what fingers would sound like on a slap demo but I can't gauge slap on a fingers demo

 

[Element Zero]

I’m all for the slap bits, as long as the finger and pick bits are in abundance. Mostly I wish more people doing reviews would play actual bass line type grooves instead of noodling and wanking.

 

[6-3-2]

It's fun and not every bass has a great slap sound.