Why so much hate for slap??

[Big Shrek]

It's almost impossible to play anything from the 70's & 80's without
using slap...so why all the hate?? I get that some folks try to apply it
to everything, which slap really isn't meant for everything...but it does
have legitimate playing uses!

So is it a case of folks hating on it because it's really best for Disco/Motown,
and should never be used elsewhere?? Or just a general slap hate as a whole??

It should be a tool in every bassists arsenal, to my way of thinking.
Not the only tool, just one of several screwdrivers...

 

[JPaulGeddy]

It's almost impossible to play anything from the 70's & 80's without
using slap...

So is it a case of folks hating on it because it's really best for Disco/Motown,
and should never be used elsewhere?? Or just a general slap hate as a whole??

Ok, I'll bite.

 

[Big Shrek]

Ok, I'll bite.

View attachment 2911597

Shhhhh....gotta catch a few folks first

 

[creaturegods]

As a guy who works at a guitar shop, i really wish there was any "hate" for slap. 90% of people who waltz in here and pick up a bass immediately start slapping the damn thing like it owes them money. it's the worst.

Tasteful slap bass is fine. That dude that plays for Bruno Mars is good at it.

 

[Gorn]

Depends whether it's self or professionally taught?

I kid, I kid. Because it's boring and unmusical when it's done poorly. Bad fingerstyle doesn't hurt my ears....as much anyway. And I don't like it much better when it's done well. It's a sound that doesn't appeal to me personally. I love RHCP but not the earlier slap heavy stuff. I don't much care for Marcus Miller's slappy stuff. When Victor Wooten goes at it I'd rather not hear it. But I think it's generally disliked by many because it's hard to do well and easy to do badly.

 

[Dr. Cheese]

Hating Slap is seen by some as a sign of being sophisticated as opposed to the kid who just learned a Flea line. Just be yourself.

 

[jd56hawk]

It's almost impossible to play anything from the 70's & 80's without
using slap...so why all the hate?? I get that some folks try to apply it
to everything, which slap really isn't meant for everything...but it does
have legitimate playing uses!

So is it a case of folks hating on it because it's really best for Disco/Motown,
and should never be used elsewhere?? Or just a general slap hate as a whole??

It should be a tool in every bassists arsenal, to my way of thinking.
Not the only tool, just one of several screwdrivers...

Please, I can think of 100 songs without slap from the '70s alone.
If you like it, fine, but to me a lot of it sounds like one character chasing another in a video game.

 

[Stumbo]

It should be a tool in every bassists arsenal, to my way of thinking.
Not the only tool, just one of several screwdrivers...

^This.

 

[chris_b]

So far I have never been asked to play a slap bass line, or even tap, play chords or harmonics.

I play finger style Funk, Soul and Disco in several bands. Seems to work for everyone concerned.

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Just depends on who is doing the slapping and if it serves the song well.

Louis Johnson was the master at slap. He knew when to use it and when not too. Listen to his isolated bass track on Strawberry Letter .

I never want to hear GET ON THE FLOOR played with a pick or fingerstyle. That song should be all thumb and nothing else.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Because of a resurgence of popularity because of the younger generations who listen to RHCP,Les Claypool and have seen "Seinfeld"
Not because of us older bass players who have lived through the initial rise of it.
Now there's also media saturation.

 

[ZenG]

I wonder if McCartney slaps..

Let's ask the richest bass player in the world..

 

[MD]

I'm pretty sure JPJ didn't.

 

[tradernick]

Not sure how anyone could hate this, if only because you gotta respect the time it took to get this good.

 

[Kun2112]

There was a time in the 90's to early 00's where slapping became the bassist equivalent of Smoke on the Water, Stairway to Heaven, and Freebird all in one. Well, at the music stores anyway. People who worked there hated slapping as much as the afore-mentioned songs.
In the giging world there was a perception by a lot of under-30 guitarists, singers, and drummers who considered slapping an indicator of overall chops. After all, most of he hip big-name bassists slapped. Most of the bassist wanted ads I saw back then had "must be able to slap" for non-metal and non-punk/ska rock bands. That caused two things: lots of bad slapping and lots of musically inappropriate slapping.
Those are the two reasons for the hate, IMHO.
Slapping is like brussels sprouts: done right and paired correctly, a real treat; but if it just sits in a boiling pot without proper seasoning, it is a mushy abomination that can ruin a perfectly good evening.

 

[TjMetalhead]

I don't really hate slap, it's pretty neat to see a bassist shred a slap bass solo but personally it all sounds the same. Granted I don't play slap bass, not my style of playing. But I would love to learn one day so I could play some Primus and maybe branch out my song writing a little bit.

 

[Spidey2112]

Tasteful slap bass is fine.

So true... (mic drop... but only after I slapped it a few times)...

... one of these days, I'm going to sit down and add it to my toolbox... if there were only a few more hours in the day...

 

[4001]

Tastefully done it's good at times...most is overdone and sometimes really annoying.
Seems to be more of a hey, look at me thing.

 

[Chrisk-K]

I love slap when done musically (eg, Larry Graham, Freddie Washington). I hate mindless slap almost always shown in Youtube demo vids.

 

[SactoBass]

If you like it, fine, but to me a lot of it sounds like one character chasing another in a video game.

That post cracked me up! Partly because it speaks the truth!