Why so much hate for slap??

[Paulabass]

It's not that the slap bass is bad. A LOT of bad slappers have abandoned the idea of bottom end. I've seen Mark King a bunch of times. Before the 'pop' there's a big assed bottom note. Sorta like a bass player. Now go watch a bunch of youtube- Lots, and lots, and lots of treble. No bottom, no fundamental, and therefore no groove.
I'm not dissing the technique, but when you sit in your bedroom making youtube videos, nobody cares if you're actually laying down a bass line. There's no music to it, nobody is dancing in your bedroom, and there's usually not even a drummer.
There's some really talented slappers out there, and there's some good music written around it. The good ones NEVER forget they are playing the bottom octave.
The slapping's not the problem. Youtube is.

 

[Bassbeater]

About 5 years into playing, I was a slappopotamus. But then i listened to more varied songs and changed my idea of the role of strong bass playing. There is just so little room for it unless the music is written around the slap line. I've never had a serious band ask me to slap or tap. I don't like that slapping tends to take focus away from the composition. I like pacopheca as a kid because he's being reckless like a kid, and that makes it fun, but when I hear him still overplaying and limelighting in his 20's Im not impressed. That's just not what bass playing is about for me.

 

[dragon68]

Probably Flea.

Rumour has it that it was probably Ike Turner.

 

[Robroy]

About 5 years into playing, I was a slappopotamus. But then i listened to more varied songs and changed my idea of the role of strong bass playing. There is just so little room for it unless the music is written around the slap line. I've never had a serious band ask me to slap or tap. I don't like that slapping tends to take focus away from the composition. I like pacopheca as a kid because he's being reckless like a kid, and that makes it fun, but when I hear him still overplaying and limelighting in his 20's Im not impressed. That's just not what bass playing is about for me.

Slapping can be great in a "solo" sort of thing. But you are right about the composition potentially being damaged by it. Claypool is amazing to watch doing those slapalicious solos, but it doesn't fit in with a full band all that well.

 

[mobdirt]

imagine prince's pop life without slap

 

[Robroy]

imagine prince's pop life without slap

Since I was never a fan...

However, this sound like something he'd have been good at.

It's hard for me to justify putting in the work to become good at something that is rarely, if ever, needed - at least in the type of music I play. There are only so many hours in a day, and playing bass is not my day job. If it was, you can bet I'd be a proficient slapper, though.

 

[Bassbeater]

The theme song to southpark is great though. (That's Les Claypool for people who don't know.)

 

[AngelCrusher]

I slapped a lot in the past. I think the technique stagnated and I have heard about everything you can do with it. Fingerstyle, on the other hand has so much more melodic possibility. People are getting smarter and more educated on theory and are coming up with more and more creative lines. There seems to have been more of a resurgence in really technical fingerstyle lines and harmonic ideas outside of standard pentatonics.

I still like to throw in a little string pop or slap now and then. I have always liked guys who can mix both together in one line. It is less of a barrage of notes that way and more of an accent.

 

[Joe Nerve]

Because of this:



People think my basic style is slap.

Truth is, I learned slap because I loved the way it sounded and it looked like fun. I studied from a video tape with that guy Alex S., and found out that once you get it down - it really IS a lot of fun. Only problem is/was there's very little opportunity to use it. Strangely enough, even in songs where there is slap bass, I often tend to use fingerstyle cuz I think it sounds better.

That video was made because I wanted to put what I learned to use, and that was the only way to do it. It's also the only time I ever wrote or recorded anything slapping a bass - and yeah.... just wanted to say that.

Slap bass is fun. I can't imagine why anyone would "hate" it. Or any style of music. I don't like tapping, but I certain don't hate it and I get a kick out of watching people who do it well.

 

[mobdirt]

Since I was never a fan...

However, this sound like something he'd have been good at.

It's hard for me to justify putting in the work to become good at something that is rarely, if ever, needed - at least in the type of music I play. There are only so many hours in a day, and playing bass is not my day job. If it was, you can bet I'd be a proficient slapper, though.

it serves the song, also all technique leads to understanding how the strings (and everything else in the signal chain) respond to difference in touch and i want to know as much of that as i can, slap is a part of that understanding.

 

[Robroy]

I slapped a lot in the past. I think the technique stagnated and I have heard about everything you can do with it. Fingerstyle, on the other hand has so much more melodic possibility. People are getting smarter and more educated on theory and are coming up with more and more creative lines. There seems to have been more of a resurgence in really technical fingerstyle lines and harmonic ideas outside of standard pentatonics.

I still like to throw in a little string pop or slap now and then. I have always liked guys who can mix both together in one line. It is less of a barrage of notes that way and more of an accent.

I saw a video of a female golfer that did all sorts of amazing stuff with a golf ball and driver (and other clubs). It was very entertaining, but it wasn't golf, though you'd have to be a very good golfer to do what she did.

That's kinda how I see slap. And it IS art - and art is subjective.

I actually like slap - in small quantities. Kinda like triplets.

 

[Robroy]

it serves the song, also all technique leads to understanding how the strings (and everything else in the signal chain) respond to difference in touch and i want to know as much of that as i can, slap is a part of that understanding.

I fully agree.

 

[DWBass]

Stop complaining about amateurs and YouTube bass demos and go see some pros. I’ve been thumping since the mid 70’s. YouTube videos and music store demos are not where you want to get a bead on the technique. I don’t like the super fast deal either. Give me some nice melodic thumping like Larry Graham and similar players.

 

[red_rhino]

I can annoy people by playing finger style just as easily as I do playing slap.

 

[mobdirt]

now im listening to it and missing prince

 

[Machiavelli]

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...

I don't hate slap at all and find it extremely fun to play. Some issues I have are that:

1. It's kind of a different instrument. Obviously, you're playing the same object, but slap bass fills a different space, has a different purpose, and sounds completely different than bass played using more traditional techniques.

2. I don't think it fits into most songs. I'm a pretty good slapper, but I really have to go out of my way to find a place to really incorporate it into most music I play. Often, I just find it distracting.

3. People think it's harder than it actually is. Plenty of people I've encountered say I'm a great bass player because I can 'slap.' It definitely looks cool, but there's so much more to the instrument. I want people to be excited about non-slap bass too.


4. Those people at Guitar Center....seriously?

 

[primusfan1989]

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

That really isn't true at all, yea a lot of the pop music of that era had a bit of slap bass on it but to say its impossible to play anything from the 70s and 80s is just not true.

 

[WhenTheDrumsStops]

I don't know man, reading this topic gives me the feeling that a lot of you just can't slap and therefor hate slapping. Just as I hate math, because I suck at it and never will be good at it

 

[metron]

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...

I don't think anyone is saying it's not legitimate. Nor do I know how slapping relates to Motown. I think it's just a recklessly overused technique, thus taking on obnoxious/annoying as a primary adjective. At least in my mind. I like slap but I'm bad at it so you won't hear me demo it in public until my chops have improved.

 

[bassdude51]

I don't know if hate is the correct word but dislike or tired of it or sick of hearing it might be better terms.

Slapping the bass is like salt. A little bit is good but too much is bad. Sadly, it's just too much slapping. As if it's the only way a bass is to be played.

For just once, I'd love to walk into Guitar Center is hear some "bloke" do a walking bass line. But instead, it's every time some idiot picks up a bass, he starts beating the hell out of it, like he's Flea or something.

A little salt is good. Too much is bad. Same goes for slapping.