I hate vic wooten!

[Stroopy121]

So..

I'm trying to improve my slap skills - I've gotten pretty proficient at just attacking the bass a la Flea and having some fun with that. Now I'm trying to work on having a more structured technique, more like Wooten.

I've started picking out pieces from Wooten tunes and trying to learn them (obviously slowed down a great deal and gradually speeding them up) but I always get impatient and try to move forward too quickly and end up just attacking the hell out of the bass again...

Are there any good places to find more 'Intermediate' level slap pieces that will help me advance my technique? All I seem to be able to find are Beginner level pieces which aren't taxing enough, or absolutely MENTAL material.



Completely unrelated, but there's no point in starting two threads - harmonics. I've been working on Wooten's Amazing Grace as a bit of fun and the harmonics on the 3rd and 5th and 7th frets sound fine but the rest (especially 4th fret) tend to die on their arses. Am I missing something here? Do I need to fret these notes in weird places? And (Wow, I have a lot more questions than I realise) what note is a harmonic going to produce..? For example, a harmonic on the 12th fret of the A string produces an A, but is one at the 5th fret of the G string going to produce a C? Is there anywhere I can find a transcription of these so I can start playing with harmonics in compositions more?


Apologies if these topics are already covered elsewhere...

Thanks in advance.

xx

[Doddy]

If you want to get the Wooten thing down,rather than jumping into a piece its worth spending some
time slowly practicing the double thumb technique.Just going up and down the strings,playing scales
and arpeggios and things. Of course,if you want to jump into a tune 'Sinister Minister' is a good one,
and 'Classical Thump' uses most of Victors techniques.

As far as harmonics are concerned,as you get lower down the neck they become higher pitched
and closer together-so there are two or three that you can get within the fourth fret. They will
ring out more if you favour the back pickup and pluck nearer to the bridge.
Note-wise,the harmonic at the 5th fret of the G string isn't a C. As an example of how they
work, the 12th fret harmonic is an octave above the open string(eg G) 7th fret is an octave +
a fifth (D),and the 5th fret is 2 octaves above the open string (G). As you get lower down the
neck,the harmonics get higher. I've not got a chart,but there is probably one knocking around
somewhere-or you could make your own.

[Stroopy121]

Cheers for that. I've made a start on classical thump, been playing with the double thumb technique a lot too. I'm also on the hunt for more.. what's the best way to put it... more standard slapping? Slapping without Wooten's double-thumbing in it.


A harmonic chart! That's exactly what I'm after. I'll have a poke around google for a good one, but if you have one feel free to post it, it would be much appreciated! =]

xx

[Higgie]

When you do a Harmonic you are basically just placing another "node" along the length of the string. A node is a fixed point where the string doesn't move, like the Nut, or the Bridge. Without trying to go too deep into physics, the 12th fret Harmonic is exactly half way between the Nut and the Bridge, so you're effectively dividing the string into 2 equal parts by putting you're finger there. This doubles the frequency and produces the note an octave higher than the open string. When you create a Harmonic anywhere on the string, you are just dividing the string into equal parts. The length of the string from the nut to the 5th fret, is the same as from the 5th fret to the 12th fret. Therefore if you divide the string there, at the 5th fret, you will create a tone 2 octaves higher than the open string, as it's a quarter of the length of the string. That's the reason the harmonic at the 5th fret, and the 24th fret are the same, as the lengths between:

Nut <-> 5th fret (first 1/4 of the length of the string)
5th Fret <-> 12th fret (second 1/4 or 1/2)
12th Fret <-> 24th fret (3/4)
and
24th fret <-> Bridge (the last 1/4)

Are all equal. You've divided the string into 4 equal parts, effectively doubling the frequency of the open string, and then doubling it again to get 2 octaves above. Dividing the string into different amounts of equal lengths will produce different notes. It's all about the frequencies, and what multiples will produce that frequency. As Doddy said, the harmonic at the 7th fret is the octave + a fifth. This is the same harmonic that is found at the 19th fret, as the lengths between Nut and 7th fret, 7th fret and 19th fret, and 19th fret and the Bridge, are all equal, you've divided the string into 1/3rds.

It's late, and I'm tired, so I apologise if this comes across as a rambling mush of gibberish, but I hope it helped (and also that my understanding of harmonics is correct!)