arabassist Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Hello, For a while ive been trying to master slap and pop since im such a fan of flea. at first i was awful at it, but i blamed having the wrong type of bass. I got myself a jazz and im still pretty crap at it. when i pop it just sounds like im picking it strongly...if i apply more force i just get a really loud twang. when i slap i get more sound coming out of the thumping against the fretboard then i do than coming from the amp. (if i put the volume up it just sounds too loud) So basically what i end up with is a bit of trash - it's a shame 'cause i wont be able to work on so many RHCP b-lines. After a few hours of watching slap bass solos on the ol' yuutoobe, i'm starting to think slap bass is a piece of trash itself - just too many notes thumped and mashed per second. i came to the conclusion that id rather hear a fingerpicked solo with lots of growly distortion. This is the kind of slap bass i just love - it's a shame i cant mimic it and then change it into my own. I guess my point is, since i love some slap bass lines, should i try to work on it or should i just forget about it 'cause im never gonna get it?...and if i do would there even be much use to it? am i disadvantaged cos i cant tap or pick? (i can only fingerpick...im good at strumming chords too ) Chearses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stylon Pilson Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='arabassist' post='539180' date='Jul 13 2009, 10:49 AM']should i try to work on it or should i just forget about it 'cause im never gonna get it?[/quote] I say keep working on it. Either get a teacher, or if you have the technology, post a video of yourself up here. S.P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arabassist Posted July 13, 2009 Author Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='539183' date='Jul 13 2009, 10:53 AM']I say keep working on it. Either get a teacher, or if you have the technology, post a video of yourself up here. S.P.[/quote] I find it quite depressing when i try to play it. ive been playing for over a year, if i slap it sounds like ive been playing bass for a week. My webcam gets absolutely no sound from the amp. I've tried many times to record directly through my soundcard on pc but doesn't work. cant afford a teacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigAlonBass Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 If at first you don't succeed - give up. Seriously though, some people never get the 'feel' for it, myself included. I think the whole problem, in my case, was the fact that I never liked the sound it made anyway, so I didn't persevere with it. Whenever I see someone in a local Pub Band make the 'hitch-hiker fist' I gravitate straight to the bar. Are there no Basschatters in your immediate area that you can P.M. for a few pointers? (with the offer of free coffee and chocolate biscuits) Good luck in your quest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Fudge Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 It's a strange thing ... when I pick my bass up at home I more often than not play some slap bass. I have improved a lot with slap just through practice, but I rarely use slap live and if I do I'm never happy that it is cutting through. If I slap at low levels at home it sounds pretty good, as soon as I try in a band situation it doesn't seem to cut the mustard. I don't beat myself up about it though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedontcarebear Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I really didn't get how to play slap bass when I was playing for the first few years, but now I can do it easy enough, and it really just took getting better in general, and then just persisting with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I'll have a go at slap when someone invents a plectrum with a plastic thumb on it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Just posted this elsewhere but it applies to you too:- [quote]I would recommend using two fingers for popping (index & middle) since that will lead you on to being able to pop double stops and get triplets going too. Works for me. People starting slapping have the most trouble just getting a note to ring properly with the thumb. Points to note:- 1) Your thumb should be like a piano hammer - fast and light, bouncing immediately off the string 2) It should strike the string with the thumb knuckle over the last fret, the string needs to bounce of the fret to get hat slap tone. 3) make a fist, stick out your index finger and thumb (keep thumb relaxed) rotate your forearm back and forth such that your index finger is the axis, your thumb should be flying around, that is essentially the correct 'action' for slapping. Index finger needn't remain pointing, but that rotation of the wrist/forearm is key 4) Yes its tricky, it will take practice Good luck![/quote] Slapping isnt easy to get down. It takes a lot of careful practice, not just wiggling your fingers a bit in front of the telly. Once you have the fundamentals of getting a good slap and pop on all the strings working on muted thumps and pops, then left hand thumps (search for it on here), then popped chords, and lastly think about double thumping. Joining this all together you then have to work hardest of all on the feel, and spaces between the notes. Otherwise its a complete waste of time! I suspect your action may be a tad high too, if you fret at the first fret on each string if your action is higher than about 3 or 4 mm at the 12th fret (measured from fret to bottom of the string) and over 3 or 4 mm at the last fret on your bass you will probably struggle. In this case a decent setup is required if you wish to get decent at slapping IMO. Slapping to show what a fab bass player you are is pointless and will gain you no love whatsoever. Slapping to lay down a fat as a fat thing groove is always cool if appropriate for the music. It is worth the effort when all the ladies are boogying to your great slap line, honest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZMech Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 whilst I won't claim to be a brilliant slapper, I'd like to think I know what I'm doing. So if you wish you can drive up to southgate and I'll show you. I'm assuming since you put you're in NW london you're not that far Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I quite like slapping though I am no good at - I am left handed but play right handed so my syncopation is the wrong way round. BB What I dont like is openig up a thread on BC and being confronted with an image of sonemone burning themselves to death regardless of how iconic and well known the image is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 A common fallacy with slap is that it inevitably contains an unremitting volley of notes. Although the gunslinger brigade tend to like to show off how well their w***ing hand works, it is possible to incorporate elements of slap technique into a less frantic playing style. In the current Muse thread elsewhere on Basschat there's been some discussion of developing a playing style that's individual to you. A lot of people like to talk about playing in a 'slap style' but IMHO the word 'slap' suggests a specific set of technical skills - how you use them is up to you. (The reply above explains slap in some detail, but approaches it from the viewpoint of a technique to master, not a style to play in.) Just trying to be helpful... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='leftybassman392' post='539300' date='Jul 13 2009, 01:13 PM']A common fallacy with slap is that it inevitably contains an unremitting volley of notes. Although the gunslinger brigade tend to like to show off how well their w***ing hand works, it is possible to incorporate elements of slap technique into a less frantic playing style. In the current Muse thread elsewhere on Basschat there's been some discussion of developing a playing style that's individual to you. A lot of people like to talk about playing in a 'slap style' but IMHO the word 'slap' suggests a specific set of technical skills - how you use them is up to you. (The reply above explains slap in some detail, but approaches it from the viewpoint of a technique to master, not a style to play in.) Just trying to be helpful... [/quote] +1 Whilst I can tell you how to slap technically, I cant possibly tell you what to play with that technique (I wont be held responsible if it turns out that you become the next reviled speed slap monster !) It is very very easy to get so into muted thumps and pops and LH muting and double thumping and triplets etc that you forget to make music, that you leave no spaces, that you just blast away from start to finish. Everyone who has pursued slapping or techiqical ability in any area has been guilty of this. Its a part of mastering a technique, taking it too far to be ultimately musical, such that it becomes a display of prowess, if only for yourself. The vital thing to reach mastery is working out how to then tame that technique to make it more musical. I find that sometimes its best to lay a groove down how you like, let everyone else put stuff over the top then literally edit out as much b-line as you can, cutting away as much as possible, just leaving the key ingredients and a tiny bit of seasoning. Then learn to play whats left and re-record just that. Thats cos I have a tendency to enjoy a few too many notes as much as everyone else . Thats an approach that has worked for me on several occasions. Try it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricbass Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='arabassist' post='539180' date='Jul 13 2009, 10:49 AM']Hello, For a while ive been trying to master slap and pop since im such a fan of flea. at first i was awful at it, but i blamed having the wrong type of bass. I got myself a jazz and im still pretty crap at it. when i pop it just sounds like im picking it strongly...if i apply more force i just get a really loud twang. when i slap i get more sound coming out of the thumping against the fretboard then i do than coming from the amp. (if i put the volume up it just sounds too loud) So basically what i end up with is a bit of trash - it's a shame 'cause i wont be able to work on so many RHCP b-lines. After a few hours of watching slap bass solos on the ol' yuutoobe, i'm starting to think slap bass is a piece of trash itself - just too many notes thumped and mashed per second. i came to the conclusion that id rather hear a fingerpicked solo with lots of growly distortion. This is the kind of slap bass i just love - it's a shame i cant mimic it and then change it into my own. I guess my point is, since i love some slap bass lines, should i try to work on it or should i just forget about it 'cause im never gonna get it?...and if i do would there even be much use to it? am i disadvantaged cos i cant tap or pick? (i can only fingerpick...im good at strumming chords too ) Chearses[/quote] The Slap Bass Program DVD is very good and has been around for a long time. Just don't give up...it's a hard style to crack. I also hate the million notes per minute showing off - tuneless and pointless. Marcus is the master of the slower slap groove. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Definitely don't get disheartened, especially if you've only been playing a year! Took me longer than that to get even vaguely comfortable with the basics of slap technique alone. As has been said already you don't just have to go all machine gun like.. even Mark King has said that an extended bass solo doesn't work all the time! Make it groove, that's the thing. You'll know when it's coming together. +1 to the idea of a teacher, even just for a couple of specific lessons. Someone experienced at this can usually put you right on the basics pretty quickly, then it's up to you to put the time in. Enjoy! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean-Luc Pickguard Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 Get a copy of the Ed Friedland slap bass DVD - a very good guide. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 I found that unplugging the bass and trying to get a clean note unamplified helped wonders. I learnt at uni and didn't have an amp, by the end of the first semester i could slap pretty well! When i needed to learn the thumb and two finger popping technique (Black-eyed blonde) i went back to this method to make it easier to get a clean technique down Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='539430' date='Jul 13 2009, 04:13 PM']Get a copy of the Ed Friedland slap bass DVD - a very good guide.[/quote] +1 Ed Friedland is damn fine at slap (and reggae) - hell he's just all round really really good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thodrik Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 If you've only been playing for a year I wouldn't worry that much about it. It will probably take you a while to get the technique down and even longer to make it sound musical. I didn't slap much at all for the first 5 years of playing, as despite being a huge Flea fan I was never that interested in slap bass and never wanted to become one of those 'Flea clones' that go into music shops, pick up a Stingray and start slapping profusely! I started to pick up slap and pop stuff eventually though when I was about 17-18 and have been working on it for the last 4+ years. It started off as a bedroom jam exercise when uni was driving me insane, but I have started to fit some stuff into gigs. I know there is something to be said for becoming familiar with different techniques early on, but I found it a lot easier to fit slap bass into my own sound once I had a general grasp of the instrument in terms of timing, harmony and basic technique, as well as experience of playing with drummers that can't keep a beat! Just keep at it and your technique and thumbing accuracy will improve. Teachers and watching videos will undoubtedly help, but it really depends on you putting the work in, unless you just happen to be awesome and it comes easily to you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) I don't think playing only a year is enough to get many basics down let alone slap bass.. You mention Flea who has one style down but there are so so many others. Another thing...in what context will you use it..... how many songs just do not need it so unless you devise or rather hear a song with a slap line working, you are just going to be another punter pushing himself rather than the song. My personal opinion is that a slap line should be a a little fill and not an integral part of the song in most instances...so how much time you devote to slap and how much time you actually get to play it with a band needs to be in perspective.. Marcus Miller used to slap most lines on his sessions but he was mostly MD as well..and was hired for that sound...that was his gift..but the earliest work I have of him was on a Lenny White album and he was a killer finger style player then as well... What I am trying to say is..why worry too much after playing for 1 year on a style/technique that will account for less than 5% of the music you play..typically. Get some basics down and drop in a few slap lines to keep the practice interesting... oh ..and get a wider influence of stuff to listen to from a studying POV..IMHO Edited July 13, 2009 by JTUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [url="http://www.basslinepublishing.com/Books/UltimateSlapBass/tabid/69/Default.aspx"]http://www.basslinepublishing.com/Books/Ul...69/Default.aspx[/url] 12.50 - a bargain for such a great book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lylodile Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 (edited) I would recommend just hitting the string with your thumb first so you get an ok sound. Once you got that sorted move onto popping and then your done. Slap was the thing I always wanted to play and I could'nt do it at first but I practiced and now I can do it pretty well. So yeah I would carry on practicing . Edited July 13, 2009 by Lylodile Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Funk Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='51m0n' post='539252' date='Jul 13 2009, 12:20 PM']Slapping to show what a fab bass player you are is pointless and will gain you no love whatsoever.[/quote] It'll get you some - but they'll be outnumbered by the "haters". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
51m0n Posted July 13, 2009 Share Posted July 13, 2009 [quote name='The Funk' post='539750' date='Jul 13 2009, 09:42 PM']It'll get you some - but they'll be outnumbered by the "haters".[/quote] Well yeah there are such things as slap bass groupies out there, they are very few and far between though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golchen Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 Techniques, you either beat them or get defeated by them. You need to have tenacity greater than just a desire to be able to do it. I always wanted to sweep pick on a guitar. Not entirely useful other than the odd short moment but I couldn't get within a million miles of it ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted July 14, 2009 Share Posted July 14, 2009 I asked the same question recently with some useful replies. The fact of the matter is that slap is an absolute witch to get right whatever anybody tells you. The sequence of movements is, in reality, slightly too complex to explain which doesn't help at all. A lot of advice misses the bit about muting the strings with the fretting hand which is just as tricky as getting the slap/pop right. It's a pure technique thing and you're just going to have to suffer until you build the muscles and reflexes and get the timing together. I'm still rubbish by the way! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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