Narrow string slapping??

[bubinga5]

Does anyone have a narrow string 5...If so how do you get on with slapping on it...do you find it a easy, have you taken time to practice and it has come....also do you find it easy going from a normal spacing 4 to a narrow 5 slap wise?

any thoughts..

[Pete1967]

[quote name='bubinga5' post='692352' date='Dec 23 2009, 02:28 PM']Does anyone have a narrow string 5...If so how do you get on with slapping on it...do you find it a easy, have you taken time to practice and it has come....also do you find it easy going from a normal spacing 4 to a narrow 5 slap wise?

any thoughts..[/quote]
I guess it depends what you mean by narrow spacing... My Shuker 5 is at 17.5mm spacings at the bridge and to be honest I prefer it to the 19mm spacings of my TRB5. At first I found that I was catching the other strings a bit, but I modified my technique to be more efficient - less flapping around and I suppose a bit less showy, but infintely more accurate - by tilting my right had downwards a fraction so that the side of the thumb is a little more in line with the string than across it. Sometimes I anchor my hand on the body a la Mark Knopfler. Now I'm used to it, and it didn't take long, I really prefer it because getting round the bass is easier all round.

Edit... I found this pic to illustrate what I mean about the technique... I'm by no means saying it's perfect or the only way to do it... but it works for me. HTH.

[attachment=38808:DSC_1426.JPG]

Edited December 23, 2009 by Pete1967

[Bankai]

It can be done on a 5-string (and even on a 6-string) but it does take some practice as it's certainly not as easy to slap as it is on a 4-string.

[Rayman]

Dave Perry's your man, he's a slapper and loves narrow spacings.

I personally have been slapping a 17mm Kinal and a 16mm Fernandes for a few months with no problem. It takes a little more acuracy and practice than with a wider spacing, but you soon get uesd to it.

The Fernandes is for sale by the way .

[JTUK]

I tend to keep all my basses the same sapcing...just less hassle chopping around...but then I don't use 4's anymore.

Bridge spacing at 19 works for me... P-Bass or J5 at the nut less of an issue as you aren't striking that end...
I like to keep things constant re the right hand..

[J3ster]

It takes practice - I play with my thumb/hand closer to the strings on a 5 and tend to root it there rather than go for the full on arm swing yippee do slap.

I much prefer slapping a 4 but then I'm a little anti 5 sometimes anyway.

[Ballie]

Hi,

I play a Ken Smith Burner 6 with 16mm spacing at the bridge. I slap using Mark King's right arm position. His forearm runs almost parallel to the strings and he wears his bass fairly high up as I do which makes a lot of things easier.

I have seen people slapping on narrow 5's with their hands perpendicular to the strings. There's no right or wrong by any means. Just for me personally, I found it easier the way Mark King does it. He uses 16.5mm spacing btw.

Hope this helps, and happy slapping!

[Faithless]

My both 5string Ibbies have 16.5mm spacing (yep, I tend to keep my basses spacing the same..), and I don't find it hard to do a proper slap (in terms of sound clarity, and such - actually I'm not much of a slapper).

Of course it takes practice, but, at the end, what [i]doesn't[/i] take practice, eh?


Actually, I think, it's waaay easier to slap a four string, rather than 5string (B-G tuning), in terms of sound clarity. Problem (for me, as I feel it), when slapping a fiver, would be to properly [i]record [/i]it. In a live situation, 'outside' sounds are waay less noticeable.

I've just watched Gouche video - and [i]somehow[/i], if you'd record his solo track, I don't think, that his slapping would be [i]crystal clear[/i].. I believe, it's very hard to properly [i]mute [/i]6string.