Building up slap technique...

[Musicman20]

My pick style is spot on, and my finger style has come on leaps and bounds!

I now also want to build up a semi decent slap technique. Nothing crazy...just a nice strong technique.

I need a few exercises to get back into it. I know how to do it, and I realise what's a decent technique (ish) but what can I do to build everything up?! At the moment it feels a little weak.

Any basic songs or lines I should try with a metronome?

Thanks

[The Funk]

Start at the beginning.

Sly & The Family Stone - Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin

[The Funk]

Once you've got those basics down, try building up to ghost notes and 16th note syncopation, like Louis Johnson.

[Bilbo]

The Funk is in the thumb. More thumb less pops.

[richrips]

Totally agree with the Larry and Louis approach.

To get a broad palette of styles also check out:

Red Hot Chili Peppers- Aeroplane (classic flea style)

Graham Central Station- Hair (fairly hard) and Pow (maybe a bit harder)

Ben Harper- Brown Eyed Blues (Simple until the genius bass solo!)

The good thing about slap is that most often the best slap bass lines are the simpler ones with few notes but cleverly put together. Speed slap seems to have a pretty alienating effect on anyone who isn't a bass player!

Good luck and may the Mothership be with you.

Rich

[Faithless]

I think, as, with any other technique, there an awful lot more to do, than to learn basslines from a few songs.

There's an awful lot to shed, there's an awful lot to learn each phrase/lick in other/all keys, so you are comfortable to play something not only in the key of E, as Vic Wooten would say



Get a copy of Tony Oppenheim "Slap It - Funk Studies for Electric Bass", turn to the page one, put that metronome on 2 n 4, and start sheddin', mate..


Just my two cents..
Faith

[Pete Academy]

This is not an easy technique to learn. There are some good DVDs out there, but I would recommend a good teacher.

[JTUK]

ohhh...

There is no one way..IMV

Old skool slap is mostly thumb....Pops Popwell tyically Ready Freddie, Loius J etc etc
and newer variations of that is based around MK's triplet gunning...

Wooten uses masses of hammer-ons LH and RH double strokes.

IMV, the most interesting guy out there atm, is Caron who takes Wooten on to another level...but they are primarily soloists within a band.

I'd forget about playing a whole song slap-style as only MM really got away that on a regualr basis.... IMV.
Forget Flea as it just isn't that funky....

Pick a player you like and try to make it groovy and fluid..

MM, Freddie Washington...or a guy with a good feel within a song..Hutch Hucthinson.

Nobody really wants a bass solo song anymore.... it is as un-hip as tapping etc etc

[velvetkevorkian]

I'd recommend Stuart Clayton's Ultimate Slap Bass book.

[JordanRLS]

I recommend higher ground by the chillis, it's where i started with my slap.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokQdFPNDM0&feature=PlayList&p=6134C6B12E88F0E0&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=47"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eokQdFPNDM0...=1&index=47[/url]

[bassmeg]

Emergency on planet earth by Jamiroquai is a funky octave pop fest which is fairly easy and wicked to play.

[Pete Academy]

I would just start with simple octaves in a disco style. This way you'll practise a clean thumbed note and a precise popped octave at the same time.

[Pete Academy]

I remember trying to decipher this style when it first came out. Regardless of what people say, it's bloody hard to master. I had to bluff my way through it, and I remember my brother saying how bad I sounded in the early stages.

You just have to persevere with it.

It all depends on which style you want to approach. The US classic players like Louis Johnson, Larry Graham, and Marcus Miller use a more thumb-heavy style, whereas players like Mark King use a drum rudiment approach using left and right hand.

I would definitely recommend a teacher or a good DVD tutor like Stuart Clayton etc.

The key is not to give up.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='825758' date='May 2 2010, 06:47 PM']I would just start with simple octaves in a disco style. This way you'll practise a clean thumbed note and a precise popped octave at the same time.[/quote]

Good idea...thanks.

My pops arent so bad, but my thumb and muting the strings inbetween notes is poor at the moment.

I dont want to start playing anything ridiculous, as the slap lines I tend to hear that I like are fairly simplistic, just tight and funky!

Basic Flea lines (ive found a few) are probably a good place to start, and just octaves up and down the neck with a metronome.

[richrips]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='825770' date='May 2 2010, 07:01 PM']Basic Flea lines (ive found a few) are probably a good place to start,[/quote]

Yeah get you "Black eyed blonde" on!! best bassline ever???

[Pete Academy]

Sorry to derail the thread into another major one, but I hope it will help your request.

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='825800' date='May 2 2010, 07:21 PM']Sorry to derail the thread into another major one, but I hope it will help your request. [/quote]

No thats a good idea, thanks.

I must admit, I was taught the basics by a bass tutor. This was a long time ago though. I used to be better at 15/16.

I just need to sit and copy/play along....that how I enjoy and pick things up. Then Ill try and read a few things as well.

[Pete Academy]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='825807' date='May 2 2010, 07:27 PM']No thats a good idea, thanks.

I must admit, I was taught the basics by a bass tutor. This was a long time ago though. I used to be better at 15/16.

I just need to sit and copy/play along....that how I enjoy and pick things up. Then Ill try and read a few things as well.[/quote]

Just be patient with it.

[bassmeg]

[quote name='Musicman20' post='825807' date='May 2 2010, 07:27 PM']I just need to sit and copy/play along....that how I enjoy and pick things up. Then Ill try and read a few things as well.[/quote]


It maybe worth checking out marloweDK on you tube or www.playbassnow.com. The lessons he does normally involve slowing things right down. I dont know that many tutors, but he is very helpful to me, especially for slap.

[Doddy]

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='825758' date='May 2 2010, 06:47 PM']I would just start with simple octaves in a disco style. This way you'll practise a clean thumbed note and a precise popped octave at the same time.[/quote]

Good idea.

What i do is take a simple pattern and expand on it. Start by thumping a G and plucking the octave on he D string,
drop to an open E string,plus octave, and move up chromatically to the G again. Then repeat it starting on C on the A string.
When you get comfortable,try adding more rhythm to it. Try playing two thumped notes and a pluck in a two semi quavers,
one quaver rhythm,or one thump and two plucks in a semi quaver,quaver,semi quaver rhythm.
Then start mixing it up.

Another thing is to play things you would normally play,only with your thumb. Try playing scales using just your thumb,or
just plucking,or alternating. That way you won't be getting stuck into just slapping octaves.

[JTUK]

Slow it down enough to make it feel good. As much as I loved him at the time, don't follow LJ...it is just too much nowadays...plus you'll injure you hand never to play again..

You need good ghost notes...left and right hand, open and closed and thumb and fingers, IMO.

Jeff Berlin's 5G is a good exercise...as in if you get that...you really have the sync down. Just the first few bars, of course...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5asxUqH2TY&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5asxUqH2TY...feature=related[/url]

this isn't the link I wanted...but there is a good demo of it on Starlicks which I can't find atm...

Berlin will tell you he isn't a slapper, but if he puts it out there...he NAILS it.

[Conan]

With all styles of bass playing, tightness and groove are important - but with slap it is VITAL!! Try not to over-complicate things and lose time, even slightly. It sounds awful.

However, some players manage to combine complexity with a tight-as-feck groove...

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DkOYGlI-zoo...feature=related[/url]

I didn't realise that a bass (even a six-string) had so many notes on it!!

Edited May 10, 2010 by Conan

[peterG]

A very good excercise is stick control for drums For the R's you use your tumb and the L's pull. And do it like is recommended for the drummers ; each excercise 20 times. You can also vary on the L's When there is more than one L you can pull with two fingers or pull and tumb or double tumb.
Example;

RLLL or RLLL or RLLL
TPPP TPTP TPT tumb under the string
T= tumb
P= pull