bubinga5 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 (edited) maybe this should be in theory and teq...but i was just wondering how many of us play slap but.. in a musical way?..i often just thumb my way through George Benson's "Shiver"( anyone know this killer 80s track)???? and let the notes ring with the tone rolled off on the JB.. and other tracks that are soo not slap... slap doesnt have to be about a regimented rock,funk,pop, line. but....in my humble opinion thats what some miss from what slap can be...im not saying thats whats slap and pop is all about, but its a good perspective of good slap playing.. i love L42 and MM but the best slap ive ever heard is in the context of a great tune that doesnt involve erm...slap..or at least the hearing point of the music..see below!! i like to thumb, what i would play fingerstyle..IMHO forget strict slap lines from books vids...its a great way to get your dexterity but it dont train your musical mind... its fantastic practice for a musical way of slapping...imo the best way to approach it sometimes..just think of it a fingerstyle but with more attack.. im sorry if im being very music specific when im explaining this but its transferable for sure... a fantastic example of this is Randy "Hope" Taylor's playing on this track from a very Bluey "Inner Shade" album...OK he pops, but most of its thumb..the track is smokin...very musical..he thumbs his way through some amazing lines.... like i said im sure as hell you guys/girls are on top of this and got a heel on me excuse my arrogance.. ..just my thoughts see... Check out Randy Taylor on this killer track with Chris Ballin vocals...... [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytQLBqIHak"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ytQLBqIHak[/url] Edited August 1, 2010 by bubinga5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Whenever I slap I always try to make it musical these days. It's easy to get carried away sometimes, so I always try to slow it down a bit. Examples of musical slap can be found on the Bernard Wright 'Nard' album. A great CD, if you can find it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wombatboter Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I have always liked the approach of Kai Eckhart when he slaps... he puts chords and odd timing into it. A bit of harmony in slap doesn't do any harm [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gli5XkBJ538&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gli5XkBJ538...feature=related[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 A bit of early Cameo will yield some good examples, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 I just do a few bar fills, these days, as I find most people who slap the whole part, just get carried away with their thing, to the detriment of the song. I can't be doing with riffola anymore. The RHT groove above is a good approach, though, it doesn't take over it still supports the song. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prime_BASS Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Erm not that fast or good at slapping however, when ever I do it's for a "musical" sense not going nuts or showing off. I think I understand where you are coming from, I was playing calm like a bomb by rage against th machine, and just to be heard, I slapped the chorus, it suited the song as the chorus is very aggressive and hard hitting, so it just seemed a lot better than trying to finger pick the strings hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stingray5 Posted August 1, 2010 Share Posted August 1, 2010 Slap seems to have settled down again and come through that over-the-top-all-guns-blazing phase from a while ago, where the whole bass-playing world and his wife seemed to be slapping the hell out of the instrument! Ok, I know there will always be those who do and I have no problem with that. In a general cover band situation, I like to employ slap techniques up to a point and where it suits a particular song. I think I get what B5 is talking about and, among other styles, I'll often snap with the thumb (and finger) to add a little something, where appropriate. At times I'd like to improve my slapping abilities even more, but it's not the be-all and end-all of bass playing for me. Keeping it musical and with a solid groove is still paramount for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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