Bassists

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 7:28 pm

I want to learn to slap. Where should I start?

I can, by the way, play stringed, non-bowed instruments already.

Pfloyd... Bassphemy... grandPA... Polestrom...

I'm lookin' at y'all...

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 8:34 pm

Set your action as low as you can to where you're just high enough that you can't hear fret buzz through the amp. Hold your right hand in a position where you thumb is as close to perpendicular to the strings as possible (this will entail some adjustment of the height which you hold the bass), bring your thumb down on the E string and smack it so it bounces off the frets. Then use your index or middle finger to "hook" under the D string and quickly lift it up and let it go, letting it "pop" off the fretboard.

That's the basic manual portion of it which you can move around between the strings (E and A tend to be the slapped strings and D and G tend to be the popped ones). The "slap sound" is achieved with a combination of fast thumb slaps and finger pops coupled with left-hand muting and fretting. If you have a compressor, squash the shit of your signal to tame the transients and bring up the volume of the mutes. Wash, rinse, repeat.

tacos · Post by **tacos** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:09 am

watch seinfeld

Motorhead · Post by **Motorhead** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:55 am

Pfl?yd wrote:Set your action as low as you can to where you're just high enough that you can't hear fret buzz through the amp. Hold your right hand in a position where you thumb is as close to perpendicular to the strings as possible (this will entail some adjustment of the height which you hold the bass), bring your thumb down on the E string and smack it so it bounces off the frets. Then use your index or middle finger to "hook" under the D string and quickly lift it up and let it go, letting it "pop" off the fretboard.

That's the basic manual portion of it which you can move around between the strings (E and A tend to be the slapped strings and D and G tend to be the popped ones). The "slap sound" is achieved with a combination of fast thumb slaps and finger pops coupled with left-hand muting and fretting. If you have a compressor, squash the shit of your signal to tame the transients and bring up the volume of the mutes. Wash, rinse, repeat.

What he said.

PABassPlayer · Post by **PABassPlayer** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:50 am

Start with learning Red Hot Chili Peppers version of higher ground, then move to the entire Bootsy Collins collection.

Practice the notes of funk songs that you like normal finger style, then start adding slap/pop into it.

If you are a pick/plexi bass player, you will have a harder time learning this tecnique.

BassPhemy · Post by **BassPhemy** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:54 pm

I've never played too much slap. I learned some RHCP and some Wooten and whatever else just to see if I could do it. Other than that I usually fuck around with octaves because it's fun. Slap the G on the E string and then pop the G that's one octave above it on the D string. Then slap twice and pop once. Or slap the G then pop the F that is right before the octave G and hammer onto the G. Or pull off. Or mute the E string and slap it.

The only thing I've found really fun about slap is that you can fuck around with drum rudiments.

Wagner Vajagner · Post by **Wagner Vajagner** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 12:56 pm

BassPhemy wrote:I've never played too much slap. I learned some RHCP and some Wooten and whatever else just to see if I could do it. Other than that I usually fuck around with octaves because it's fun. Slap the G on the E string and then pop the G that's one octave above it on the D string. Then slap twice and pop once. Or slap the G then pop the F that is right before the octave G and hammer onto the G. Or pull off. Or mute the E string and slap it.

The only thing I've found really fun about slap is that you can fuck around with drum rudiments.

What kind of bass do you play?

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 1:17 pm

BassPhemy wrote:I've never played too much slap. I learned some RHCP and some Wooten and whatever else just to see if I could do it. Other than that I usually fuck around with octaves because it's fun. Slap the G on the E string and then pop the G that's one octave above it on the D string. Then slap twice and pop once. Or slap the G then pop the F that is right before the octave G and hammer onto the G. Or pull off. Or mute the E string and slap it.

The only thing I've found really fun about slap is that you can fuck around with drum rudiments.

Well the drum rudiment thing is a sound comparison because playing slap has a lot more to do with drumming than bass-playing, truth be told. And practicing drum rudiments on the bass is actually a good place to begin. Just change the Left and Right of rudiment exercises to Slap and Pop and you get some more rhythmic stuff going on.

The first song I learned how to slap was Rage Against the Machine's "Take the Power Back" because the riff itself is pretty much a simple box-pattern so you can concentrate more on your right-hand technique. "Higher Ground" is a good one too, but a little faster. It's all octaves, of course.

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:16 pm

BassPhemy wrote: The only thing I've found really fun about slap is that you can fuck around with drum rudiments.

That's why I want to learn it, so I can add a percussive quality to my playing. I've started working on a new project with a guitarist/vocalist, and I'm playing bass and running electronics.

I don't have much of a "funk" style to my playing, and it's probably going to wind up being a spacey, drone-ish bass sound with occasional slap/pop percussive sounds.

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:20 pm

The Doctor wrote:
BassPhemy wrote: The only thing I've found really fun about slap is that you can fuck around with drum rudiments.
That's why I want to learn it, so I can add a percussive quality to my playing. I've started working on a new project with a guitarist/vocalist, and I'm playing bass and running electronics.

I don't have much of a "funk" style to my playing, and it's probably going to wind up being a spacey, drone-ish bass sound with occasional slap/pop percussive sounds.

If you're not doing anything super technical, the basics of slap are easy enough to grasp.

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 3:41 pm

What are some good exercises I can do to get the coordination right? Do you know of any sites that have good tablature-based tips?

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 4:39 pm

Actually, I'd look up "slap lessons" on Google or Youtube. It's more something you have to seen done more than read about.

Villecore · Post by **Villecore** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 5:06 pm

tacos wrote:watch seinfeld

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 9:16 pm

Pfl?yd wrote:Actually, I'd look up "slap lessons" on Google or Youtube. It's more something you have to seen done more than read about.

I just did that, and it was helpful, but a lot of those lessons seem to be people in their bedrooms. I found a few though that were actually pros who knew what they were doing.

Can you slap at all Mr Pfloyd? I mean, on a level more than a pop here and there?

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 10:19 pm

The Doctor wrote:
Pfl?yd wrote:Actually, I'd look up "slap lessons" on Google or Youtube. It's more something you have to seen done more than read about.
I just did that, and it was helpful, but a lot of those lessons seem to be people in their bedrooms. I found a few though that were actually pros who knew what they were doing.

Can you slap at all Mr Pfloyd? I mean, on a level more than a pop here and there?

I play in a avant-funk ensemble where I do it about half the time. I'm no Victor Wooten but I get around the fretboard well enough.

The Doctor · Post by **The Doctor** » Sat Jan 31, 2009 11:03 pm

Pfl?yd wrote:
The Doctor wrote:
Pfl?yd wrote:Actually, I'd look up "slap lessons" on Google or Youtube. It's more something you have to seen done more than read about.
I just did that, and it was helpful, but a lot of those lessons seem to be people in their bedrooms. I found a few though that were actually pros who knew what they were doing.

Can you slap at all Mr Pfloyd? I mean, on a level more than a pop here and there?
I play in a avant-funk ensemble where I do it about half the time. I'm no Victor Wooten but I get around the fretboard well enough.

I'm trying to use on of his "lessons" on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WMxTIm0FkkU

Wrona · Post by **Wrona** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 3:17 pm

tacos wrote:watch seinfeld

Hunter/Killer · Post by **Hunter/Killer** » Sun Feb 01, 2009 7:46 pm

tacos wrote:watch seinfeld

thats a keyboard

Wrona · Post by **Wrona** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 7:49 pm

Hunter/Killer wrote:
tacos wrote:watch seinfeld
thats a keyboard

I'm positive that you are correct

tacos · Post by **tacos** » Mon Feb 02, 2009 9:31 pm

TK wrote:
Hunter/Killer wrote:
tacos wrote:watch seinfeld
thats a keyboard
I'm positive that you are correct

do you think I care?
it sounds the same, only better.

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 12:19 am

tacos wrote:
TK wrote:
Hunter/Killer wrote:
tacos wrote:watch seinfeld
thats a keyboard
I'm positive that you are correct
do you think I care?
it sounds the same, only better.

False.

Motorhead · Post by **Motorhead** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:18 am

The Doors had a great bassist! I want to be just like him!

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 8:37 am

Motorhead wrote:The Doors had a great bassist! I want to be just like him!

Which one? Doug Lubahn, Jerry Scheff, Lonnie Mack, Bob Glaub, Jack Conrad, Chris Ethridge, Charles Larkey, Leland Sklar, Ray Neapolitan, Wolfgang Melz, Willie Ruff, Kerry Magness, or Leroy Vinnegar?

PABassPlayer · Post by **PABassPlayer** » Tue Feb 03, 2009 1:11 pm

Pfl?yd wrote:
Motorhead wrote:The Doors had a great bassist! I want to be just like him!
Which one? Doug Lubahn, Jerry Scheff, Lonnie Mack, Bob Glaub, Jack Conrad, Chris Ethridge, Charles Larkey, Leland Sklar, Ray Neapolitan, Wolfgang Melz, Willie Ruff, Kerry Magness, or Leroy Vinnegar?

Leland

Motorhead · Post by **Motorhead** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:03 am

Pfl?yd wrote:
Motorhead wrote:The Doors had a great bassist! I want to be just like him!
Which one? Doug Lubahn, Jerry Scheff, Lonnie Mack, Bob Glaub, Jack Conrad, Chris Ethridge, Charles Larkey, Leland Sklar, Ray Neapolitan, Wolfgang Melz, Willie Ruff, Kerry Magness, or Leroy Vinnegar?

Ray Manzarek!

tacos · Post by **tacos** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 1:48 am

Pfl?yd wrote:
tacos wrote:
TK wrote:
Hunter/Killer wrote:
tacos wrote:watch seinfeld
thats a keyboard
I'm positive that you are correct
do you think I care?
it sounds the same, only better.
False.

no.
true

Pfl?yd · Post by **Pfl?yd** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 8:51 am

tacos wrote:
Pfl?yd wrote:
tacos wrote:
TK wrote:
Hunter/Killer wrote:
tacos wrote:watch seinfeld
thats a keyboard
I'm positive that you are correct
do you think I care?
it sounds the same, only better.
False.
no.
true

You'd be very hard-pressed to find keyboard setting that replicates Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, Chuck Rainey (who played on Aja), Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, or lots of other guys. If you think they sound similar or better then your ears aren't very keen. I know it's not "indie" to like that style of playing but let's not let hipster posturing mask actual reality.

Muffin · Post by **Muffin** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 4:43 pm

Calm down, Beavis.

Maelstrom · Post by **Maelstrom** » Wed Feb 04, 2009 5:38 pm

Learn the intro to this very cool cover!

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gfMxYMr-1Hk

tacos · Post by **tacos** » Thu Feb 05, 2009 12:32 am

Pfl?yd wrote:
tacos wrote: no.
true
You'd be very hard-pressed to find keyboard setting that replicates Larry Graham, Stanley Clarke, Chuck Rainey (who played on Aja), Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, or lots of other guys. If you think they sound similar or better then your ears aren't very keen. I know it's not "indie" to like that style of playing but let's not let hipster posturing mask actual reality.

no.
true

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCN9oQmsQx4