operative451 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Slap bass. I know it comes up on occasion... But what the flip is it with youtube and instagram bassists and the slappidy bappidy clippedy boing noises?! Argh!! I'm totally after things about tone, amp settings, nice playing tips, just nice playing full stop but everything on there seems to be some noodle with a bass in their armpit and their thumb flapping back and forth like they're having a very localised seizure... Seriously, is there any popular, recent, fun or interesting music that uses it? I've noticed the odd bit of clonking here and there on some Bruno-Mars-esque stuff but mostly no, because we want to hear, y'know, notes, not the sound of stainless steel rattling and thwacking. It makes me want to use a pick just to annoy them.... 8 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Just about every review you see on Youtube of a bass, has some plonker slapping all over it. There is a time and a place for it. The mid-eighties! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 43 minutes ago, operative451 said: Seriously, is there any popular, recent, fun or interesting music that uses it? I've noticed the odd bit of clonking here and there on some Bruno-Mars-esque stuff but mostly no, because we want to hear, y'know, notes, not the sound of stainless steel rattling and thwacking. I’ve always wondered why so many bassists use slap in demos etc when it appears to be such a little used technique in the real (recording and public performance) world? It’s a bit like a demo for a lawn mower showing how well it can be used to carry the shopping home. I suspect however that it is a convention so hard-wired into our collective consciousness, that even if we are never going to use it, deep down we need to know whether a prospective purchase is good for slap. Just in case. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubit Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 That's why I like Scott Devine. he can slap very well but never uses it to demonstrate unless that's what he is talking about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 Its like 'shredding' in guitar demos... Nobody does that anymore, its the pulling wheelies of playing an instrument..! The sole purpose of it is to show that you can... I like Scott Devine too - but he's got a real habit of playing jazzy sounding licks with harmonics at the moment.. And on that really ugly brown bass with the centre stripe. That he wears stuck up his nose.. I may be in an intolerant mood though.. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) No, you're right it's silly. It's not showing off the bass, it's the bassist showing off. Edited January 22, 2019 by ahpook 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PawelG Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EliasMooseblaster Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Beedster said: I suspect however that it is a convention so hard-wired into our collective consciousness, that even if we are never going to use it, deep down we need to know whether a prospective purchase is good for slap. Just in case. Ironically, I seem to recall that one of the main things that confirmed my decision to buy an Epi EB-3 was a demo video where the reviewer insisted it was terrible for slap! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beedster Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 minute ago, EliasMooseblaster said: Ironically, I seem to recall that one of the main things that confirmed my decision to buy an Epi EB-3 was a demo video where the reviewer insisted it was terrible for slap! Ha ha, love it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oZZma Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Beedster said: I’ve always wondered why so many bassists use slap in demos etc when it appears to be such a little used technique in the real (recording and public performance) world Because in most cases demos are just an excuse to show off There are very few demos channels that I enjoy and actually demonstrate the sounds and are insightful of the potential of effects (Dennis Kayzer is my favourite) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) I recommend Yamaha Attitudes. That big neck (and it is up by the neck) pick-up, leaves little room for a thumb to slap effectively and none for fingers to "pop" from beneath the G or D strings. Same as the Gibsons that sport neck pick-ups in that position. Edited January 22, 2019 by Lfalex v1.1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 17 minutes ago, PawelG said: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 To be fair though, i quite like the Judith Hill thing.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) Yeah it does get rather tedious. But what I find even more annoying is when you're watching a review and all they do is play chords at the top end of the neck. It's a bass you pillock! We want to hear what the low notes sound like. Edited January 22, 2019 by Newfoundfreedom 4 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldslapper Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 It's the equivalent of a Frank Spencer impression. 😉 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operative451 Posted January 22, 2019 Author Share Posted January 22, 2019 27 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said: Yeah it does get rather tedious. But what I find even more annoying is when you're watching a review and all they do is play chords at the top end of the neck. It's a bass you pillock! We want to hear what the low notes sounds like. Yes!!! Its not clever to make a bass sound like a ukulele!! Its not even clever to make a ukulele sound like a ukulele!! 1 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again, I bloody love slap bass as much as any other style and I’m all for seeing it included in demos 9 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I once wanted to create the A.S.L. way back in the early nineties. I should have done it or protect the name as I'm sure it's being used somewhere now : the Anti Slap League. I just couldn't stand these slap "demos" (along with the shredding shredders) you were "hearing" everywhere in the shops, at the shows, ... : anywhere it was plink, plank, plonk, ta, ta, ta, tak. So BORING ! That said I don't care, I just play fretless... 🤣 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 That said, there are great slap players, but funnily, they are better when they don't slap. 😉 You want 3 names, but the list is almost endless : Stanley Clarke, Mark King and Marcus Miller... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 3 hours ago, ubit said: That's why I like Scott Devine. he can slap very well but never uses it to demonstrate unless that's what he is talking about. When he stops talking and rambling, which seems to take him a long time to do. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lozkerr Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 19 minutes ago, Hellzero said: I once wanted to create the A.S.L. way back in the early nineties. I should have done it or protect the name as I'm sure it's being used somewhere now : the Anti Slap League. You should resurrect it. We could have regular events - Funk Bonfire Night where we burn funk albums, Slap a Slapper Day... endless possibilities! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leftybassman392 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) Ummm... Would this be a bad time to remind people that slapping was in widespread use by double bass players long before electric instruments were even invented? So are you guys saying it's ok to do it on a double bass but not on an electric one? I don't have an axe to grind btw. I'm just a bit concerned that there might be a touch of selective memory going on. Edited January 22, 2019 by leftybassman392 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cato Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 (edited) Finally getting around to learning how to play slap properly a few years back got me out of a playing rut that had gone on so long that I was almost at the point where I didn't want to pick up a bass anymore. These days it's far from the majority of what I play but it definitely reignited my interest in the instrument. It opened up a couple of new ways of thinking about my standard finger style playing as well, as an example, before slap I barely knew what a ghost note was let alone how to use them effectively. Suffice to say I'm a fan. Edited January 22, 2019 by Cato 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfan Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 Horses for courses. I like it when it’s done right. 😎 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 I can play one slap bass line and one only, This Is Not A Love Song by Public Image Ltd. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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