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Slap Happy Chappy? No, Cos I'm Crappy :(


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Slapping...

I've been trying for at least 10 years to slap properly and still really struggle with it.

I can do the slap. I can do the pop. I can even do the slap and pop together. But add any level of complexity or if I try play for any prolonged period of time (like the duration of a song), it inevitably goes pear shape. Basically, my timing goes out the window, usually my thumb work, but muting with my left hand also falls over. I also find that I start playing too hard. It's very annoying... 

It's gotten to the stage now where I don't even like hearing slap bass in songs, I just find the pops jarring. It's like my brain has developed a mental block against it or something.

I want to be as well-rounded a bassist as I can be, but my slapping is really letting me down. 

Any advice please?? 

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Slap bass can be great, but let's face it, these days you're unlikely to be turned down for a band vacancy because you're not a great slap player - unless it's a strictly '80's cover or tribute band..

And if you're in an originals band trying to 'make it' and you're being asked to play slap bass on the band's own material then I suggest that maybe it's time the band took a good hard look at itself and rethought what they're trying to do.

This is 2019, not 1985.

Edited by musicbassman
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Never got into it either, I suppose if I was really into the music that it was integral to and thus wanted to join bands playing that style I would have to have learned it but as it happens I've managed to completely avoid it in any gigging band I've been in.

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I love slap. Especially when it’s used sparingly, like a little pop here and there’s within a fingered line. Perhaps that’s the key - start throwing some slaps into normal bass lines to build up a better, smoother technique. Normally people rush it. Lay back with it and make it groove. 

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I learned to play with a plectrum and only about 18 months ago started trying to learn to finger pick.  After I got to a stage where I could do that without making too much of a balls of it I thought I'd try having a go at slapping.  A couple of Internet instructional videos later I decided it was far too complicated and a skill I'd never, ever use.

In fact this week I've decided to stop finger picking altogether and just use a plectrum.  I realise I may have to turn in my badge and gun for saying that.

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9 minutes ago, Unknown_User said:

In fact this week I've decided to stop finger picking altogether and just use a plectrum.  I realise I may have to turn in my badge and gun for saying that.

smiley    Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

The Dark Side! smiley

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Save the slap for the Youtube videos  😅

 

Seriously though, I've never had any really reason to use it yet according to Youtube, everything has to and indeed must be slapped. 

 

I'm with Ped on this. A wee slap or pop here and there can add something new to a song but continuous slap sounds like someone pushing a drum kit down a flight of stairs

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1 minute ago, Delberthot said:

Save the slap for the Youtube videos  😅

 

Seriously though, I've never had any really reason to use it yet according to Youtube, everything has to and indeed must be slapped. 

 

I'm with Ped on this. A wee slap or pop here and there can add something new to a song but continuous slap sounds like someone pushing a drum kit down a flight of stairs

Mate, don't get me started on YouTube videos. It's the same at the London Bass Show, everyone trying to slap as fast as possible. 

I'm with you guys, small doses it's fine and I can pop and slap in bursts. There's no way I could play Forget Me Nots all the way through without my timing going off for example, which is bl00dy annoying. Not that I want to do it especially, it's the fact that I can't that bugs 🙄

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Then I must be the resident  80s throwback pariah round these here parts cos I still love slap. But, I may redeem myself when I say I now avoid these bedroom You Tube winkers thrapping away furiously on their fretboards. Can't stand  all that thwacka thwacka thwacka machine gun stuff but when slap grooves it should be swinging and booty shaking.  The best players to rip off are Marcus Miller,  Larry Graham, Big Tony from Troublefunk and Louis Johnson.  Fraid I'm not a fan of Vic Wooten's slap style and also stick only to the funk players and avoid all rock players who use slap. For me slap doesn't really work in rock.

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Ah cool well then it’s all practice I’m afraid. I find sitting in front of the TV absent mindedly slapping an octave probably helps with timing. I’m even known to slap a desk when working. Start off with a simple slow pattern and try to maintain it for a while song. 

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A few years ago after 20 odd years I found me myself completely bored with bass and stuck in a deep rut.

So I decided to finally learn how to slap properly (afer years of bluffing and never quite getting it right) to see if that would give me some new aspect to work at and sort of inspiration/enjoyment back.

It did.

I watched and worked through a whole lot of YouTube tutorials but it was this particular series I found by far the most useful.

Top Tip: It's all in the ghost notes.

Edited by Cato
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3 minutes ago, Cato said:

A few years ago after 20 odd years I found me myself completely bored with bass and stuck in a deep rut.

So I decided to finally learn how to slap properly (afer years of bluffing and never quite getting it right) to see if that would give me some new aspect to work at and sort of inspiration/enjoyment back.

It did.

I watched and worked through a whole lot of YouTube tutorials but it was this particular series I found by far the most useful.

Top Tip: It's all in the ghost notes.

Thanks for this, I'll give it a blast 👍🏻

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