Bass Lesson 16 - Slap Bass Technique

Many great bass players have incorporated the slap and pop technique into their sound. This style is very percusive and was actually “invented” by Larry Graham when his drummer was not at a gig. Graham would slap and pop the strings when the snare was supposed to hit. This kept the group on time while playing without a drummer. Since then it has become a popular style even while playing with a drummer, and oddly enough it is popular with just a bassist and drummer alone! Let’s check out how to play this style.
 
First off you should have sufficient knowledge on how to hold and play your bass. The first part of this technique involves the thumb. Hold your hand close to the strings with your thumb close to the E string and your fingers slightly curved inward. To play the string, twist your wrist so that your thumb almost whips the string. When your thumb hits the string, make sure you are using the joint of your thumb to strike the string. You will use the side of your thumb to hit the string. The other half of this technique involves plucking the string with your index or middle finger. To accomplish this task, take your index finger and pull up on the string; at one point release the string. To do this correctly, you will have to pull the string high enough so that when you release the string it has enough force to hit the frets during the return. You can also use your middle finger to do this. It will take some time to put the two together so to practice this. Now, let’s put it on fretboard.

 

Here we have a simple 2-measure phrase of G notes. The first measure is played on the low E string. Slap all four of these notes with your thumb. Remember to hit the string with the joint of your thumb and on the side of your thumb. Hit the E string 4 times, and you will be ready for measure 2. In measure 2, you will use your index finger to pop all four notes. Put your finger under the string and pull it up; release it so that it hits the fretboard making a pop sound. It may seem violent and harsh on your guitar, but since bass strings are so large they are rather difficult to break. Let’s continue with a more complicated example.

This example is a bit funkier. We have the same general octave shape as before, but the rhythm is all over the place. Rhythms are not all that difficult to learn if you break them down into measures. The first measure is a dotted quarter, 2 eighth notes, and 2 quarter notes. Just make sure you are waiting an entire beat and a half before you play the second note of the measure. Measure two is a fill; wait the full beat and a half again before playing what comes next. The rest of measure two is just eighth notes. Measure two leads right into measure three, so be ready; you may want to practice both measures together. Measure 3 is the same as measure one. Also measure four is the same as measure two as far as rhythm goes. The last two notes are higher than before, so watch those.

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