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Slap or not to slap

Jean-Frédéric

Jean-Frédéric

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 11, 2004
Messages
307
Location
LavaL ( can you say it backward ? ) Quebec, Canada
Yeah ..I wonder if i should learn to slap ..
Well for the lil I can do I suck and what I usually play do not require slaping and poping. and I was considering getting a Method book .. but I was reading also that Article/Enterview on/with Geddy Lee and he says

" I wanted to learn how to do that, and he ( Jeff Berlin) said " Don't ! don't learn it!It's dertroying all bass players! Just play man !"

I know in the end it,s my call , but I want to know what you guys and Bovine if he feels like giving advices ...deep ... thoughfull advices ..cause he's the Lord Of Bongo and he must guide us through the darkness .. just kidding but seriously what you guys think.
 
Jean-Frédéric said:
Yeah ..I wonder if i should learn to slap ..
Well for the lil I can do I suck and what I usually play do not require slaping and poping. and I was considering getting a Method book .. but I was reading also that Article/Enterview on/with Geddy Lee and he says

" I wanted to learn how to do that, and he ( Jeff Berlin) said " Don't ! don't learn it!It's dertroying all bass players! Just play man !"

I know in the end it,s my call , but I want to know what you guys and Bovine if he feels like giving advices ...deep ... thoughfull advices ..cause he's the Lord Of Bongo and he must guide us through the darkness .. just kidding but seriously what you guys think.
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I enjoy adding it as a "Flava" now & then. I'm not nearly coordinated to be one of those rapid-fire machine gunners you hear though. Just a smidge now & then keeps things interesting. :p
 
Bov is an old school bassist. In his words, a "caveman bassist." He don't do no slap, buddy.

But slap has got its own thang going on. It's probably true, however, that the slap technique is destroying all bass players. Bass is thought of less to be "support" than to be some nasally bright noise to cut through the mix with some nasty solo-like thing.

... But I do enjoy slap. Your call, sir!
 
Stay away from the darkside... Seriously, its something I do when I'm just messing around, but I don't think I'll ever throw it into a song...
 
Midopa I hear you ! about the Bass suport and Bov's cave-bass-man :P

and CrazyBass8888 I feel that way .. mean I try it ..but I suck anyway , it's fun when I have nothing to do

..but I rather hear some smooth notes doing some walking bass ..tho D'you think chicks dig that :P haha kidding ..but Everyone I know ask me to do that .. they all think it 's soooo cool ..lil over rated i think .. I found more beauty in the basic Walking bass of blues than a bombing of tap-slap-pop.. still that bombing is pretty impressive ..
 
the question should be
why will i not learn slap

i learned how to about 3 monthes ago and i love it
not saying that all i play is slap i do pluck too
but
slap seems to have a louder sharper sound that
i wouldnt get a book but i would get funky chops

like iv said i swear by these
basically slap is how it looks, only problem is that you have to move your wrist really fast so that you dont hold down the string but strike it, and to make sure that your only hitting one string
get your aim down by playing major penotonics up the fretboard, do this only playin slap at first then gradualy start to add pop on the top 2 strings

but like i said before slap is not for everything, and should be used in moderation unless playin funk
 
Jean-Frédéric said:
Yeah ..I wonder if i should learn to slap ..
Well for the lil I can do I suck and what I usually play do not require slaping and poping. and I was considering getting a Method book .. but I was reading also that Article/Enterview on/with Geddy Lee and he says

" I wanted to learn how to do that, and he ( Jeff Berlin) said " Don't ! don't learn it!It's dertroying all bass players! Just play man !"

I know in the end it,s my call , but I want to know what you guys and Bovine if he feels like giving advices ...deep ... thoughfull advices ..cause he's the Lord Of Bongo and he must guide us through the darkness .. just kidding but seriously what you guys think.
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Personally I think that is a very cool techinique, and especially if you are a 'musicman owner' it is a sine qua non!

Of course, as with everything in this world, you shouldn't abuse it.....
Eg that guy from Gazzbass becomes boring after the first 10 minutes.

It should COMPLIMENT your existing technique arsenal.

I'd never say though that it 'destroys' bass players.



Chicks also LOVE it.........................
 
Jean-Frédéric said:
Okai that makes one more reason why I shall slap :P
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Yeah....... A very serious one!!!


Don't let le guitariste prendre toutes les filles!!!

If you become a good slapper, he'll be VERY jealous of you because he's stuck with the bloody pick and he bloody needs yet another bloody stomp box to change his bloody tone. All guitarists hate when you slap!
 
I've seen this guitarist, Justin King or something, who slapped a bit on his guitar during one of his songs. It was pretty amazing, but I think a group of bassists killed him for wandering into our territory.
 
midopa said:
I've seen this guitarist, Justin King or something, who slapped a bit on his guitar during one of his songs. It was pretty amazing, but I think a group of bassists killed him for wandering into our territory.
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Yes....... this is bass stuff. You just can't compare the bass slapping with the guitar 'soft plucking'!!
 
The Silhouette? If you get that, then you can play Primus songs! Mwehehehe
 
I've been playing for 30 years. Sticking to 4 strings and never learning to slap has not impeded my ability to get gigs or play many different musical styles. I've had paying gigs in blues, classic rock, alternative, heavy rock, top 40, folk and musical theatre genres without any need to slap. Besides, slapping looks risky to me, as far as doing damage to hand/fingers :D
 
Aussie Mark said:
... slapping looks risky to me, as far as doing damage to hand/fingers :D
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The Aussie Mark is right. I know a bassist friend of mine who ended up bleeding all over his bass due to a cut when he tried to slap. Nyuk nyuk!
 
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