Imagine the right side of your palm is a hinge. It's perfectly possible to do, though a little tricky to explain. Thing is, your thumb and forefinger are on the left hand side of your right hand (as you look at it palm down) so they can still move up and down when the right side of your palm stays in contact with the strings.

Imagining the right hand side as a hinge is about the best I can put it.

Did he not demonstrate what he was telling you to do in the lesson? If not, why not?

Either use the palm mute or just practice your slapping - as accuracy improves you'll find it becomes less of a problem.

No i dont but can ya tell me? thanx for the help so far, its great, keep it coming

[QUOTE=Wintermute]You know how the musical scale runs ABCDEFG? Well after the G comes another A, and the whole thing repeats.

[size=4][b]A[/b][/size]bcdefg[size=4][b]A[/b][/size]bcdefg

The two As here are octaves to each other.

To play an octave, you want to move up 12 frets (semitones). Another way to do it is to move up two frets and two strings. Try it (for example the 2nd fret on the E string and the 4th on the D string) and you'll see they fit together very well, as they are the same note in different octaves.

Now try slapping the 2nd on E and popping the 4th on D, and presto! You're slapping and popping octaves!

Technically that was a theory question, rather than a slapping one, but never mind.

As for the mute exercises, let me first ask: Do you know what a ghost note is?[/QUOTE]



Thanx for your help, its great, no i dont know a ghost note, keep it coming

how do you do harmonics on different frets? i can only do it on the 7th

You play other harmonics exactly the same as you would the seventh. They're all over the place, but the easiest to get are the 7th, 5th and 12th. (The 12th should be the same pitch as the note you'd get if you fretted the 12th on that string).

That is nothing at all to do with slapping though - I really should be a little less helpful when people go off topic!

Right then, ghost notes. Rest your finger on a string as if you were going to play a harmonic, but then put other fingers on the string as well in the same way. Slap that string. You should get a *thud* kind of sound of no discernable tone. This is a ghost note, and they are more useful than they sound.

A mute exercise is basically a good way to practise them, like

G-------x------
D-----x---x----
A---x-------x--
G-x-----------x

where an 'x' is a ghost note. Slap that kind of thing, and you should get better at ghost notes (which are the same as mute notes)

For more examples and how to use them visit Bass_Guy33's thread 'Slap Rudiments'
[url]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128136[/url]

Hey thanks sooo much for the help, its great. just one more thing, i know im being a pain its just could you tell me wat a triplet is, thanx im learnin anesthesia by metallica and it said somefink about triplets.

Three notes played in one beat. (In rapid succession) With fingerstyle, this would normally be done with three fingers, one to each note.

(Once again, sod all to do with slap, but never mind!)

Im a real noob and I was just wondering if better quality pick-ups would make my slaps sound better

Put simply, yes. Better quality pickups give better quality sound.

hey ur really helpin me out here and i know im a pain its just what do u do if someone asks u to improvise, is it just scales mixed together? i know its sod all to do with slappin but i really appreciate ur help.

[url]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6692&page=1&pp=20[/url]

I think that thread might be of use to you, but good luck on finding anything, it's about 40 pages long.

ive gotta problem.......ive bin leanrin to slap for bout a month now and when i try to
slap the A string, i always hit da E string...is there any way to solve this problem???
help would be kool!

[QUOTE=cameo]ive gotta problem.......ive bin leanrin to slap for bout a month now and when i try to
slap the A string, i always hit da E string...is there any way to solve this problem???
help would be kool![/QUOTE]

y dont u just pop the A string? its hard to slap it i know, just keep practising it

As a general rule I slap the E and A and pop the D and G.

Basically, the best way to solve a problem like this is by practise. Find a cool song that slaps both (Suggestion - 'Antipop' by Primus) and keep playing it until it starts to work.

Oh, and Tom The Bassist - I really have to draw the line here, that has nothing at all to do with slap, but there are lots of other lessons about that.

wikid thanx guys!!

yeh ok soz for askin all those rubbish questions,
wen u slap do u have ur whole hand parralel to the string and then hit with the side of thumb, it sort of slows me down, is there a better way? wen i want to slap quickly.

What is the actual "Slap" suposed to sound like cos I've been practising and I dont know if Im hitting the string right
Thanks in Advance

Tom - once you get confident there's no reason you can't start playing fast and dirty, as long as you can still get the sound you need. For example, I usually slap as I've described, but if I need to I can slap at 90 degrees to the string and get the sound I need. Once you know the rules, you can bend them all you like.

Munky - I can't describe that adequately in words... Your best bet is to track down and listen to some songs with clear, clean slapping in it. I suggest 'Higher Ground' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

Aren't I good to you?

[url]www.soundclick.com/alexgmusic.htm[/url]

Click on this, and download 'Slap Demo'

First, I slap the E string, A, D then G, then I go back down the strings popping. Then I have a quick blast through 'Higher Ground' and Oysterhead's 'Little Faces'

The thing that amazes me with slapping is seeing players like Flea (just as an example) slap bass. It looks like they're whacking the string as hard as they possibly can, but in reality they're only hitting it lightly. Must take a lot of skill.

Just practice, as with everything musical. Bear in mind that the time when they look most like that is in music videos, when they're almost always miming, and players (especially Flea) will go crazy with it.

Thanks Winter mute thats helped me alot :D

Glad to help.

wow man i wish i could slap like that, ur a great bass player and teacher. nice work wintermute

I've only been playing about a year and nine months, with practice you'll become at least as good, I'm really not that impressive!

Thanks nonetheless!

Incidentally, as the Slap Demo recording was all simple, demonstrative stuff, I'm now working on a 'going slap crazy' one.

I want to make it clear that it's as a Demo of what slapping can do, not showing off, as there are people on this site who could hand me my a[size=2]s[/size]s on a plate!

just started learning slapping so i got my own tips. i haven't read all the posts so i could be repeating some stuff. i wouldn't recommend slapping with the knuckle of your thumb, maybe a bit lower between the middle of the bottom of the thumb and knuckle(if that makes sense), it gives a nicer sound and doesn't hurt if ur an aggressive slapper.

try this simple octave lesson, playing with your fingers first to remember it, then try slapping the low notes and popping the high notes. take a really slow rythm at first so u can learn to mute the low notes after a slap and learn to pop the high notes quickly. then just build up a quicker and quicker rythm over time. maybe try moving it down to the E string to start if u have trouble hitting the A without brushing off the open E. this may all sound very lessony but it helped me and the stretch is good to learn to.
(if anyone knows this from a 70's disco song will u tell me the name, could be Disco Duck, not too sure)

G---5--5--5--5--5--2--3--4----5--5--5--5--5--7--8--7---
D--------------------------------------------------------
A-3--3--3--3--3--0--1--2----3--3--3--3--3--5--6--5-----
E--------------------------------------------------------

just learnt another nice slap lesson that uses similar octaves. on the slides just pop the D with your index finger and the G with your middle finger at the same time, gives a cool sound.
the first run of octaves are played in a 1+2+3+ count but the second run don't play the 4 on the G string till the 4 count, ie play nothing on the last + then play the 4 on the G on the 4 count(i'm so confused too and i'm writing this), just makes it feel like there's a definite ending.

G-------7--2--3--4-----12/13-----2--3----4-
D----------------------11/12--------------
A---4h5--0--1--2---------------0--1--2---
E-0-----------------0---------------------
1+ 2+ 3+ 1 +2 +3 + 4

ergh, the counting at the bottom of the second lesson isn't lined up properly, ignore it

Slapping with that part of your thumb is an interesting idea, but as that part of the thumb is recessed, it's very hard to slap accurately on any string other than E. I'd stick to the way I recommended, but try both!

just started learning a really sweet slap song. it's 'Foget Me Nots' by Patrice Rushden or something like that. for some reason the tab is on the site under The Ramones

[url]http://www.mxtabs.net/tab_versions.php?path=Bass,t,2713,The+Ramones,Forget+Me+Nots,45023[/url]
(this is nearly perfect except it's missing a 2 or 3 variations for the last bar, i can post them if anyone wants them)

you'll must likely know it as the same bass line from Will Smiths 'Men In Black', as in it's the exact same. i got the single from a friend and it has an instrumental so u can prob dl that somewhere so it's easier to hear and u don't have to listen to the crap lyrics everytime u play it. :)

anyways this slap bass line has pretty much all the basics for learning slapping, it has slap, pop, slides, hammer ons but not pull offs. it's wriiten by Eddie Washington and if u can play this ur doing pretty well, this guy has 20yrs+ experience and is one of the best session bassists around.

and if u get it down everything in slap will become a lot easier.

Awesome thread, I used to be clueless about slapping and now I'm getting a lot better!

One question, when I slap I can feel my upper arm (sort of around my bicep) working...is that supposed to happen due to the wrist movement?

For some good videos on how to slap check out [URL]http://www.gazzbass.com/Features/bass_videos.htm[/URL] from [URL]http://www.gazzbass.com/home.html[/URL]

There's more examples in this thread [URL]http://www.musicianforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=183645[/URL]

Also - [QUOTE=Wintermute]Right then, ghost notes. Rest your finger on a string as if you were going to play a harmonic, but then put other fingers on the string as well in the same way. Slap that string. You should get a *thud* kind of sound of no discernable tone. This is a ghost note, and they are more useful than they sound.[/QUOTE]
This is incorrect, he's described [B]mutes[/B] here not ghost notes - don't get the two things confused.

Well, that's how it was taught to me, and as I often see it printed. The two terms seem to be more or less interchangeable. If it is wrong, I apologise. HOWEVER - though the terms are possibly often interchangeable, the one I described is more relevant to slap, so I went with that. Had he meant the other and made that clear, I wouldn't have answered.

And to Sporadic - Interesting question. No, I don't think it should. Your arm shouldn't really be working above the elbow. But you probably would use your upper arm if you went from one string to another while slapping.

Ghost notes are notes which are [I]implied[/I], they are either played lightly or not played at all. RHCP's "Mellowship Slinky In B Major" is a good example, the main verse part is full of them. Hope that helps with the confusion :)

Yes, I know that, but you will often see people write ghost when they mean mute and vice versa. Particularly on tabs. I made an assumption based on the meaning most relevant to slap. Still, now he has both definitions.

[url]http://www.getdownministries.com/video_download.html[/url]

The slap bass videos on that site might help someone out there...

Right, to clear something up. If you slap the second fret on the E string, without an amp, what should you hear? Nothing, a little click, or a loud click?

[QUOTE=burntgorilla]Right, to clear something up. If you slap the second fret on the E string, without an amp, what should you hear? Nothing, a little click, or a loud click?[/QUOTE]
You should hear the note (F#) accompanied by a [B][I]clunk[/I][/B]:) rather than a click.

[QUOTE=burntgorilla]Right, to clear something up. If you slap the second fret on the E string, without an amp, what should you hear? Nothing, a little click, or a loud click?[/QUOTE]
You should hear the note (F#) accompanied by a [B][I]clunk[/I][/B]:) rather than a click.

Yeah, it should play fine. Are you pulling off the string fast enough?