Learning slap bass is a long lonely road… here’s 10 songs that taught me how to slap, and how you can level up YOUR slap bass game.
When I started playing bass at age 13, nothing seemed cooler than slap bass. But frankly I sucked at it… for kind of a long time. That’s why all these slap bass lines were so crucial to get my technique to the next level.
Which slap lines, you ask? Well you’ll have to watch the video. You’ll learn things like:
The easy formula Stuart Zender (and everyone else) uses for funky slap
That yes, Flea bass lines will appear in almost every slap bass lesson ever
A trick Les Claypool uses to sound more melodic
Who the grandfaster of slap bass is
How impossible it is to slap the bass too hard (thanks Louis Johnson)
Nate Phillips sexy thumb-fingers hybrid technique
Marcus Miller slaps amazingly and once wore parachute pants
Stupid-sounding-but-fantastic advice from Mark King about slapping fast
Squarepusher is not a human and he slaps too fast
How Victor Wooten re-revolutionized slap bass
If you’re doing the Beginner to Badass course, these riffs are on the brutally-hard end of the spectrum, and you should proceed with caution with anything beyond the first two songs.
Great video! Since my slapping skills are essentially non-existent, it’s not that useful for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Love the new bass! At least I think it’s new, don’t remember having seen it before.
Damn, Josh, that video production is ostentatious!
Major kudos to you and your editor. That was some serious visual jazz riffing.
I enjoy slapping, but I’m at about number 2.15217 on this scale. In fact, it’s still officially odious. But I’m gonna keep on injuring myself plugging away at it, though.
Thanks for this video. Great to see and hear how you and your video partner in tim(ing) are pushing the teach-a-thingie envelope.
Loved the overview of the slap spectrum through songs! Learning to slap has been a grind, but making progress. If I can ever play “Get On The Floor” cleanly I’ll close my eyes and pretend I’ve reached the summit of slap.
I thought this needed a caption since it gets in to a level of playing that is beyond Beginner to BadAss. First, I went with, “Does the student dare to test themself against the Master?” but settled on, “A simple guide to becoming a slap master.”
