Am I popping wrong?

Technique
1

I’m going through my monthly slap woes, and this time I think I’m popping wrong?

In Josh’s illustration he has the string under the finger on the pad,

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but when I pop, I have the string on the side of my finger, not the pad.

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Is this “bad” technique? I find my top knuckle (or whatever it’s called? joint?) touches the string above when I try to hook my finger like in the illustration. I’m also not really “hooking” the string when I normally pop, I just put the side of my finger under the string and it slides off with some force when I rotate. FWIW I do have pretty small hands as well. Is this a bad habit that I should fix?

2 Likes
2

Hi @kevfish315 I’m no expert but my understanding is if it works for you then it’s ok.

I have seen many videos saying pluck the string with the part of the finger you are using.

3 Likes
3

This looks great.
It’s the pad, but it’s at an angle just like your photo shows you’re doing.

As long as it sounds good and you’re avoiding the danger of getting the popping finger trapped under the string, you’re doing great.

5 Likes
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Don’t sweat it! Slap and pop technique is definitely not ‘one size fits all.’ If you’re getting a clean sound and it feels comfortable for your hand size, you’re probably doing just fine. Plenty of pro players use the side of the finger - it often helps with speed and a smoother release anyway. As long as it sounds good, it is good!

1 Like