How's it going guys,
I'm Hugh Richardson
from onlinebassguitar.com.
If you've always wanted
to learn slap bass
but never known
where to start then
stay exactly where you are.
This is going to be
a great video for you
because in this
lesson we're going
to be going behind the
scenes on one of the courses
that we've got on
onlinebassguitar.com--
and looking through some of
the most important fundamentals
of slap bass technique.
So if you're a complete
beginner to the technique--
or if you've been
playing quite a while,
but you've never really
gotten around to slap--
you never been able to get
the technique off the ground--
this is going to be a great
video for you to watch.
And make sure you stick
around till the end,
because if you are one of
these people who's really
wanted to kick your
slap playing into gear
but not known where
to start, then
I've got a great resource
for you to check out.
But, for now, we're
going to start
looking at some of the
most important fundamentals
of the technique.
A lot of the time
when people start
to think about
playing slap bass they
think about things
that sound like this.
[PLAYS BASS]
They might hear
something like that
and think, oh, that
sounds really cool.
I'd love to be able to do that.
But, as a teacher, what I've
seen happen quite a few times
in the past is people
get to this stage
and don't really have
the technical know how
or the understanding of all
the technical chops, which
go into putting something
together like that.
So we're going to stop
right to square one,
right from the very
start, and we're
going to start
breaking down three
of the most important components
of slap bass technique
that all beginners should know.
So the basis of
slap technique is
split into three
fundamental movements.
The first is what we call
the slap stroke or the thumb
stroke.
This is performed with the
thumb, so it sounds like this.
[PLAYS BASS]
You might well recognize the
sound of that from records
you've heard before from the
demo that I played earlier.
So that's a slap stroke.
That's a thumb stroke.
It can be played on any string.
The next one is the pop
stroke which sounds like this.
[PLAYS BASS]
Again, you probably
recognize the sound.
So that's the first
and the second.
And then the third
component isn't actually one
that you hear.
It's the hand movement.
It's the movement which kind
of combines a slap and the pop
strokes.
So we're going to start out
with the thumb stroke, but just
a little bit of
knowledge that we
need to know before
we start that, is
what position our
slapping hands should be.
So when I say
slapping hand I just
mean whichever hand you
slap the strings with.
For me, because I'm right
handed, it's my right hand.
If you're left handed, you flip
the bass round the other way,
then it's your left hand.
So the hand position
that I favor--
really, really quite simple.
If you take your slapping
hand, hold it up like this,
and just let your hand
relax as much as you can.
So you can see what
happens to mine
as my fingers sort of curve
in a little bit, my thumb
sticks out to the side.
You don't have to be
in this exact position.
The key is that you're
just super, super relaxed,
so make sure you're
as relaxed as you can.
Put your hand up like that.
And then, from there, you
want to take this relaxed time
position and transfer it
across to the bass like this,
so that your thumb is
always running parallel
to the strings.
So this is what I like to call
the parallel thumb position.
Just there we are like that.
So you can see
there's the strings,
here's my nice,
relaxed hand position,
thumb sticking out a
little bit to the side.
Then I just take that, and I
put that across the strings
here, so that my
thumb is resting just
towards the end of
the bass neck here.
You can slap further back here.
Personally, I just find
it's most comfortable here.
So we got our hands in that
parallel thumb position.
Next, we need to look at
how to actually perform
the slap stroke.
So if you remember
those three technique
steps that we talked
about before, the slap
stroke, the pop stroke,
and the hand position.
This is where we start
to combine the hand
position with the slap
stroke a little bit.
So to perform a slap stroke,
we want to try and contact
the string with this
bony joint of our thumb
here just like
that, and I'm trying
to strike through the
string rather than into it.
So try and think about
the movement of your thumb
going down this way rather
than across and into the bass.
And the motion
you'd want to have
is kind of a rotational one
almost like you've got a key
and you're turning it in
a lock to open a door.
It's got to be like this.
So in that relaxed hand
position with your thumb out,
and then you rotate in to
play a slap stroke like that.
Relaxed hand position, thumb
parallel to the strings--
let's say if I want to play
the E string-- this one here--
and then remember I want
to go across the string
rather than into it.
Just rotate in, and
there's my slap stroke.
So it'd be a good idea just to
practice that a few times just
playing open strings.
[PLAYS BASS]
Nice and simple.
Nice and easy.
And this technique is the
same for every single string
that you slap, so if you
want to go to a string
you've just got to move
your hand again like this.
Try and keep your wrist
nice and straight.
[PLAYS BASS]
There's the A string.
D string.
G. So the next part of
this is the pop stroke.
Now, this, we know
the sound of it.
[PLAYS BASS]
Again, this is going to tie in
with that rotational movement
and that hand
position we've talked
about, so these are two really,
really important things.
So, to perform the pop stroke,
it's really quite simple.
All you have to do is
take your index finger,
get back in that position--
that relaxed hand position--
hook the index
finger just lightly
underneath one of the
strings that you want to pop.
So let's say I want
to pop the D string.
All I have to do-- hook my
finger underneath a little bit,
and then, again, use that key
turning rotation movement,
but, this time, rotate away
rather than rotating in.
So we rotate in to
perform a slap stroke.
Rotate away to
perform a pop stroke.
So there we are.
Hands in the relaxed position.
Hook it slightly underneath
the D string, rotate away.
Now, when we start to
combine the two of these--
this is where the hand
position and that idea
of rotating the arm really
comes in quite nicely.
First of all, if you take a
look at the position, what's
so great about it,
what I really love,
is that the hand
doesn't actually
have to do an awful lot of work.
Let's say if I want to
combine a slap stroke followed
by a pop stroke.
If I go in to play
a slap stroke,
I rotate in, as we've seen.
Then if you take a look
at my index finger,
it's already in position.
I can just rotate away
to perform a pop stroke.
So just here in the close
up check out this hand.
Rotate in, rotate away.
Nice and simple.
[PLAYS BASS]
So, to start with,
if you are completely
new to this technique,
what I would recommend
is you practice slap and
pop strokes individually
on their own.
So start out with
just slap strokes.
You can try every
single open string.
And just get used
to the movement.
Just get used to
the idea of using
that bony part of
your thumb brushing
across the face of the string.
[PLAYS BASS]
And then the same
for pop strokes.
This time get used
to rotating away,
hooking your finger a little
bit underneath the string.
And you're not trying to pull
with the finger like that.
What you're trying to
do is use the power
that you're whole forearm has
got in that rotational movement
to pull away.
[PLAYS BASS]
Now, once you're comfortable
with the two of those,
of course, what you could move
onto then is combining them.
So if we take an open octave E--
so that's going to be open
E string for a slap stroke
and then second fret of the
D string for a pop stroke.
What you want to be
trying to do here--
keep that rotational
movement, but you're
just rotating in then
away, then in, then away.
So in, slap stroke,
away, pop stroke.
[PLAYS BASS]
And, of course, as you get
more comfortable with this,
you can start moving
it around the neck.
So playing things like scales
and octaves, if you know any,
could work really,
really nicely.
[PLAYS BASS]
Or, if you're not so
comfortable with your scales,
even just playing this up
and down every single fret
is just a good thing to
do for your technique.
[PLAYS BASS] You can
see that I'm still
having to work on that
rotational movement, still
having to work on
my hand position,
so it's good technique
practice for beginners.
Now, as I mentioned at
the start of the lesson,
all these concepts and
all this technique advice
is part of our slap
techniques volume
one course over at
onlinebassguitar.com.
And if you've enjoyed this
video, and you're thinking,
OK, I really want to
take this further,
I'd really encourage you to go
over and check out the course.
I've left a link
in the description.
Or you can click
the YouTube card,
and that will take you
over to the site as well.
And, just as a
little bonus, I've
left a discount code in the
description of this video.
So if you are interested in
taking your technique further,
or you want to check
out the course,
head over to the website.
Use the discount code, and
you can get the whole course
at $10.
There's a lot of stuff
in there for your money.
There's five backing
tracks to play along to,
which are like fully
arranged songs.
There's loads and
loads of exercises.
There's seven full HD
video lessons as well as
a load of other bonus material.
So it's going to really
do a great amount
for your technique.
But, of course, if you don't
feel that studying online
is for you then it's
not a problem at all.
However, if you have enjoyed
this video I'd really
appreciate it you could
hit the thumbs up button,
subscribe to the channel,
or leave a comment.
I get back to them,
so it would be
great to hear what
you have to say.
Hopefully, you found
this really useful.
And fingers crossed, I'll
see you in the next lesson.
Thanks, guys.
Take care.
