Slapping ???
So how do you get sound from the "G" string when you slap it? (Now that was a loaded question)
Seriously though, for some reason when I play a slap technique on my Velocity (Hamer) I can hardly get any sound out of the "G". I never had the problem before on some of the older basses I have had but the dang Hamer, even with heavier strings, wont make a sound unless the volume AND gain are cranked but then the sound of everything else is wrecked.
A little info on the bass may be helpfull so, the p/ups ave been upgraded to some Bartalonis and the strings are Elixir Nanowebs (45-105). The action is low but not super low as on my other axe. I have played around with the action and lower or higher does not seem to make any diff.
I have tried the face, the side and the tip of the thumb as well as the bass of my palm. I have also tried powerful hits to soft taps but nothing.
So any ideas would be welcomed.
Cheers
HAZ
Slapping or Popping?
I can slap my G with my thumb and get a decent tone, but when I first started doing that, it was rather weak. With practice it got better. Perhaps that's all you need.
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
I can slap my G ...I am a
I can slap my G ...
I am a bit tired this am but that just sounds wrong Bo
If you want a very good book for slapping check out "Funk Bass" by Jon Liebman. It is part of the Hal-Leonard series and is very easy to follow. There are a lot of boaring exersises but they will help a lot and once you get them all down the rest of the book gives you some great exercises along with techniques (pull-offs, hammerons, vibrato, etc. etc. etc). By the time you finish this book you should be able to play this A little funk lesson
Hope that link works. I have yet to try any audio off this server.
Cheers
HAZ
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"Practice doesn't mak perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
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"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
One More Thing
To get the best sound from that G string, allow your thumb to go past the string. It is a good follow-through that will maximize your tone. Don't spank it and let your thumb bounce off. I also do this for all the strings. It works wonders.
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
I have tried that. I do
I have tried that. I do believe that it just may be the bass. As I have said, I have tried everything I can think of including the double thumb technique but I just do not get very much sound out of it. When I had my Musicman or my Ibanez SR I could get some sound out of the "G". Even my Traben gets a bit of sound but the Hamer just will not cooperate.
"Practice doesn't mak perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
Dead G-String?
I suppose the bass could have a problem, then. You don't get this problem playing standard fingerstyle, do you?
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Finger style, pickin' and
Finger style, pickin' and even using a slide I can get a good sound from it. I do remember reading some where that the bass is best used for rock either finger style or picking but you woul think it should still be able to do a bit of slap. I would say this is my only complaint about it and the sound from all the other strings is great. It just does not seem to like the "G" string slapped. I guess no female would like that (well at least not too hard). :P
"Practice doesn't mak perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
I guess if you rule everything else out...
...then it has to be the bass. It's odd. The first bass I ever owned--a pawn shop Kay copy of a Gibson EB3--wouldn't slap at all. I mean, you could hit it as hard as you wanted. I thought it was me. I'd only been playing for a year and I'd never played any other basses. When I finally went to the shops and tried out other basses, I found out that--in this one case--it wasn't my technique that was at fault, but the bass itself.
But it seems like you've ruled out all the common culprits that affect slap sound and have experience on several good basses. It might be, as you point out, time to get rid of that one.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Slapping
Well, while my old buddy Bo is no doubt correct regarding letting your thumb go past the string, I can't imagine a time when I would slap the G string with my thumb rather than popping it with my finger. Executed properly, slapping and popping give about the same percussive attack to the note, which is kind of the whole idea, at least the way I like to play.
However, another thing you can do is to "slap" a string with your finger. It takes some practice, but is another very useful technique, and one you don't see all that often.
Kelly
There is no substitute for proper technique!
Well, there is the double-thumpin' thing...
I'm with you that I don't slap strings higher than the "A" string very often, but I do sometimes when I'm using Victor Wooten's "double thumping" technique. But I don't really get much of a slap sound out of it (not like you'd get on the "E" and "A" strings). But it's cool anyway, just as another way to sound a note.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Here's that vid I mentioned
Here you go (let's see if embedding Google Video works):
Fair warning, you have to have a pretty decent processor and/or a lot of memory for this to work at all well.
bassplaying.com
Works dandy!
Hey Wheat, Cool!
I always wondered if it was possible to include video in a post like that. Does this take up space on the server, or is it similar to linking to a pic?
Kelly
There is no substitute for proper technique!
Naw, it's just a fancy link...
No, it just links over to Google Video. If you find a vid there that you like, just click the EMBED button and it will generate the HTML you need to embed the video on any other site. In fact, since it's smaller, it seems to run better (on my crappy laptop, at least) embedded on BP than on Google's own site!
So have fun with that. I'm sure YouTube and the other video sharing sites have similar options for generating the EMBED code.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
My Thumb
I just realized why I can't play like Vic. My thumb is straight and his is curved. I knew it wasn't a talent issue... I was born with the wrong thumb :^)
Great Vid
Pete
Same here
My thumb is also straight, and can't play like Vic either. Larry Graham and Bootsy Collins both have very curvy thumbs, so I guess the secret to good slapping skills is in the shape of your thumb. You're right, talent has nothing to do with it. ;-)
I'm lucky
I'm lucky, I have very curvy thumbs (both of them). Not as curvy as Jaco's, but very curvy, nonetheless. But doing the Victor thing has taken some adjustment for me, as I learned to slap Flea style (i.e. thumb pointing down).
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Thumbs down
I also learned to slap with the thumb pointing down, but I found out after a year or so that it wasn't working for me. I couldn't get the slapped notes to ring clearly enough, and the accuracy was not as good as it should be. I have since adjust my (still rather limited) slap technique so my thumb hits parallell to the string. Accuracy has increased, and the notes are much clearer. I guess slap technique is a very individual thing....
Off on a Boat
I know you're probably out living the adventure right now, but this will be here when you return. I hope you get it.
I would suggest allowing your thumb to "pass through" the string after striking it and coming to rest on the next string. It worked very well for me and gave my thumb slapped notes much better clarity. Anyway, just a suggestion. If you're already doing it that way, sorry.
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Pointing Down
I started out with a down-pointed thumb, but last year sometime, I moved it up. I have made a lot of improvements to my slapping by doing that.
Recently, I was giving a kid an impromptu lesson on slapping. The first thing I told him was to avoid pointing down. Hopefully, he'll pick up on that.
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Another impediment
My son is a good bass player who swings like mad but he can't slap 16th notes or even fast tempo 8's. He broke his wrist when he was 10 and I think that is why he can't get the action happening so fast , which is a shame 'cause he has a really curvy big thumb.
Fat man, fat bass.
That sucks...
That's too bad, but, then again, there are lots of great bassists out there who never slap and aren't any worse for it, including some big name funk players. So I'm sure he'll find his own style, with or without all the (admittedly fun) slap/pop stuff.
Wheat
bassplaying.com
The vid works. I have
The vid works.
I have watched it many times before. I have a few tunes that I have been playing since the early '80s that I slap every note on every string but since I have had the Hamer it just does not want to work with me. I was mainly lookin' to see if anyone would give me some suggestions I have not thought of yet.
Thanks to all for tryin' but I believe it is the bass. I am going to play a Cirrus Custom in a day or two (possibly my next axe) and I will see what happens then.
Cheers
ML
"Practice doesn't mak perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
Cirrus
Well, it's been a day or two (five, actually). Did you try the Cirrus?
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Not until this weekend. It
Not until this weekend. It will be my third time playing one and so far each and every time I have to have my wife hide the credit cards for a day or two
It is a bit painfull but we still have a few things that need to be done to the house so I ... must.... resist! For now atleast.
Cheers
HAZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Practice doesn't mak perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
DO NOT PLAY THE CIRRUS
Peavey's Cirrus basses are very dangerous.
I have played two of them in different stores. The first time I was amazed that it was a Peavey bass (don't get me wrong I'm a fan of Peavey gear). It was amazing... then I saw the price. I thought...hmmmm. my son doesn't really need to go to college.. lol
I am currently frothing at the mouth over the new Yamaha TRB1004. I absolutely love that bass. Somehow I will find a way to buy it soon. Anyone want a 250cc Honda Nighthawk? Over 60 MPG. I'll trade it even up for a TRB1004 :)
STAY AWAY FROM THE CIRRUS :^)
Yeah I realy like the
Yeah I realy like the Cirrus. A friend of mine has one that I get to play from time to time. So now I am down to making a decision between four basses and the Cirrus is one of them. The only negative that I see with the Cirrus is the p/ups. I would like to go with something a bit different then what they offer. You would think that for that much money they could give you a choice of p/ups.
HAZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
I like 'em
I've played a few of them in stores: four, five, and six-string versions. I was impressed with the sound and the feel. They're nice looking to boot. No offense to Peavy lovers (those old T40's are really cool) but I was a little surprised how nice it was.
I still think I'd go with the TRB1004, as I like that nice, wide string spacing on the Yamaha's. But, if you could swing two basses, the Cirrus would be a nice one to have.
I've been lusting for a MusicMan StingRay5 for a while now, but I've got other things that I need more (e.g. a new computer).
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Plucking the D and G with your thumb
When I slap, it is always the E or A string; however, there is a riff I like to play where I hook my thumb under the D string and, for lack of a better word "Pluck" it then pop the G string. It's very percussive and the drummer usually starts playing along right away if I do it when we're setting up.
Pete
Double-thumpin'
Yeah, that's the basic idea behind the "double-thumping" idea that Victor demonstrates in the video, except that he slaps down (and through) the string and then pops it with the back of his thumb on the way up, generally following that with another pop (or two!) on the same or an ajacent string.
I can do the basic double thumb: thumb (down) + thumb (up) + index (pop). And I can do the slightly more complicated one: thumb (down) + thumb (up) + index (pop) + middle (pop), so long as all the fingers involved are playing different strings:
|--------9|------9--
|--7-7----
|---------
It's when he puts two pops on the same string or (worse) all four notes on the same string that it gets really hard for me.
bassplaying.com
Kelly is Right
Popping the G with the index finger is the most common way to sound it when slapping. However, since your question was about slapping the G, I answered it as such.
Bo
Low B, or not low B? That is the question!
Bo
You don't love me, you just love my FINGERSTYLE!
Peavey T40; SX/Squier P-bass; Spector Legend 5
Roland Bass 30 Cube
Bo... how's your Slapping going?
So how's the slapping going Bo? I wouldn't think the style would fit in you new band, but what do I know.
I have been spending time each week working on some different things and slapping has continued to be one of them. I think I have a pretty good slap going, and the pops are no problem... I just have a hard time putting everything together. I spent about two hours working on a funk riff that is really only two measures long. I'm finding that slapping a dead note in two spots in the riff sounds great but it throws me off for some reason.
Practice, practice practice... by the way, my wife hates it :( I have to use headphones or the Tascam when she's around.
Pete
Quiet
Yeah, when my wife is studying, I use the headphone out on my Zoom pedal. It has a nice sound, actually. And I have a decent set of headphones (nothing fancy, just some $50 Sony set that I got at Wal-Mart) that isolate pretty well. My Peavey MicroBass is a great little practice amp, but it gets most of its sound from the closed back design of the cab--so it sounds like hell via the headphone out!
Wheat
bassplaying.com
Do you practice in the
Do you practice in the living room, bed room or gararge, etc.?
If it is in a smaller room that you can close a door or two then you could do a small bit of sound proofing. There are a couple of companies that make a "paint on" sound barrier. It is like a clear coat but it blocks sound from passing through the walls. It is expensive, something like 90$/gal but if the room is small enough you would only need one can.
I thought I would mention that because I do not like using headphones while I play. I bounce around to much and do not want to buy a new set of wireless headphones.
HAZ
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Practice doesn't make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Carburetors man!! That's what life is all about."
Musicians Collaboration Studio
My office/studio
I have an office that's home to my books, my desk, and my recording gear. It's divided from the rest of the house by French doors. So, if I'm not playing very loud, I can just close the doors. I also practice unplugged quite a bit. Lately I've been using the Zoom's headphone out more. I used to hate headphones, but I've gotten more used to them lately. Sometimes they help focus my attention on the sound a little more than the practice amp does. I have my stage amp in the house now, but I haven't hooked it up yet. When I was gigging, I kept it in the garage, as that made loading out easier. Since I'm between bands, I might as well put it to some use.
Wireless headphones would be a nice option. I usually run the chord on my phones down the center of my back. That way, it doesn't get in the way. And mine have a long chord (and I have an extension chord I can use with them if I care to).
Wheat
bassplaying.com