GREETINGS FELLOW BASSISTS AND INNOCENT BYSTANDERS!

Ya ever listen to Flea? Joe Dart? Ever been on Instagram for more than two seconds? Well you've most likely heard of SLAP BASS.

"but wait!" says you (to your computer screen), "What in the holy handball IS slap bass?"

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Slap bass is one of the best ways to turn any song funky~. Compared to standard bass playing technique, that being plucking strings with your index and middle fingers (or with a pick if you play punk or are an enemy of god), it uses the thumb to strike the strings and the index fingers to pull on them as well, almost like opening a soda can. Used by THOUSANDS of players over the span of 50+ years, it is a staple in bass playing, and playing with the style is considered a right of passage for anyone who picks up this beautiful, beautiful instrument.

"Ok thats all fine and dandy but-"

"HOW DO I EVEN SLAP?"

Well shut up for a moment and let me tell you, god you're annoying >:(

STEP 1: Thumbin'

The most IMPORTANT part of slapping is thumbin'. The first you wanna do is to make a thumbs up like so, imagine you were posing for a photo and you couldnt think of any other pose so you decide to do this:

You wanna have your thumb pointed upwards, if you point it down like some do, you wont be able to play as efficiently or be able to do more advanced techniques like double thumbing (I dont CARE if Flea slapped thumb down he can suck my balls.)

Then (as demonstrated in this pixar-worthy animation that would make Don Bluth seethe in jealous rage), you slap the string, striking through it onto the one below it.

Now heres the thing, all the motion here comes from the wrist. If you are actually slapping your bass with your whole arm, the best show you'll play is show'n tell because you wont get anywhere with it.

STEP 2: Pluckin'

While thumbin' is a good foundation, pluckin' is the house built on it. It IS how you get that famous slap sound after all. Compared to the first step, this is more simple (unless you got into a freak fan accident and chopped off all your fingertips)

First you wanna create a hook under the string as seen here:

Then you're gonna wanna PULL OUT, much like before with thumbin', except in reverse:

Now you have gained the ability to slap a bass!

"Ok Pachka, thats very nifty and all but-"

HOW CAN I APPLY THIS FROM A SONGWRITING STANDPOINT?

Okay you didnt have to say that much I only got so many characters.

Well its pretty simple to write a line. Theres a basic technique that most slappers use which is the Root Octave lick.

On the fretboard, pick any note you like, literally any, and go to frets to the right and two strings above, you'll get the exact same note but higher up, aka the octave. Since I absolutely hate anyone who tries to teach something without visuals, heres a diagram:

Now the technique is to thumb the root on the lower string and then pluck the octave on the higher string in that order

(Ignore the black background and the fact hes plucking on the wrong string and also the diagram is upside down just go with it lol)

This can be used in something like this line, notice how the meat of the line is just root and ocatve? It really shows how less is more in slap bass!

If you are tired of just playing roots and octaves, you can spice it up with the pentatonic scale!

Using any note in this scale, whether you pluck it or thumb it, will spice up the riff significantly! The sky is the limit!

Putting in a song is a little tricky....

Slap bass is a technique iwhere the song has to be juuuust right to use it. Like in funk for example, it can be used as a phrase to transition from one chord to another, like in this famous example from "Car Wash" by Rose Royce:

(I couldn't center this sowwyyy)

Or if youre REAALLLYYY funky, you can use it for the entire song like in basically every Casiopea or Primus song! The possibilities are endless in the right context!

Now what?

Well go practice all this! Play along to music and learn slap bass lines from songs like Virtual Insanity or Higher Ground! Get your buddies together and hold a jam session and whip out that slap bass and floor them with funk! You now have harnessed the power of slap and it is up to you whether you can use it for good.... or for evil.

So go on, young grasshopper, go on and slap that BASS.