Tip for the Slap & Pop Bass Guitar Technique

Video Transcript

CASEY CORMIER: Okay, so we just learned how to play our staccato lines to give our notes, our lines, our playing, our phrasing a little more punch to it. Now we are going to give our notes and phrasing an extra punch with the pop and slap technique. This is really rhythmic technique for the bass. So, so far we have been playing with our fingers, right? Maybe you have playing with a pick, but at this point you are probably playing with your fingers. I also mentioned before you can play with your thumb pretty much pretending to be a pick. Well, now we are going to pretend our thumb is a hammer. What we are going to basically do is we are going to create--make our hand in a shape like this. Thumb sticking out, our fingers curled under like this. Our thumb and then take this part, hit it against the string. But we are not just going to hit straight down 'cause that'll stop the string from ringing. We are going to hit and pull off down towards at an angle. So you are hitting the string maybe at a 60-degree angle towards your E and you A because usually those strings we will be popping them or slapping. This is called slapping. The pop is going to be performed with out first finger hooked under the strings, on the D string, and on the G string. So, if we slap with our thumb, we can pop with our first finger. See, that is hooked and it does not get soft. I do not pluck the string, I pop it up. Do not worry about damaging your strings, just do not do it too hard until you feel confident. Now, the best way to practice with this is octave practice now.

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