The latest in the How To Play Slap Bass series of lessons. This video covers the fretting hand muted palm slap that can be used to play percussive slap riffs and fills and can help you play all those lightning fast triplets like Mark King and Victor Wooten. Incidentally, the double slap triplet I cover at the end of the lesson is the same motion used by Les Claypool in his bass solo on Tommy The Cat.
You might already have some of this technique down accidently if you’ve been playing any kind of slap at all. It’s a fundamental part of the mechanics of slap playing – and well worth work working on more deliberately if you want to approach more difficult lines.
Lesson Material
First of all, let’s go through the simplest possible muted palm slap pattern. Simply slap the open S string with your slapping thumb on the first and third quarter notes of the bar, and mute them with your palm on the second and fourth quarter notes. I find it easiest to rest my hand across the other 3 strings at the same time – which also helps to prevent accidental notes and other fretboard noises. You’re aiming to get a percussive noise but not an actual note.
As always, start slowly! Speed is a side effect of improved technique down the line.
Now let’s play something more rhythmically interesting, but still essentially the same thing: a slapped open E, with muted notes to give that distinctive percussive feel. Start slow: and only pick up speed when you have the rhythm under your fingers. When you’ve got a bit of speed, you should start to notice how ‘drum like’ even this simple line feels. This is the secret sauce behind many of those great funky lines.
Next, try a simple pattern through a chord change: C to F to G. You should start to notice a different quality according to where you hit the strings as your hand moves up and down the neck. Work on the positioning of your muting hand to get the right percussive feel and avoid playing actual notes.
Now, let’s try a rhythm that’s very common in slap bass. This is the first line where we’ll try to work up in speed in order to get the right feel. The rapid double muted palm slap after the open E should feel natural once you’ve been playing it for just a few minutes – and you’ll probably start to feel pretty funky!
And now extend this pattern out into two groups to make this bass line. You’ll notice it has a very rolling, triplet-style feel. This is the backbone of many slap riffs – and is used in everything from funk to metal. With the addition of an octave note, you’ll find this sounds really familiar!
Now let’s make this really exciting. Using a more rapidly slap/mute action can generate complicated sounding “fast” lines that are actually quite simple to play.
But remember: START SLOWLY. At full speed, this sounds intimidatingly complex, but when you begin and play at a slow, even tempo you should get it under your fingers fairly easily. Only when you’re comfortable and have good muscle memory for the pattern should you start to work on the speed. Next, try something similar, but with additional notes. Eventually you want to be comfortable moving your muting hand around the neck to enable you to play lines that are rhythmic and melodic.
For a complete method to learning Slap Bass Click Here for the Talkingbass Simple Steps To Slap Bass Method!
Mark,
I am learning the slap bass technique, thanks to you and your great teaching videos. Could you break down and demonstrate the bass line for The Jam by Larry Graham as per this youtube video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUYxksujhaA It goes by so fast that I can not figure it out.
There is another dude that does a cover of the base line but I’m not sure he has it correct, and it also goes by too fast to really see what’s going on. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2pJlYJmiOE
I’ve been at this for about 6 weeks now. I’m getting the basics from your lessons but I’d really like to see this Larry Graham classic broken down.
I will be making a donation to your project. You are the only guy I’ve found on the web that takes the time to actually teach the slap technique and not just show off.
Thanks,
Doug Adduci Portland, Oregon playing off and on since 1967
Just checked it out. Great bassline. I’ll try to make time in the coming week to do a breakdown of it. There’s only a few riffs involved so I’ll play it solo, then with a drumbeat. In the middle of recording some other stuff at the moment but I’ll definitely give it a go in a few days time. Thanks for the kind words!
Mark
Thanks Mark. That’s awesome! I look forward to seeing what you come up with.
Doug
Hi Mark love the content of your site on another song I’m struggling with the middle section of Now that we’ve found love by Third World any chance you could have a look at that sometime
Cheers
John
Doug this sounds darn good “The Jam” but I can’t quite make out what’s being played but can get close.
I think Mark needs to play it , sounds like a good song if played right.
The low bass beat sounds funky , the rest can be played easy.
Mark,
All the Bass teachers Dude’s on the internet trying to show off in a way.
You are the ONLY one who’s teaching something, not one lick or bassline but the hole package.
Even if someone never play a bass he or she will understand you.
For all the Low budget bassplayers make a donation and start here. The rest is a waste of time. Your basics cover in 17 lessons I got a basic book over the 200 page about it cost me around $90 its now in the bin.
Thank you Mark
Thanks a lot. Glad you’re digging the lessons. I’ve tried to make the lessons as easy to grasp as possible. Good to know it’s working. Hope you like all the new lessons.
Hi great lessons but can you help as I just can’t get the muted slap sound using the muted palm technique…if hit down too hard the strings ring as you would expect but if hitting softer I get no slap sound…where am I going wrong ??
Try hitting with different parts of the hand. Half way down the fingers behind the first knuckle seems to help me. Also make sure to hit with several fingers, not just one. Hard to tell without seeing how you’re trying it but those are just some suggestions.
Thanks Mark, I have tried but either don’t get the ‘click’ sound because trying not to hit too hard so strings don’t ring, but then if hit harder I then get the strings ringing…oh well keep on trying!!
Thanks so much i really enjoy the lessons you are a very good teacher the best of the web i want send you for christmass a present for being a nice person helping peole i see you need a warwick send me you adress or some place to send it in december
What’s up everyone, it’s my first pay a quick visit
at this web page, and article is really fruitful
for me, keep up posting such articles or reviews.
Everything is Uranium-ed up ,,, Platinum based .
Mark, thank you very much for these lesson. You are clear, precise and methodical. Really love your lessons.
Socrates – NJ, USA.
I want to say a big thank you for the great lessons. This technique is quite complicated. Especially, it is difficult to achieve a clean and correct sound. But thanks to this lesson, i got the right sound. Although it took a lot of time. .
I love Mark King’s palm slaps in Love Games is so much fun to play ,
Les is good but he freaks me out , my name is Mud.
I was trying the flamm effect and thought how is Mark moving his thumb so fast going badeduleedum ,
Then figured out it’s both hands working together on the open E string first then I moved it around.
Sounds hard to play but it’s coordination in sequence.
I’m gonna have fun now showing my friends the flamm effect.
Badeduleedum ,,,
That was flail ,,, flailing away , like sailing away , bye ,,,
Hi Mark,
Thanks so much for your awesome lessons, i’m learning bass part of Johnny Got a Boom Boom for a band. I play guitar and only recently started to play bass, you have no idea how your slapping lessons saved me.
Warmest regards
Qi
I came back to this lesson today and have it down really good
Thanks Mark
Mark,
I am so happy to have found this site. You really are an extraordinary teacher. I look forward to supporting this site. I may need to slow down, I was working on your Level 42 Live Games tutorial, but (after watching this) I now realize that I was just muting the strings with my fretting hand rather than slapping it.
Thanks again!!!