Fretting hand slaps are percussive ghost notes that are performed by striking the strings with the fingers of the fretting hand. This is essentially a more forceful version of the way in which you might lightly touch a string to stop it from ringing. Fretting hand slaps have been used by many bass players over […]

Tenths – compound major and minor thirds – are an important part of the bass player’s toolkit, regardless of which playing style you are using. When it comes to the slap technique, tenths are often employed as an alternative to popped octave notes. Using them in this way adds harmonic clarity to a line. There […]

Machine gun triplets are rapid-fire triplets performed using a combination of picking hand and fretting hand techniques. Whilst by no means an essential element of the slap bass technique, their careful use can certainly add some significant rhythmic excitement to a line. Machine gun triplets are usually performed using a combination of slapped notes, popped […]

Double stops are two notes – any two notes – played simultaneously. Whilst it is not uncommon for bass guitarists to play chords, double stops are useful in that they can often achieve the desired chordal effect, but with fewer notes. Double stops can be performed with any technique and are by no means limited […]

Strumming chords on the bass can be very effective, and certainly works well in conjunction with the slap bass technique. There are many bassists who incorporate strumming into their slap playing, including Stanley Clarke, Les Claypool, Mark King, Victor Wooten, Flea and Michael Manring. Chords are strummed with the fingers of the fretting hand. When […]

When it comes to playing slap bass grooves, many of us fall into the trap of playing only in 4/4 time with a straight feel. Of course, music comes in all shapes and sizes and it’s vital that you’re able to apply your slap chops to a variety of different feels and time signatures. With […]

Many bass players feel very comfortable employing their slap techniques over a straight 4/4 rhythm, but far less comfortable when the music has a shuffle feel. When playing in the shuffle feel, linear slap grooves (particularly those that incorporate fretting hand slaps) can be a little more difficult to execute, and it’s these grooves that […]

The double thumbing technique is a relatively recent addition to the slap bassist’s toolkit. Using this unusual variant on the slap and pop style, it is possible to play lines that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to play using traditional slap technique. Double thumbing involves using the thumb of the picking hand to play […]

Double popping is a technique that requires you to pop the higher strings on the bass with the first and second fingers. These two popped notes – in combination with slapped notes – are commonly used as part of a triplet rhythm. Double popped triplets are often added into slap grooves to add rhythmic interest. […]

The open-hammer-pop technique is a combination of three conventional slap bass elements: a slapped open string, a hammer-on, and a popped note. This technique can be used to play some unique slap bass lines and has been popularised by bassists such as Stuart Hamm and Victor Wooten. The open-hammer-pop technique is typically used in two […]