by If you want to learn how to play slap bass, you’ve come to the right place. And if you’re a slap bass beginner, one of the most important things is to start with the essential techniques of playing slap.
Going in ‘blind’ when it comes to your slap bass technique can cause a whole ton of headaches for you down the road, so it pays to get it right upfront.
If you use good, solid technique, you’ll have a lifetime of fun playing slap bass. If you get stuck with dodgy or even harmful slap bass technique, then you run the risk of hurting yourself and getting injuries that you can’t recover from.
That’s why this lesson is all about the essential technique you need for playing slap. In it, you’ll learn:
- The ‘Doorknob’ technique for getting a solid slap sound with your thumb
- Why you absolutely shouldn’t ignore the fretting hand technique when you’re slapping
- What it actually takes to get a good slap sound
- The specific technique I recommend for slapping (and why you should use it instead of any others
- The right hand positioning that can make or break your ability to play slap bass
Check out the lesson here:
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FREE - Download The Tabs To These 5 Beginner Slap Bass Lines
Get the free tabs and notation from this lesson and start playing these songs - TODAY!
If you are brand new to slap bass, try out the techniques in the video, but don’t aim for speed just yet (as tempting as it might be…)
Speed will come with time and practice, but at the very start, the most important thing is to get the crisp, clean slap sound and to get over the initial awkwardness of a new way of playing.
If you can get a solid sound and stay nice and relaxed while you do it, then you’re on the right path.
Good luck with the lesson and happy playing!
Cheers,
your Isobasstion live streams have been wonderful! As a beginner bassist but lifelong music enthusiast, they are giving me great foundational info to really improve my bass playing…and enjoying it along the way. See ya Tuesday!
That’s awesome Lavell – thanks so much for showing up to the streams and being a part of them. I really appreciate it!
Hey Luke,
I think your slappa-the-bass lesson finally makes me actually slappin’ da bass! Couldn’t get the sound right no matter what. And now I see you doing what you’re doing it struck me: hey, he’s slapping through the string he’s slapping, resting on the next below, like a reversed raking of some kind……. This will help me enormously! So thnx again mate, awesome vid!
Exactly Pat – glad it helped switch on a light bulb for you!
I wish I had a good bass teacher like you when I started
I’m happy you didn’t stop playing, even though you didn’t have a good teacher back then!
Does T stand for Thumb and P for Pointer Finger?
That’s it! T for ‘Thumb’ (aka. slap) and P for ‘Pop’, which you can do with your index or middle fingers.
Luke, love your work, man. I am a beginner bassist, and have been practicing the bass lines you have posted. I would like some more easy bass lines (tabs) for beginners, maybe some popular songs people recognize, possibly some Blink 182 as well?? Anyways thanks for all your help and keep up what your doing.
– Josh in Canada
Hey Josh – I have a bunch of lessons exactly like that. Here are the links:
https://becomeabassist.com/5-beginner-bass-lines/
https://becomeabassist.com/5-more-beginner-bass-lines/
https://becomeabassist.com/beginner-bass-lines-volume-3/
https://becomeabassist.com/5-beginner-slap-bass-lines/
I don’t think there’s specifically any Blink 182, but there’s some Green Day in there for sure.
Hi. Thanks for the this lessons. I want to improved my bass skills.