In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the (electric) bass guitar.
Double bass
On double bass it refers to the technique that is a more vigorous version of pizzicato where the string is plucked so hard that when released, it bounces off the finger board, making a distinctive sound. A percussive sound is also made by smacking the strings with all four fingers on the right hand, usually in time with the snare drum. Notable slap style double bass players have included Jake Tullock, Bill Johnson, Mark King, Wellman Braud, Milt Hinton, Pops Foster, Jimbo Wallace, Kim Nekroman, Scott Owen, Chester Zardis, Dick McCarthy, Alcide "Slow Drag" Pavageau and Lee Rocker.
Slapping the bass is a technique used by many bands since at least the 1920s and came into popular use in the 1940s. Slap bass provides a strong downbeat when the string is plucked and a strong back beat when it slaps back onto the fingerboard of the bass. It creates a very percussive sound and adds a lot of drive that is particularly good for dance music.[1]
Slap bass was used by Western Swing and Hillbilly Boogie musicians, and became an important component of an early form of rock and roll that combined blues and what was then called hillbilly music - a musical style now referred to as rockabilly. The technique inspired the George and Ira Gershwin song, "Slap That Bass"
Bass guitar
On bass guitar, "slap bass" usually refers to a percussive playing technique most commonly used in funk, Latin, and pop. The style sounds much more percussive than regular fingering of notes with the plucking (right) hand, and is also usually louder and more distinct than the sound of a bass guitar played with the usual plucking techniques. The slap sound comes from the combination of two elements: striking the string with the side of the bony joint in the middle of the thumb, a harder surface than the pads of the fingers (used in plucked fingering); and intentionally allowing the vibrating string to come into contact with the metal frets, producing a "tony" or buzzing sound that is normally avoided in plucked/fingered bass.
In the slap technique, the bassist replaces the usual plucking motion of the index and middle fingers with "slaps" and "pops." In the slap, the bassist uses the bone of the thumb joint to strike the lower strings (usually the E and A, and occasionally D, strings) near the base of the guitar's neck. In the pop, the bassist will use the index and middle fingers of the plucking hand to snap the higher-pitched strings away from the body of the bass, causing them to bounce off the fretboard; this produces a prominent, buzzing tone with a sharp attack and more high-frequency vibrations than present in plucked bass. The bassist can play many notes quickly by rotating the forearm, alternately slapping and popping: during the pop, the hand moves away from the fretboard, "winding up" or getting in position for the next slap. The slap and pop techniques are commonly used with pull-offs and hammer-ons with the fretting (left) hand, to further increase the rate at which notes may be played. Ghost notes, or notes played with the string damped, are also commonly played in slap bass to increase the percussive feel of the technique.
The invention of slap is generally credited to funk bassist Larry Graham of Sly & the Family Stone.citation needed Graham has stated in several interviews that he was trying to emulate the sound of a drum set after the band had lost its drummer.
Some funk or funk-rock bass guitar players known for their use of slapping in their playing, with notable bands and/or artists they have worked with include Larry Graham (Sly and the Family Stone, Graham Central Station, Prince); Louis Johnson (The Brothers Johnson, Quincy Jones, Michael Jackson);Bootsy Collins (solo artist, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Funkadelic, Parliament, Praxis) Flea (Red Hot Chili Peppers); Les Claypool (solo artist, Primus).
For a longer list, see the List of slap bass players (electric bass).
Variants
There are numerous variants of the slapping technique.
Some bassists use other fingers of the strumming hand to achieve this sound, such as bassist Abraham Laboriel, Sr., who uses his thumb to pop the strings, and his other four fingers to slap the strings. Bassist Victor Wooten uses alternating slap and pop patterns fast enough to produce the equivalent of a drumroll on the bass guitar. While not slap bass per se, the Funk fingers invented by progressive rock bass player Tony Levin create a similar sound by using a hard surface to strike the strings and intentionally cause string contact with the fretboard. Jayen Varma of India, who recently created a World Record in Percussive Bass has a very distinctive style to play slap. He does not use Thump to play slap, but Bass played like Indian Percussion Instrument Tabla, Mridangam and Kanjira.
The slap technique bears some resemblance to tambour, a percussive technique used in Flamenco and classical guitar, although the tonal quality produced in this technique is quite different from that of a slapped electric bass.
Use in television and movies
- The theme song for the television show Seinfeld used slap bass keyboard sample. Also a sample was played between several scenes each episode, often after wacky and zany antics or witty comical remarks.
- The movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall parodies Seinfeld's usage when the main character Peter (played by Jason Segel) who does music for a TV show, inserts a slap bass sample during a dramatic scene where "dark and ominous" music was needed.
References
- ^ text from Experience Music Project in Seattle, WA
External links
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