The First Slap Bass Lesson Every Beginner NEEDS To Have
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.พ. 2025
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If you’ve ever wanted to play slap bass, but didn’t know where to begin, then you’re in the right place.
Slap bass might seem really hard. You see all these crazy bassists playing thousands of notes a second and it can get intimidating. Is it even possible to play like that?
Of course it is! You just need to break things down. You don’t need to know a ton to get started with slap bass.
In fact, there are just 2 things you need to get good at in order to sound like a slap bass professional: The slap (with your thumb) and the pop (with your index and/or middle fingers)
Once you can do those and get a good slap bass sound, you can start playing real-life songs today - and that’s my goal for you in this lesson, and to get you there, you’ll need the essential techniques for playing slap.
In this bass lesson, 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
Once you can do the things in the lesson, then you’re ready to play some real-world songs and to make things easy, I’ve put together a set of 5 Beginner Slap Bass Lines for you in one hand PDF.
It’s totally free, and to get it, just go here:
becomeabassist...
Sign up on that page and I’ll send it straight to you and you can start playing them today.
By the way, I mentioned muting in the video and if you need help with that, so your left and right hands are working together, then check out my lesson specifically about muting: • Muting Strings On Bass...
If you are brand new to slapping though and you’re trying out the techniques in the video, 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 while you’re nice and relaxed and to get over the initial awkwardness of a new way of playing.
Good luck with the lesson! Stay safe, healthy and happy playing!
Cheers,
Luke
P.S. Make sure to grab the free 5 Beginner Slap Bass Lines PDF right here:
becomeabassist...
Finally someone explains clearly and straight to the point how to slap. Best online teacher ever. Thanks Luke!
Yours is the first video that is close enough to the bass that I can clearly see what your fingers are doing for the techniques-thanks!
No worries at all @Donna Frazier - glad I could help
I love how well you described everything, but especially playing parallel and through the string into the next string. I was bouncing too much and accidentally hitting the E and D strings when trying to slap the A. Thank you!
Thanks so much Luke, youre the only instructor to show me how the slap motion is a run through the strings not a bounce off, I couldnt get my slap sounding right and this was the problem, I noticed the difference immediately
This video came up next after another slap tutorial I got linked to. This is THE best beginner tutorial I've ever seen!! The explanation, demonstration, and most importantly the observable finger movements are excellent.
This is the first time I've ever felt I might be able to figure this out!
Can't wait to watch the remaining 8 minutes! 😄
great explanation !! many teacher that want to show how smart they are but they dont't teach nothing just self celebration, you are a great teacher
Thanks Luke, a well designed lesson for beginners or inexperienced. You're a very knowledgeable teacher and skilled at efficient presentation of the lesson.
Cheers @Paul F - really appreciate it.
playing through the string was key here , thank you
The tip to slap through the string was a real lifesaver I was very confused on how to get a solid sound thanks!
Thanks!
Thank *you* @rogerengland8547 - I really appreciate the generosity!
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I have seen many bass slap tutorials and I hearby announce to the world that Luke is Da Man. He is making non slappers, so so slappers like myself, and even good slappers better slappers. I salute you brother. Thank you.
2:20 Thank you so much for this explainaton. I was trying to "hit" the string like a piano hammer hits a string. I couldn't figure it out until now. It's more of a strum than a hit.
Thank you. This makes sense. It's like the rest stroke technique, but with your thumb. I'm going to work on it
I watched a lot of slap tutorials and this one really teach me how in just 2 mins
Great lesson as always. Thanks a lot for making slap looks so easy and simple. I'm a self taught bassist for the last 3 years and half and I have seen numbers of videos but never was slap explained so simply and clearly. I have a request though. I see in many videos that many bassist end any improvisation with harmonics and frankly it sounds beautiful. I wish you make a video to teach us the basics of harmonics. Thanks a ton again and please take care in this special time!
I have a whole bunch of harmonics lessons here: becomeabassist.com/bass-harmonics-all-of-your-notes/
becomeabassist.com/bass-harmonics-4-ways-to-get-a-great-sound/
becomeabassist.com/bass-harmonics-left-hand-technique/
@@BecomeABassist Thanks a lot. Appreciate it. 🙂👍
Too easy @Cyrille I A!
“You’re more than welcome to slap the D.” 😂
now that my immaturity is out of the way; the lesson is great. Really appreciate the illustration of how it’s done, and how it’s not done.
Thank you!
I heard that part and immediately stopped the lesson and went straight to the comments to make sure I was not alone!! 🤣🤣🤣
Excellent! Thank you for this vid.
i love it! so clearly thank you sir luke God bless you sir!
You are the first one to show actually how to do the slap. For the longest time I thought you were supposed to bounce off the string, not play through it as you have shown. Hey, now it WORKS. Supper, thank you so much.
You *can* bounce off the string and plenty of people use that kind of technique. Flea for example uses that kind of technique when he plays 'across' the strings (as opposed to being parallel to the string). That was the way I originally learned, then transitioned to the technique I show in this video.
WOW first guy I've ever seen in my life explaining the old school pinch. I did it by accident years ago and found it quite easy ( I'm 99% EG/rhythm )
For months I couldn't get a good bass slap technique and have hitch hikers thumb. When I bounced off the strings my thumb looks weird and not straight like flea. When I tried this technique of landing on the string below it sounds cleaner and can sustain longer. Think I will keep trying this style oppose to the bouncing style. (Though the bouncing style looks cooler to me haha).
What model of bass did you use?
In this video, I'm using a Spector Euro: The Banana Bass Edition (jks, there's no banana version, but it is a Spector Euro)
Thank you Luke, this has really helped!! 😀👍
So clear, calm, organized and detailed! Lot to learn from you sir! Good work 😀
thank you! i always thought you had to land on the string not slap through it
Awesome tutorial! Thanks!! (starting to learn to slap these days! )
This is the first video that makes me understand what was meant by turning a doorknob motion. :)
Haha! Glad it helped @Jonathan Boisvert
Great video and I love your bass!! Thank you!!
Luke, I play like this(string through) after watching your (which helped a lot) and others videos. But it's hard to do it with my 5 string bass. String spacing is narrow and I keep hitting other strings. It's too narrow and I can't get a clean sound. Idk how to solve this. I love my bass unless I try to slap it...
Is the string suppose to bounce off the fret ?
I never knew it was supposed to be on the board i thought cuz i saw a vid that said you slap under the board also keep in mind i still barley know how to play but i wanted to try it still cuz well you know slap is amazing
Thx as always Luke, great lessons you are a natural teacher. Question re the 5 Beginner slap bass lines - I dont know all the notations, P is Pop, T is slap thumb but what is H and X please?
Good question! H = Hammer on and the X is just a muted note. No specific note, but with that rhythm!
Can you slap a hollow/semi-hollow bass?
I have been waiting for you to do this video like for ages now... Thanks for reading my mind... I hope more videos on slap bass technique eventually pop up
Awesome to hear @Ndi Chia - I definitely have more slap lessons on the way!
And also love your dog
A clear explanation finally... thank you 👍
Haha! No worries at all!
I think you’re a great generous teacher. It’s also good to see another Aussie on TH-cam
Loving the random dog incursion! 🐕
Hey Luke, love your lessons. So I had a question- You demonstrate going through the string (one being slapped ) and landing on the string below( positionally not musically). I have also come across a ton of people who sort of bounce of the string and don't really follow through and land on the string below. So, I'm still a beginner when it comes to slap and my question is moving forward which method is more technically sounds because I want to have solid technique as a base so that in the future when I start playing some of the more complex slap bass lines I don't end up having problems.
Thank you
Great question @Abhishek Misra! Bouncing off the string is a totally valid way of playing slap as well. Heaps of players do it - like you've noticed - and it's not like one way is 'correct' and the other is 'incorrect'. It's just that they're different.
The reason I primarily show following through the string is so you can more easily learn to double thumb (a more advanced slapping technique) later on. If you don't really care about double thumbing or you'd just rather use the bouncing technique and it feels more comfortable to you, that's totally fine too.
No matter which one you use, just make sure you stay nice and relaxed. Tension is the enemy when it comes to this stuff!
Ive found that sometimes bouncing off the strings can mess with the lower frequencies. Its a very precise way of slapping, but if you are supposed to be holding down those bass tones, I have found that going through the string allows for a much thicker low end. But then again it might also just be my setup... be wary and use your ear.
Ive found the best lesson ever.
what bass has best slap tone
Please tell me the couplet /refrein and middel peace and the end. Sorry for my English is not so good. Greathings R-K
Thank you.
Use the force.
thank you Luke
Thank luke for this tuto. It's very helpfull. God bless you 😊
Always happy to hear the videos are helpful @francisco javier - thanks so much!
This is such a helpful video, thanks! Can you do a tutorial on the bass in RHCP's Can't Stop?
Can you tell me what kind of bass that is? It’s very cool looking..
I think that's a Spector
Who let the dog out?
Great into to slap bass - thank you.
Would you ever play slap on a fretless bass ? (Love your lessons Luke....)
Hey Peter - it's definitely possible to slap on a fretless, but the sound won't have the same attack or definition. A lot of the slap sound comes from the strings hitting the metal frets, but obviously you wouldn't get that kind of sound on a fretless when the strings hit the wooden fretboard.
hey man, i love your videos and have just started playing the bass so i wanted to try this out. i am having a problem though because every time i try to slap all you can hear is the string hitting the metal frets. you just hear the metal and no like actual notes. any way you would help?
Did you solved the problem yet?
I hope you didnt give up!
I had that problem! I just rose my action and it helped! Some others said that lowering your action helps as well
great lookin bass
ever hit the wrong string and ruin everything haha me too
Haha! Don't we all...
I have a problem wiyh the clicking
sound, and it's not the pickup, I also tried to put the strings higher but it didn't help
I love ur dog haha
He is objectively the best dog. Lol
Great!
9:00 A DOG!!!
His name is Arnie and he is objectively the best dog. Lol
@@BecomeABassist 🙂
😂@@BecomeABassist
Great video... for the beginner or if you are an advanced player, like myself. :)
Thanks @Dave Lennon-Copeland.
Hi Luke, sometimes the subtitles hide your right hand. I wonder if it´s better to show them on the upper part of the video.
The subtitles are placed by TH-cam @MICHELINE RICHUISO - not me. But you can just turn them off if you want: support.google.com/youtube/answer/100078
Really great video, very well presented. What type of bass are you using?
In this video, I'm using my Spector EuroLX - great bass!
Awesome.
Can you also make a video about the Flea style?
I just uploaded a video about that on Friday! Here's the link: th-cam.com/video/Gy8yzUQ0ONo/w-d-xo.html
Luke from Become A Bassist thanks!
Did anyone else notice the dog?
Love his Luke's pup. He makes guest appearances from time to time
Yes! I was looking for this comment 🙂
No. Only you 3. No dog here. None what so ever.. Nothing to see here. Check your eyes...
Slaptastic!
superb.
Thanks for checking it out
I have one question, heavy gauge or light gauge strings? I'm beginner so I need as much help as possible
I'm a beginner too, I use heavy gauge. Bc if you learn it with the heavy gauge, the light gauge is easy.
Slaptastic
Way don't you give also the akkoord schema with it. So G /Bm D7 for a assemble. Greathings R-K
Thanks Luke... what is the make of your bass guitar in this video
Who else notice the dog walking trough at 9:00 ? :D
The PDF never arrives in my email. How do I get it?
Nobody else notice the dog come to jam with Luke !
now it might just be me, but this is just plucking with less consistency and more steps, could just be me, but I get the same sound as plucking or pick no matter what version of slap bass I do, this included, and I'm just more likely to hit the wrong strings, does anybody know what's up
“you’re more than welcome to slap the d”... sorry 😅😅😅
I suppose I’d rather someone slapped it than popped it 😂
Brilliant tutorial though, really helpful. Thanks for this
Hey - whatever floats your boat man! Haha!
Sounds much better when your bass has active electronics and a nice compression pedal. Kind of need to do a few adjustments if you have a passive bass.
I have to hit the strings with some force to get the sound otherwise, it's like normal playing :(
Hello sir my name is Benedict
And I want to learn bass guitar and i don't know anyone to teach me I don't know if you can teach me please sir
🙏🙏🙏
What the heck appeared around the 9 minute mark???
It seemed like a ghost or a shadow 🙃
Welcome, slappers!
Let me guess, Help Is On The Way was the first song you learned?
I didn't learn that one until way later! The first one was Fly Away because the terrible high school band I was in wanted to play it. Help Is On It's Way is a total banger though.
@@BecomeABassist
I guessed that because LRB is Aussie
Lesson one. Don't slap 'Thumb down'
That depends @gup1973 - slapping 'thumb down' is a legit way of playing for some people, but it does have it's drawbacks. I talk about thumb down slapping in this video: th-cam.com/video/Gy8yzUQ0ONo/w-d-xo.html
Davie 504 is proud if you
I wish only to serve Davie504. lol
If you don’t bounce on the strings, the slap tone is weak and very not “slap”! Just ask Louis Johnson! Or Mark king .
This is Not "Slap" Bass, Slap Bass is done with the Open Hand on an Upright Jazz Bass, what You are doing is Thumping and Plucking which was Started and Named by the Godfather of Funk Bass Larry Graham when He and His Mother had a Gospel group back in the 50's and they Didn't have a Drummer so Larry started Thumping and Plucking to keep Time. When did they Change the Name of this Great Technique that was Invented and NAMED by one of the Greatest Bassists of All Time!
I couldn’t tell you when ‘they’ changed anything
@tonymickens8803, but a quick poke around the internet will tell you that this is commonly called slap bass. (Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slapping_(music) ) Does it have other names? Definitely. But from what I’ve seen, slap bass is the most common.
That's what I mean, I've been Playing since 1974 and it's Always been called Thumping and Plucking Per His Highness the Inventor Mr Larry Graham, We Old Heads in the Funk Community Never called it "Slap" and it Comes from the Funk Community so What Happened?@@BecomeABassist
I don’t know what to tell you @tonymickens8803 other than language evolves, just like the music does. It’s rarely one person that ‘decides’ these things; it just happens over time.
huh?
eh?
Too much talking - too less actually showing. Too much „Check my other videos, check the links check this check that.
Heaven forbid an instructional video contains...instructions... lol