How to Play Slap Bass

Download Article

Add a funk sound to your bassline with our technique breakdown

Co-authored by Nicolas Adams

Last Updated: November 15, 2024

Download Article

Basic Form

|

Slapping Open Notes

|

Damping & Popping

|

Expert Q&A

|

Tips

If you love the groovy bass lines in popular funk and rock songs, you might want to learn how to play slap bass. The technique for slap bass differs from that of standard bass. Thus, even if you’re already a great bass player, you’ll want to spend some time learning the basic forms and motions behind the slap sound. By starting with slow, basic slap rhythms, and eventually incorporating damping and popping techniques into your bass lines, you’ll be grooving in no time.

How to Slap the Bass Guitar: The Basics

Keep your fingers in a loose fist and stick your thumb up for the proper hand position. Hold your thumb parallel to the strings. Rotate your wrist like you're turning a doorknob and hit the string with the bony part of your thumb to make a slapping sound.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Learning Basic Form

Download Article

If you’re new to slap bass techniques, it’s best to practice the basic slapping motion before you start playing the instrument. Familiarize yourself with the new form, and internalize the slap techniques before you start attempting new licks.
To play slap bass, hold your fingers in a loose fist and stick your thumb up. Your playing hand will maintain this position whenever you play slap bass.

Advertisement
With your thumb still extended up, practice turning your wrist several times, as though you were turning a doorknob. Focus on turning your wrist while keeping the rest of your arm still. When you play slap bass, your sound should come entirely from this basic rotating motion.
Flick your thumb in a smooth motion back and forth as an extension of the rotating motion in your wrist. When you play, this turning-and-flicking motion will allow your thumb to hit and bounce off the strings. This causes the strings to bounce off the bass frets, producing the “slap” sound. Remember, for this technique you use the thumb slapping for the E and A string. Use your pointer and middle or ring and pinkie (whichever you prefer) for the D and G strings to pluck.
While you're starting out, you'll want to use your non-dominant hand to stabilize the instrument. Later, you'll use this hand to incorporate damping techniques. In general, you should be holding your bass as you normally would.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Slapping Open Notes

Download Article

1
Place your thumb parallel to the strings near the end of the fretboard. This is the area of the strings directly above the area where the neck of the bass meets the body. Striking the strings with your thumb in this particular area will allow for maximum string-reverberation off the fretboard, thus producing the greatest “slap” noise.^{[1]
X
Research source}
- To start, rest your left hand on the fretboard without touching the strings.
2
Strike an open string with the bony part of your extended thumb. Combine the rotate-and-flick motion in order to play an open slap note on the bass. While you rotate your wrist, try to hit the string with the bony part of your thumb, as this will allow for the fullest sound.^{[2]
X
Research source}
- An open string refers to a string played without being pressed into contact with the fretboard. Play an open string by striking the string with your thumb and letting it ring.
Once your thumb makes contact with the string, complete your wrist rotation to pull your thumb away from the string. Keeping your thumb on the string after you play a note will prevent the string from slapping against the fret board, which will cut off the slap sound.^{[3]
X
Research source}
This basic playing motion in your wrist and thumb will be the mainspring for slap bass licks. Therefore, it’s important to feel comfortable with the form and technique with your thumb against open notes before you move on to more complicated techniques.^{[4]
X
Research source}

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Damping and Popping Notes

Download Article

Once you’ve gotten the hang of playing open slap notes, you can start controlling the length and tones of the notes by using your left hand to dampen the strings after they’ve hit the fretboard. After you strike a note with your right thumb, practice damping the note by lightly pressing the fleshy part of your left fingers over the open note.
Start with a simple, repetitive rhythm, starting with one note at a time to get used to slapping and damping at the same time. For example, if you're playing a rhythm with four beats, try slapping notes with your right thumb on beats one and three, and damping those notes with the fingers of your left hand on beats two and four.^{[5]
X
Research source}
Popping is the final component of slap bass playing technique, and involves pulling up on the strings to produce twangy sounds that compliment your slaps. While slapping the strings with your thumb, keep your fingers underneath the strings to add popping to your licks.^{[6]
X
Research source}
Think about using the side of your index/middle finger to pull the string up and away from the bass. When you release the string, it will strike and reverberate off the fretboard, producing a popping noise.^{[7]
X
Research source}
Eventually, you’ll want to incorporate slapping, damping, and popping into the same musical phrases. Start with short, slow licks where you can focus on creating consistent slapping and popping sounds while damping the strings in between notes. When you get comfortable incorporating all three techniques at once, you can move on to faster, more complicated licks.^{[8]
X
Research source}

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

What makes playing the bass difficult?

Nicolas Adams
Professional Guitarist
Nicolas Adams is a 5th generation musician of Serbian Gypsy descent and the lead guitarist of the band Gypsy Tribe. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nicolas specializes in Rumba Flamenco and Gypsy jazz and playing the guitar, Bouzouki, Balalaika, and piano.

Nicolas Adams

Professional Guitarist

Expert Answer

One of the harder things is keeping your focus and not losing your place when dealing with different strings. Also, learning different patterns can be difficult such as different walks, runs, and structural patterns on the baselines. It also wears on your hands a lot more than any other guitar because it's heavier. If you don't have a callus, you'll definitely develop one.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 6 Helpful 5
Question

How do you recommend people maintain their guitars?

Nicolas Adams
Professional Guitarist
Nicolas Adams is a 5th generation musician of Serbian Gypsy descent and the lead guitarist of the band Gypsy Tribe. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Nicolas specializes in Rumba Flamenco and Gypsy jazz and playing the guitar, Bouzouki, Balalaika, and piano.

Nicolas Adams

Professional Guitarist

Expert Answer

Avoid leaving it out. Always keep it in a case or covered with humidity control, especially for guitars without a truss rod. As far as physical appearance, avoid sunlight for long periods of time, which will fade and damage the guitar. Avoid severe heat, severe cold, and severe moisture. Keep it in that perfect temperature range of around 68 degrees to 72 degrees. As far as dust and dirt and oils go, make sure that the guitar is cleaned properly before putting it away. Wipe down all the strings. Make sure there's no oil from your hands or other things on the face, top, or sides of the guitar, which can get into the guitar or damage the varnish. There are whole kits that come with everything such as oil cleaner, wax, and fret polish. It's important to clean in between the frets, where dirt and grime can go because those can wear down the frets faster.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 4
Question

Could you explain the tablature? I am new to bass.

Community Answer

Tablature, or TAB, is similar to staff paper, in that they will both show you what notes to play at what time. However, as staffs will notate it in musical pitches, TAB notates it by frets, and is organized by strings. So staff paper will say, "Play an F, then A, then C," whereas TAB will say, "4th string 1st fret, 3rd string open, 3rd string 3rd fret," etc. It's just a different form of notation.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 3 Helpful 25

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Tips

Play as much as possible to develop a callous on your thumb and popping finger. Your fingers will hurt at first, but you'll get used to it.

Thanks
Helpful 53 Not Helpful 14
To master the slap bass, it’s important to start slow while you learn the basics. Once you’re able to get a clean, consistent slap sound while incorporating damping and popping techniques, you’ll be able to move on to faster tempos and rhythms without compromising your sound.

Thanks
Helpful 3 Not Helpful 0
It’s easier to get the bright, slapping sound you hear from big-name slap bass players when you play on new strings as opposed to old ones. If you’re having trouble getting a slap sound from your bass, consider changing your strings.

Thanks
Helpful 2 Not Helpful 0