Popping Technique (F)
Apart from thumb slapping, the other essential part of the slap bass style is the use of the finger popping technique. This technique is usually done with the index finger (i) but the middle finger (m) is also sometimes used.
The technique is performed by putting the end of the finger slightly under the string and then pulling it upwards and away, allowing the string to snap back against the fretboard, thus producing the sound. A combination of arm and wrist rotation is used to achieve this technique.
Study the photos and practice this technique on the next exercise. The popping technique is indicated in the notation by the letter F written above or below the note.
Finger ready to pop note
Pull up and rotate wrist
To begin with, try popping the open G and D strings, as shown here.
The next step is to combine the slapping and popping techniques. Take this slowly at first and use your metronome to make sure you are keeping good time.
Most slap bass lines use a combination of slapping and popping. In general the lower notes are slapped and the higher notes are popped, but this is not always the case. Once you can co-ordinate the slapping and popping techniques using eighth notes, you are ready to play actual bass lines using these techniques.
The following line which uses octaves has been used in many disco songs and will probably sound familiar to you. An octave is the distance between a note and its next repeat higher or lower after passing all the other letter names used for notes (E to E, C# to C#, D to D, etc). If you are unfamiliar with octaves, see Progressive Beginner Bass .
It is important to be able to comfortably use both the slapping and popping techniques on or between any beat of a bar. The following exercises should help you gain control of this. Once again, use your metronome and listen carefully as you play to make sure all your notes are strong and even. These examples are on the first and third strings, but it is important to play them on the second and fourth strings as well.
The Eighth Rest
This is an eighth rest.
It indicates half a beat of silence.
The use of eighth rests on the beat is a common way of achieving syncopated rhythms. Practice this example slowly with a metronome and count out loud as you play.
Here are some more bass lines which make use of eighth rests. Practice each one slowly until you can play it from memory.
The Tie
In traditional notation, a tie is a curved line that connects two notes with the same position on the staff. A tie indicates that you play the first note only, and to hold it for the length of both notes. A tie is not necessary in Tab notation where you can just follow the count. The use of ties is another common way of creating syncopated rhythms.
A tie is necessary if a note is to be held over a bar line, as in the following bass line. In this example, the tied notes coincide with the chord changes. Notice that the bass line moves to the root note half a beat before beat 1 or beat 3 on these chord changes. This method of playing is sometimes called giving the rhythm a "push".
Here is another riff which makes use of ties.
