Finishing Touches
If you have worked carefully on all the techniques and concepts presented in the book, you should be well on the way to being an excellent slap bass player.
To add some finishing touches to your playing, here are some more expressive techniques which will enable you to achieve more sophisticated sounds and make your playing more professional. Most of the techniques shown here are only demonstrated with one example, but you should experiment with each technique and create some of your own bass lines using them.
The Bend (B)
The bend is achieved by "pushing" a string with the left hand fingers in the direction of the adjacent strings. This causes the note to rise in pitch. On instruments such as guitar, saxophone or harmonica, notes are most commonly bent one tone (2 frets in pitch) or one semitone (1 fret in pitch). However, on the bass it is more common to bend only a semitone (or quarter tone) because of the thickness of the strings.
The following examples use the third finger to bend the notes. You will find bending easier if the second finger also helps "push up" the string (bending the string). The bend is indicated in tablature by a curved arrow (see exercise 103) and the letter B above it. In music notation a slur is used to connect the bent notes, so you will need to refer to the letter B above the tab.
In the following example, the D note on the 7th fret of the 1st string is bent up a semitone to an Eb note which would usually be played at the 8th fret. This note is shown in brackets in the tab. Experience and practice will help you bend to the correct pitch. If you use light gauge strings on your bass, bending will be easier.
Play note on 7th fret, 1st string.
Third finger bends string upwards with help of the second finger.
Here is a bass riff which makes use of bends. Notice that the bend on the C note (5th fret, first string) with the first finger has no bracket after it. This is because it is a quarter tone bend which is a very slight bend.
Vibrato
Vibrato is a technique where the left hand moves the fretted string rapidly up and down small distances towards adjacent strings. Vibrato helps to sustain a note and can make that note more interesting, and is mostly used on long notes or at the end of a phrase. Vibrato is indicated by a wavy line written above the note and tab. Vibrato can be applied to any fretted note and played by any left hand finger.
Double Stops
The term double stop means two notes played together. This is usually done by popping notes on the first and second strings with the m and i fingers, as shown in the following example.
The Crosshammer
A crosshammer is achieved by playing a note on one string (e.g., 3rd string) and hammering-on to a note on a different string (e.g., 1st string). The hammer-on must be quite firm to sound the note properly.
Left Hand Slap
A left hand slap is achieved by literally slapping the string onto the neck with the left hand. This produces a percussive effect similar to a ghost note. Left hand slaps most often occur on the 4th string, but can occur on other strings as well. A left hand slap is indicated by the letters LS above the tab. As with any new technique, practice it slowly at first and listen carefully to make sure your notes are clear and even.
You now have all the information you need to become a great slap bass player. It’s up to you to put in the persistent effort to be the best you can. Practice every day with your drum machine, count out loud with every new thing you learn, and above all, play with other musicians as often as possible. To finish things off, here is a line which contains all the new techniques presented in this lesson.
