Ultimate Slap Bass - Intermediate Level
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About this ebook
Ultimate Slap Bass is one of the most popular books ever written on the slap bass technique. In this book, the second in the series of three, more complex techniques are covered. The book starts with using the left hand slapping technique and moves on to cover double popping, strumming, machine gun triplets, tenths and more. There are 73 exercises in this book and all have free backing tracks available to download from the publishers website.
Stuart Clayton
Stuart Clayton has been a professional musician and writer for over ten years. He has worked as a staff writer for Bass Guitar Magazine since its first issue, written seven bass instruction books for Sanctuary Publishing, including 100 Tips For Bass Guitar You Should Have Been Told, Crash Course: Bass, Bass Xtreme, Basic Bass Workout and Giants Of Bass and toured the world with Carl Palmer. He now runs his own company, Bassline Publishing, which publishes transcription books for legendary bassists such as Mark King, Stuart Hamm, Bernard Edwards and John Entwistle, as well as an acclaimed range of tuition books such as Ultimate Slap Bass and Solo Arrangements for Electric Bass. He is also Head of Bass at the British Institute of Modern Music (Bristol) and is an artist endorsee for Zon basses and Aguilar amplification.
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Reviews for Ultimate Slap Bass - Intermediate Level
5 ratings2 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I loved this book but there is no audio files
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Good book
Book preview
Ultimate Slap Bass - Intermediate Level - Stuart Clayton
Ultimate Slap Bass
Intermediate Level
By Stuart Clayton
Published by Bassline Publishing at Smashwords
Copyright 2013 Stuart Clayton
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter 1 – Left Hand Slaps & Sixteenth Note Lines
Chapter 2 – Introducing Tenths
Chapter 3 – Machine Gun Triplets
Chapter 4 – Double Stops
Chapter 5 – Double Popping
Chapter 6 – Strumming
Intermediate Level Exercise Area
Larry Graham Biography
Louis Johnson Biography
Stanley Clarke Biography
Marcus Miller Biography
Flea Biography
Mark King Biography
Stuart Hamm Biography
Vail Johnson Biography
Les Claypool Biography
Victor Wooten Biography
Ray Riendeau Biography
About the Author
Introduction
It can be quite daunting taking your first tentative slaps on the bass. As likely as not, the first time you try the technique, it will feel awkward, clumsy, and it probably won’t sound that great either! However, while the slap and pop technique is a very exciting and seemingly complex way of playing the bass, that doesn’t mean that it has to be difficult to learn. When studying anything, be it a new technique or musical idea, the key to success is always through practice and perseverance. None of the best slap bassists were born as amazing players, but their efforts paid off - just as yours will if you persevere with the exercises in this book. Slap and pop is one of the most enjoyable techniques to learn and I can assure you that if you are newcomer to the style you’re going to have a blast learning it. I can also promise you that with a little patience, it won’t be long before you start getting results.
I originally wrote Ultimate Slap Bass in 2005 and it quickly became a very popular title for bassists all around the world. Now, with the development of digital publishing, I am pleased to be able to present it as a series of ebooks, which can be read on a variety of digital tablets. I decided to spilt the original book (which was of considerable size) into three, with each part corresponding to the main sections in the printed book: beginner, intermediate and advanced. This allows for a more manageable download and has the added benefit that the reader can choose the level at which they want to begin their studies. This is the second book of the three and features techniques such as left hand slaps, double popping and strumming, all of which can be used to add some extra spice to your slap playing.
I wrote the original book because I don’t believe a definitive slap and pop tuition book exists. Although there are several available, I have found that very few teach you how to play - most simply provide some vague descriptions of the technique and then bombard you with a barrage of exercises. Whilst you’ll certainly get a lot of exercises in this book - 73 to be precise - I also aim to illustrate the ‘how’s’ and ‘why’s’ of the style. My main goal in writing these books however, is to encourage bass players to use the technique in a more musical way - to quote the great Marcus Miller, ‘the technique of slap bass playing is at an all time high - although the musicality of the bass players using it is unfortunately at an all time low.’ My contribution towards rectifying this was to write the exercises in a variety of keys (other than E!) and tempos. Throughout each book you’ll also be encouraged to understand the theory behind what you are playing.
The Ultimate Slap Bass ebooks have been developed to cater for all slap players, irrespective of their level. Whether you are completely new to the technique, or are just looking to add some new ideas to your playing there will be plenty in these books to keep you occupied. Please note however that this series is not intended for complete beginners to the instrument itself, rather newcomers to the slap and pop technique. I’m assuming that you know the fundamentals already, i.e. the notes on the fretboard, basic playing techniques, major scales in all twelve keys, how to tune up etc. If not, I strongly advise that you learn them. There are many books that can get you started with the basics - I’ve even written a few myself!
All of the exercises in this book have an accompanying audio track for you to listen to/practice along with. Many of these files are recorded with a backing track so that you can hear how the basslines work in a musical context. By hearing them in this way you will be encouraged to slap in a more musical and creative way. Hopefully you’ll also be inspired to develop these lines further, and come up with some of your own. You can download these files free of charge by visiting the Bassline Publishing website and clicking on FREE Stuff on the main menu - you will need to log into the site to access this area. The audio files are in a zip file which is listed in the section for this book.
Before I leave you to get started, a word of warning: while this book will teach you how to take the slap and pop technique to the next level, you should remember to use what you learn with taste and sensitivity. The slap technique can be a lot of fun, but it can also be very easy to overuse. There are times to use it, and times when not to. With that said, I hope you enjoy this book, and that it helps you to master the techniques that you want to learn. As usual, your questions and comments are welcomed, so please feel free to drop me an email at info@basslinepublishing.com.
Stuart Clayton
August 2012
Chapter 1 – Left Hand Slaps & Sixteenth Note Lines
Using all of the elements of the slap technique that have been examined so far you should now be able to play a wide range of bass parts. This chapter will add another element to the mix that can make things even more interesting - that element is the left hand slap.
Incorporating the left hand slap is not essential, as you’ll have noticed from the exercises we have studied so far that don’t use it. However, it can make things a lot more interesting rhythmically, and allow you to play continuous sixteenth note grooves that would be impossible with just the techniques covered in the first section of the book. One of the first notable players to incorporate left hand slaps into his playing was Mark King (See Section 4: Famous Slap Bassists). Originally a drummer, King applied his rhythmic mind to the bass, resulting in the sixteenth note slap grooves that underpinned much of music that he created with pop/funk outfit Level