Slapping on Bass Guitar Lesson #2
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                        Doug Wellington
                        doug@arizona.edu

Today's topic:  Popping and muting

Last time I left you all with this slap, hammer on, slap and mute
pattern:

        q   q   q   q
G  |---------------------|        q = quarter note
D  |o-------------------o|        S = Slap
A  |o---5---7-----------o|        H = Hammer on
E  |------------0--------|        M = Mute quietly
        S   H   S   M

I hope that you all started slowly, like I suggested, and have gotten
to the point of having a nice clean clear sound.  Work on the sound
now and we'll worry about the speed later.  You'll be surprised at
how soon it will happen.

Now that you've started to get comfortable with slapping, let's add
popping to our bag of tricks.  To "pop" a string, place your first
(index) finger of your slapping hand part way under the string
(just enough to grab it), pull the string out lightly and then let it
pop back against the fretboard.  Keep your hand in the same relaxed
position we talked about last time.  Keep your first finger just stiff
enough to pull the string out.  Try popping the G string now.

As with slapping, do it as lightly as you can.  You want to play with
as little energy as possible.  Remember, speed will come from relaxation.
Pull just enough to get a good solid "crack" sound.  This sound will be
quite percussive and if you're like me, the first time you get a good
pop with the amp turned up, it will make you jump!  Go for it.

Now turn on your metronome and set it to between 40 and 50.  Practice
popping the G string on each beat, and mute with your fretting hand
half way in between beats.  Hold your fretting hand as before, with
your thumb about half way down behind the neck, and keep your fingers
straight.  When you pop, leave the tips of your fingers touching the
E, A and D strings and lift just the base of your fingers off of the
G string by moving your hand forward, pivoting your wrist slightly.
After the pop, you can mute by moving your hand back.  You should be
able to keep the E, A and D strings muted the whole time.

Once you feel comfortable with this pop - mute process, let's pop with
a slap.  A very common technique is to slap and pop notes one octave
apart.  Place the first finger of your fretting hand on the fifth fret
of the A string, and the fourth finger of your fretting hand on the
seventh fret of the G string.  Start up your metronome again (it's
still on 50 isn't it?) and practice a slap on the A string and a
pop on the G string.  Slap on the beat and pop in between.  Don't
move your fretting hand or worry about muting, just let the notes ring.

       e e e e e e e e
G  |-----7---7---7---7---|        e = eighth note
D  |o-------------------o|        S = Slap
A  |o--5---5---5---5----o|        P = Pop
E  |---------------------|
       S P S P S P S P

Now, you may accidentally touch the E or D strings, so let's talk more
about muting.  We're already using the first and fourth fingers for 
fretting notes.  Rest your second (middle) finger lightly on the E
string to mute it.  You'll have to keep the second finger almost
straight, and bend your first and fourth fingers to do it.

Here comes the tough part.  So far we have used the first, second and
fourth fingers to fret the A string, mute the E string and fret the G
string respectively.  We could try muting the D string with the third
finger, but since the third and fourth fingers are so dependent upon
each other, it is hard to keep them working separately.  So, to mute
the D string, flatten your first finger at the first joint just enough
to rest it against the D string.  Just let your third finger "hang out"
next to the second finger.

Practice the slap and pop for a while, keeping the metronome set to
between 40 and 50.  Listen carefully to make sure that you aren't
hearing the E or D strings ringing.  You may also want to hit them
on purpose to make sure that you are muting them properly.  Muting
is the hardest and most important part of slapping cleanly!!!

Work on this slow slap and pop until you get a clean sound with only
the two notes ringing.  Alternate popping with your first and second
fingers.  Try to get the volume levels equal with each.

A WORD OF WARNING:  Take it easy here.  Popping can be real hard on
your fingers!  Before you know it, you can get blisters and that will
definitely cut into your progress.  Stop early, take a break and then
go back to it.

OK folks, practice the pop and mute and the octave slap and pop and
we'll go further next time.

Take it slow!

Email any comments to me: doug@arizona.edu.
This article (c) Copyright 1993 by Doug Wellington.
You may distribute it freely so long as it is not modified.
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