How To Play SLAP Bass The Right Way - What You MUST Know

[@BassCampOfficial]

Get the backing tracks and tabs for these exercises, plus 4 more full lessons at the beginner slap bass course here: www.patreon.com/CharlesBerthoud

[@petrerasov7013]

how do you arrange songs?

[@numetalforchrist]

But I don't have money

[@Chrislarkin70]

I'm really interested in signing up for the slap bass course - but confused about the payment system. It says we pay according to how many videos you release in a month. Is that all and any videos? Sound's like it could get pricy. Basically I'd like to sign up for the slap bass - and some other courses (like theory) - but want a clear idea of what it'll cost me ...

[@WsgWsp-m2y]

My bass don't sound like your's why?

[@femymusik]

hello

[@CharlesBerthoud]

Incredible lesson, keep it up!! 🙏🏻

[@rodrigopatino3382]

This guy is coming for you let me tell ya!!

[@20minutespast]

chad

[@Tekkerue]

No way! I wasn't expecting to see you here! 🙃

[@pablovalencia9611]

Bro responded to himself thinking we wouldn't notice 💀

[@slappbassnow]

Bro casually complimenting himself

[@daddy-bstudios2895]

After 35 years of playing modulair synths i started to play the bass. I never could figure out how to slap on the bass. Picking was easy but slapping it (for me) wasn't easy. Now after 13 years of playing the bass and seeing your video, i finally learned how to slap. Thank you for this video. It really changed the way of playing the bass. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@pablovalencia9611]

This guy has to be the best bass teacher on the platform

[@haroldgonzalez-pm9hg]

I keep trying to slap the A string but i keep hitting the damn E string🤬

[@ChrisLT]

Nice to see a basic breakdown.

[@BassCampOfficial]

Glad you found it helpful!

[@hayatotheninja]

You mean... BASSic. 😎

[@ChrisLT]

​​@@hayatotheninja Yes, thank you for the correction. Anyway, this channel's already been a revelation. Looking forward to seeing it grow. 20+ years of guitar, and this'll be a nice way to ensure I'm not just playing bass like a regular ass electric.

[@mirialbagonzalezlopez5322]

Thanks so much! I'm a total bass newbie and not overwhelmed by the info you are sharing and its progression. Awesome!! Working in this already. Muchas gracias!!! 😎🎶🎵🎸🎵🖤

[@大袋子]

Incredible lesson, keep it up!! 🙏🏻

[@DeeterPlays]

Literally wearing my Slap Bass University shirt as I watch this. Also, side note about that shirt, some people see the shirt and they somehow mentally remove the "B" and think it says something totally different.

[@Matthew-vh4ce]

Hey Charles, loving the exercises. One for arpeggios would be awesome!

[@myopia73]

have a bass for years but never slapped, this was the easiest one to follow, thanks!

[@jonhall3151]

Thanks, Chuck!

[@BassByTheBay]

For slaps (thumps), I would just add that you should try to hit your thumb knuckle on the string. Back when I was giving lessons, I noticed a few students were getting this "flabby" sound when they slapped, and I realized they were hitting with a different part of their thumb. I had thought it was intuitive to hit with your knuckle, but I learned that, for some people, it's not.

[@yu09lin]

Thank you so much! It really helped me!!

[@andreasantilli9764]

A great bass player...and now a great bass teacher too!!! Very clear, very rational and well structured. Keep on teaching,! 💪👍👍

[@Crambo2]

Here from patreon! Looking forward to the full glory of this channel!

[@Theseriousbeatle]

No fking way charles made a separate account to teach his bass stuff. I was gonna go through the trouble of transcribing some of his stuff but this is way better 😂

[@thebassgum]

Thanks for the lesson Charles! Waiting for the next lesson 🎉🎉🎉

[@fabiowolfofficial]

Perfect lesson, I’m finally practicing slaps

[@c4bybara9_11]

Bro I didn't know Kevin de bruyne plays bass

[@Goofygooferson]

Thanks

[@johnkostelidis8163]

I used to slap with the thumb placed like thae way you show ..... Although when I first started to attend music school , the teacher told me to change the position of my thumb .... Placing your thumb like Flea as you say, is the most ergonomic position. You play more easily, relaxing your arm, and can also adjust to normal plucking position easily. The only difficult part is to learn how to slap accurately . But its a matter of practice after all !!

[@iloveska1]

Awesome, will practice later!

[@rfsk1]

I was on this event in São Paulo

[@DC-ei9vl]

All beginners look at the fret board. Kinda have to wonder if that's how Flea developed his particular technique.

[@sixto6244]

Thank you :) i got it

[@RachelGerrard]

BRILLIANT thank you!

[@ChristiandaveBanzuela]

out of the many bass slap tutorials I've watched, this is the only video that I get basic and simple instruction, thanks for basic tutorial 🤍

[@rogerioserra9912]

Excelente! Muito obrigado! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@iamtombass]

Thank yôh sir 😇🙏🏽,

[@ace-ofspades]

omg tysm this helped a lot and i can already see that im improving :)))

[@amosmattu508]

That helped a lot 👍🏽

[@guahsu]

Yeahhh !! Thanks a lot !

[@Mis-amados-perros77]

Hello, what brand is that bass? Of the ones you have, I think it's the one I like the most.

[@eileenfabri5497]

Thanks brother! Thanks so much! You are truly incredible bassist.

[@niteshades_promise]

Theres no "wrong way" in music.🤐🍻

[@BassCampOfficial]

That's true to some extent but there are ways that will allow you to play with more freedom, and ways that will limit you to only being able to play at certain speeds or in certain styles.

[@alsetalokinalset]

Hi Charles, You should consider having a pro luthier look at your black LeFay bass.. when the bridge saddles are not in a straight line backwards from G to E after intonation adjustment, there’s either a problem with the head stock saddle resting points - or the strings - resulting in the slight intonation quirks I heard in the video. I could adjust it for you, but it’s probably too much of an effort to bring the bass to Denmark 😅 BTW: Great video BR, Lars

[@G.G.-nt2mi]

Where do we learn the opening riff to this video?

[@MrDaneBrammage]

When double-thumbing, the thumb moves mostly in the plane of the string, perpendicular to the 'bounce' technique you show here. How do you transition from one to the other? I feel like I have to unlearn the bounce in order to learn double-thumb.

[@KH0RNE]

i got my first bass like 3 months ago, haven't tried slap yet. now that i'm trying it, i'm fine with slapping on the E string, and poping is just fine on every string, but Slapping on any string but E is the hardest thing for me. it's like i have to change the way i position my thumb to hit it for each string when i slap it. I'm pointing it only slightly up, just like you said would be fine, and it's only working on the E string. Please help.

[@PeterWilliams-ek2bh]

Newbie question, is there a setup video for the bass particularly for slap as opposed to other styles or shouldnt i worry to much about this? Think my bass is set too high but im worried to mess on with it.

[@kaushalsuvarna5156]

Yes pops slap

[@erichines8360]

Great lessons/exercises. One question- do you usually have to have newer strings to get the slap/pop off effect? Also- are there certain settings on the bass amp that you recommend? I have a Pbass and Markbass amp (which i consider higher end gear) yet struggle to get the right sound for slapping.

[@sweepingpage1845]

Nice

[@GVike]

I could never get the (fretting hand) muting stuff right, and it's frus tra TING. My hand trembles/shakes a bit so it's not steady.

[@4chld_]

Yoooo

[@4chld_]

I've been waiting all day Charles!!!! thx TㅡT

1:44

[@sanyo_neezy]

SLAP!

[@nielbangerter2497]

Is it just me who wants to learn the intro?

[@xero5727]

I can slap the E string just fine but I keep hitting lower string when I slap the other strings. Can you give me some tips to fix it?

[@unclemick-synths]

The short answer is practice. It took me a little while to improve my aim. I found it easier to not look at my thumb. You'll succeed if you're patient with yourself.

[@cleme7896]

Just 🤌

[@dracuul78]

The volume level of slaps seems so much higher than playing normally... Also, I find that the string is often hitting the fretboard resulting in a sharp metallic noise, I think it even happens at 0:44... Is that supposed to happen?

[@claudio3425]

yeah thats intended

[@tnasir2003]

That metallic noise is the sound of the metal coated string hitting the frets. The physics of slap is bouncing the strings into the fingerboard, that's what gives it its sound vs just finger style. You hear that metallic sound unplugged from the string but not when you are going through an amp. The reason you hear it at 0:44 is likely just charles' microphone for his voice picking up the sound of the bass alongside the amp. Also slap is a lot louder than fingerstyle, you are putting a lot more force into the string than if you were to pluck normally so it makes sense why. Slap is more physical but don't slap or pop any harder than you need to to get a good sound, improving slap technique is about fine tuning your physical actions to make them as small and light as you can while still getting a good sound.

[@coyote6154]

1:22 I guess the control he lacks by having his thumb down, he compensates with c*caine 😜

[@Alexpaka1111]

You mean the white way. 😂

[@m.s.8489]

You have the wrong technique. The thumb should not bounce off. After the slap, it should stay between the strings until you pop or thumb up.

[@phipshido2742]

is it just me or is slap the hardest thing on earth ?

[@davidethridge5748]

Just practice it for 15 minutes everyday and you should get it down in about a year

[@nathanmoore7120]

Less than a year. I was slapping quite well after a few months….. having said that, I have ADHD so I was playing between 8 to 10 hours a day from the moment I got my first bass. This was coupled with 2 lessons a week. I believe someone who is has natural perspicacity and practices all day could learn to play the bass competently within 3 months. If I started learning the bass, now. I would use Victor Wootens technique.

[@spikedalizard3114]

⁠​⁠@@nathanmoore7120same i could play advanced slap bass in a month because I have ADHD and was practicing like from when I got home from school to when I had to go to bed

[@joyfadele3104]

​@@nathanmoore7120what is victor Wooten technique Im haveing the most trouble with finding slap songs that are easier enough and also ear training

[@RaySarv]

It’s just you😂😂😂😂😂 Kidding it took me a long time to get that clean slap tone the key is to practice and practice unfortunately no short cut

[@KainePamela]

I recently bought my first bass because of you and Davie, hoping to get the BASSics down soon!

[@BassCampOfficial]

Congrats, have fun!!

[@AlexVonCrank]

Not only is this man a freak player, he's a great teacher too! What can't he do?

[@olivierlemarois9620]

Play accordeon

[@Brett-yq7pj]

Cant stay out in the sun too long probably ha haw gingerbread boy

[@thomasobrien4707]

Get girls

[@AlexVonCrank]

@thomasobrien4707 you see that ring on his left hand, right?

[@AlexVonCrank]

​@Brett-yq7pj hahaaj soooooo funny... is that your original material? Pure genius.

[@nod-]

I play a 6 string electric guitar and don't even own a bass, yet I'm here

[@jacobparker5042]

Go away your kind aren't welcome unless you mean a 6 string short scale piccolo bass

[@josephmweze158]

Me too😅

[@j.kibagami]

Me three lol

[@franckdebank]

It's actually harder to play it that slow.

[@toaonosoa8872]

Yo Charles! these videos are really helping my bass playing! Please dont stop making videos!!! You inspire me to practice my bass whenever a new video comes out and these videos are way more helpful than any other ones on youtube! God bless you bro from New Orleans 😀

[@BassCampOfficial]

That's great to hear, don't worry I'm not stopping any time soon!

[@toaonosoa8872]

​@@BassCampOfficial Yayy

[@OttoRoesch28]

Epico

[@Makstuff]

I'd suggest not adding the slap bass phrase on top of exercise titles (such as at 3:05 ), for me at least this is quite annoying and flow-breaking.

[@FollowTheLion01]

I still say having that musical interlude before playing the music is distracting, just as it was in the first video.

[@kentlofgren]

Charles, your tutorial on slaps and pops for bass is absolutely fantastic! Your technical expertise and expressive playing style make it easy for beginners like me to grasp these techniques. The structured approach you've taken in this video is incredibly helpful. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and talent with the bass community. Looking forward to more lessons from you!

[@ttb4456]

i don't understand, because whenever i slap on any higher strings than the E-string, i get no "sound", only something that sounds like the strings hitting the frets. pure metal clang and no "tones"

[@Zuhg]

Yeah i get this outcome too I don't understand :/

[@nikodempeszko8171]

that was very helpfull in my slap adventure :>

[@Abbys_little_gremlin_Kirby0831]

I just learned how to slap bass just from your thumb nail and hand placement, now I’m slapping in the middle of my solo for my high school marching band and jazz band competition, THANK YOU 😭💗

[@VailJohnson]

whenever someone presumes to be the arbiter of "the right way" in just about anything, you know a load of bullshit is forthcoming...and this doesn't disappoint!. Cheers.

[@mitchj6245]

I really appreciate that you don't talk while demonstrating the sound, so we can actually hear the sound of the guitar ✅️

[@DC-ei9vl]

And for content not containing 10 minutes of BS, 5 minutes of useful information, as usual.

[@sssenatorarmstrong3280]

Can you teach how to incorporate ghost notes into slapping?

[@MaddMan621]

When he kept playing the first note for the slap technique all I could think of was the intro to Around the World by RHCP

[@timiligamer6886]

It`s time to learn more and more hehehe

[@BassCampOfficial]

🔥🔥

[@FromTheMosh]

That's a nicely oiled fretboard 🙂

[@A_Maggot]

Learn Anything on KZbin: 100,000,000,000 Beginners Lesson 1,000 Intermediate Lessons 1 Expert lesson

[@jameswik212]

One thing rubbs me the wrong way @BassCampOfficial, most teachings says low to mid action, but how high / low is that? My bass is a $90 bass and my starter, but it sounds crap, and pops need lots of pulling power to do. I feel like my bass is not prepped for slapping hardware wise, whats the deal here...?🤔😃

[@sine_0]

Now how to slap You Can't Hold no groove for beginners x3

[@Victinitotodilepro]

fr an actual helpful guide

[@shawnalove5050]

Dam, I thought you were gonna show me something I didn't already know, lol. You're the bomb though! I love your stuff!

[@nicholsonjay4724]

This guy should get together with El Estepario Siberiano….the human drumming machine.

[@Thanawolf]

I have question. How "hard" do i need to slap the string? What i mean is do i just hit it enough to vibrate the string or does the string have to hit the fretboard? Thanks to anyone that can help.

[@WafaringJay]

It’s not in the wrist. It is in the elbow. You are rotating elbow joint using bicep muscle

[@Will-bo3cn]

I’m pretty new to bass but find it much easier to slap with my thumb down. Should I keep going like that or teach myself to do it like shown. Thanks!👍😁

[@danieldelange4116]

Good day to you, davie504 brought me here..your lesson is Well done And you have a pleasing voice. I only have an acoustique basse and would like to know if one can slap it even unplugged ?

[@robertnagy3942]

Do I keep my thumb relaxed or flex it so it stays upright and pointy?

[@landonp4726]

Do you know how Flea gets away with his thumb being down? Is he just super accurate, or does he just mute the other strings he doesn’t want to play? Thanks!

[@LiamWhittle-tm7yo]

I've been playing thumb down for years. I actually get a nice clean slap and pop but I don't know if its possible to double thumb from that position. I always played with my bass slung kinda low and that's just how my muscle memory is now. Trying to slap thumb up with the bass higher is like trying to write left handed for me. I wonder if anyone has figured out a way to double thumb down thumb slap style

[@benheld1247]

Hey Charles, thank you for this lesson. I had a student today and we did pretty much exactly the same thing today. Some hours after our lesson you uploaded this video and I recommended it immediately. :) perfect timing

[@srdjanbabic8304]

"Slap the right way" - no thank you, please try to understand the amount of wrong in this sentence which oversimplifies a whole concept of slapping.

[@bemimu]

Correct me if I’m wrong, but the impression I got from this video is to slap on only the E and A strings and pop on only the D and G strings?

[@HCivicFg2]

Anyone know of a video that goes in depth. Something that explains what happens when your doing things wrong, cause this isnt working for me, but i dont know what im doing wrong...

[@arpitgershom2264]

Not understand how to take course.pls make vedio for joining course detail

[@dark_force_user]

That's the single most helpful lesson so far. One question though. Why is it so hard to slap on higher frets?

[@PatrickQT]

When you slap, do you bounce off the string or do you slap past the string?

[@antoniodacir3275]

Thank you so much Sir..big help as I'm a beginner

[@perryhowell6909]

I'm sure someone has corrected you but it is not Flea but Stevie Wonders bass line done better and cleaner by his bass player.

[@Adrik-mb9ve]

Bro tysm i couldnt slap idk why but you changed me

[@filteredvitaminsubstance5302]

0:50 sounds like Around the World by Red Hot Chili Peppers

[@m.richards6947]

My bass sounds so dull when I try to slap, maybe I need to change strings.

[@Lewbo.]

I can slap the first string but as soon as i try any of the other strings, all of the other strings start ringing out even though im not even touching them. Can anyone explain/help?

[@lukibanez]

Davie503 quitly watching this video

[@VeitLehmann]

Great lesson, thanks for posting this! Unfortunately I taught myself slapping the thumb-down way. I don't slap often, and it works for most things, but it's a dead-end for going further. With thumb-down, I manage to always hit the string right and have my slapped notes at an equal loudness. That's hard for me thumb-up, even though I know that thumb-up can sound much fatter if done right. And I could never double-thumb with thumb-down. With thumb-down, I can easily mute the slapped string with my right palm right when I pop if I want to (I mostly do and don't even think about it). Muting strings with thumb-ub is much harder for me, it's all in the left hand then. I know I could go much further with thumb-up, but trying to do that makes me feel like a noob. So I have to practice it at home and won't do it on stage for now. But will continuing to slap thumb-down on stage hurt learning thumb-up? It just feels so different...

[@tnasir2003]

Charles actually went through the same thing! I remember him saying before that when he started slapping he learned it thumb down like Flea and that it took him a solid year to adjust to the up thumb and learn the double thumb. It is a very slow process but keep going at it, best of luck!