The Secret To Playing FAST Slap Bass Like Mark King (With Sian Unwin)

[@KRAZEEIZATION]

People should know Mark was a drummer before he took up bass. His rhythm chops are top notch. He also uses light guage strings. The JD bass had a very flat fingerboard too and lots of EQ controls. So the slap technique is like playing drums on a bass. The attack and coordination of both hands is crucial. It’s demanding at first but playing slow and deliberately will eventually get you into it. It takes a lot of practice and patience!

[@N0B0DY_SP3C14L]

/\ This, right here. His drumming and sense of rhythm are also why his lines are so precise in their feel. What is truly amazing is that he can do all that he does WHILE SINGING IN TIME AND IN TUNE. Trying to coordinate not only rhythmically and harmonically complex lines on the bass along with timing his breathing and singing good notes that are often quite a ways away from his bass lines is EXTREMELY difficult. Give a listen to To Be With You, or If You Were Mine. His finger style work is easily as impressive as his slap playing.

[@thewomble1509]

Did you know , he's also actually LEFT handed? the man isn't human.

[@peterjonstefan2926]

this was awesome and she is a GREAT teacher! she knows what the student needs is slow mo in the beginning, VERY slo mo, with fingers clearly isolated...and for some weird reason a lot of teachers dont do it! some teachers have all their fingers on the neck somewhere and you cant see what sting they are hitting or what finger they are using and later explain the whole pro0cess too fast. Sian just taught a MONSTER bass line in a clear step by step process that makes it very easy to practice...I'm looking forward to studying slap with her in the slap course in the eBass library!!

[@ebassguitar]

Thank you so much, Peter! We're thrilled to have you on board for the slap course. Enjoy your practice!

[@ALANO-himself]

This lesson is perfect for me. Explained with a lot of musical and pedagogical skills. Thank you Sian, is very appreciated by me!

[@grooveattitude06]

Excellent. Thank you!

[@ebassguitar]

You're most welcome!

[@robster6820]

Fantastic!

[@ebassguitar]

Cheers!

[@altom4295]

Excellent lessen

[@ebassguitar]

Glad you like it! All the best!

[@frankortega4280]

Awesome slap lesson. Those rapid fire patterns are so cool.

[@ebassguitar]

Glad you like it! Cheers!

[@brianschoner3350]

Fantastic choice - "Almost There" is one of my favorite slap lines ever.

[@paulprescott147]

I've never played bass, but I bought some of that magic thumb tape and played a perfect rendition of Hot Water at the first time of asking. My neighbour liked it so much, he was banging on the wall and shouting at the top of his voice.

[@abacadaniel04]

Yes, Mark King is the king of slap bass!! 😀👍

[@ebassguitar]

Legendary!

[@abacadaniel04]

@@ebassguitar My hero!! 😀👍

[@steveford3289]

Great lesson - thank you

[@johnaina8649]

Excellent video!

[@ebassguitar]

Glad you like it! :-)

[@Omarencarnacion1]

awesome! great lesson, i'm not a slapper, i want to learn to improve my slap, this is a great lesson, thanks Sian, thanks James

[@ebassguitar]

We do have a bass slap course in the membership area, Omar. Let me know if you're interested.

[@Omarencarnacion1]

@@ebassguitar I would love to but I can't for now, monetary issues you know hehehe, but i will in a future

[@tomgwyther]

Love this video, I was gonna ask you how to do the persuasive slap stuff, I wanna sound like Hendrick Linder!

[@LaurenceHendersonBand]

Sian is a monster player 🎉 awesome to see her on this channel!

[@ebassguitar]

Indeed!

[@ErixSamson]

Stuart Clayton's books are ultimate

[@pennywiseRJ]

thats fender jazz bass marcus miller model is working on passive mode????

[@davebass88]

Ignore the trolls, I’ve been a level 42 fan for many years and for beginners these are excellent videos.

[@johnhewett9483]

Thoroughly explained good lesson. Love games?

[@b1uerogue]

Ive been playing 3 months and can just about play this at maybe 100 beats not 130..and the last hanmer on with mutes is hard to get to ..it feels like my left hand is hesistating to love up the threat board ..how do i over come this...ive tried slow for about 5 hours ...but whenever i go fast my hands just stuck like glue to the fretting board

[@MarcLuc-pc3by]

More slapping 😁 !u should check Jeff Berlin!

[@ebassguitar]

Yep, I’ve interviewed Jeff :-)

[@ralfspitaler8921]

🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@graemerobertson5160]

Aha, another example of not quite giving enough detail which could lead to some people just not getting it. I saw somebody else demonstrate this and he said the same - use the left hand to hit the strings to generate ghost notes. I copied what I thought I saw him doing and it just sounded like a hammer on. So I kept reducing the striking force and could barely hear anything at all. Increased it and back came the hammer on. I ended up having to figure this one out for myself too. Unless I missed it Sian didn't point out that you have to hit at least two of the left hand fingers over both the E and A string to get the thump sound.

[@ebassguitar]

Great share, Graeme! All the best!

[@Yt5hdf5g5g5g]

Im struggling with my right hand 😢

[@carolinnagy3262]

I was wondering how does this technique work when the root of the pattern is NOT an open string

[@ebassguitar]

It doesn’t in the same way - that’s why so many slap based songs are in E and also why it’s more of challenge slapping in other keys.

[@carolinnagy3262]

@@ebassguitar thanks!

[@bobfazio3724]

Great lesson.......however, as a music teacher I ALWAYS talk about the notes, not just the fret numbers. Do not only say frets 5 to 7 on the A string, say D to E on the A string. Encourage people to understand the notes on the neck, and to understand MUSIC in general....not just the techniques and mechanics of the bass.

[@ebassguitar]

I agree. I tend to use both concepts depending on the context,, who I’m talking to, and how quick I want the lesson to be…

[@gup1973]

You could try playing it in time. And never play L42 lines 'Thumb down'.

[@ebassguitar]

Sounds fine to me. Surely technique is personal? If it sounds good it is good is my mantra.

[@MarcLuc-pc3by]

She just discovered this?😂

[@ebassguitar]

No… it’s new for someone who hasn’t for much experience in the slap technique. Sian has been doing it for years :-)

[@Modulus96]

Yeah it's for new bass slappers, they're just making it sound like it's some amazing news discovery, like the code is cracked. It's in the social media style of that weight loss guy that constantly talks about visceral fat and metabolism killers, etc...

[@MarcLuc-pc3by]

A beginner telling us what to Do!

[@ebassguitar]

Sian is far from a beginner Marc :-)

[@ALANO-himself]

​@@ebassguitar So master, just go to a Victor Wooten lesson...it's that easy!

[@gup1973]

@@ebassguitar well she's out of time!

[@ebassguitar]

I’ve had a scan through the video and it’s sounds solid to me. Some ebb and flow in places but that’s being a human rather than a machine.

[@michaeljohnson3913]

I could have used a little more demonstration of the left hand slap... Too hard and notes ring out, too soft and I don't hear anything.

[@andrepereira744]

?? Nan... None of this sounds like Mark King

[@ebassguitar]

Sounds like him to me :-)

[@zygmuntzarzecki]

wrong bass, should be at least stingray :)

[@MarcLuc-pc3by]

U should study more serious Music ! We can come up our own slap TECHNIQUE! Not only in Eeeee!

[@ebassguitar]

Sure a balance is the way to go?

[@Generalbas1972]

First of all if this news to you, you are a beginner bassplayer. Second there is a bit more invovled than just left hand slap in playing Mark King bass. And third this is much much easier than it looks and sounds the most difficult part is to get it *THIGT* when you're up to speed. Something they fail to do here btw 😛

[@ebassguitar]

Thanks for sharing your feedback.

[@Generalbas1972]

@@ebassguitar truth hurts i know ;)

[@ebassguitar]

I’m not sure I agree with you.

[@Generalbas1972]

@@ebassguitar tbh i would kinda be suprised if you did since it's your channel and your interview. But let me help you if you really wanna interview someone who can do Mark King slap here are a few names and links to their youtube channel: www.youtube.com/@cambridgebasslessons www.youtube.com/@MarkKildare

[@ebassguitar]

Thanks for your links. What are the reasons I should specifically listen to your opinion on this subject and why?