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

In this video, Sian will teach you how to play fast slap bass like Mark King.

FREE lesson PDF: ebassguitar.com/yt309-fast-sl...
Work With Sian: ebassguitar.com/vip
= = = = =
FREE 14-Day Trial For The Bass Lab PLUS Membership: ebassguitar.com/trial/
FREE Bass Player's Action Pack: ebassguitar.com/bass-players-...
FREE lesson PDF: ebassguitar.com/yt309-fast-sl...
= = = = =
EQUIPMENT/BRANDS USED:
Sadowsky Metro 4 String PJ Bass (Made in Japan) - bit.ly/40bbrss
Fender Jazz Bass Marcus Miller Signature - bit.ly/3MKvVTv
Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 - bit.ly/3Sgahdi
Aguilar SL112 x 2 - bit.ly/40fc0Bl
Mark Bass Marcus Miller Bass Amp - bit.ly/492XIb4
= = = = =
Follow Sian on Instagram!
Instagram: @shunwin_bass
= = = = =
Inside the Bass Lab PLUS Membership, you’ll get instant access to all the eBassGuitar step by step courses, interactive masterclasses, and resources. You’ll also get access to personal coaching from James in the eBassGuitar Coaching Community and connect with bass players from all over the globe, that will support and encourage you to supercharge your bass playing... once and for all!
This unique bass guitar lessons program contains a complete syllabus design exclusively for the beginner to intermediate bass player.
= = = = =
About eBassGuitar
Hi, I’m James Eager, a professional musician & online instructor. Over the past 15 years, I’ve taught 1000s of students.
eBassGuitar is the only video bass guitar lessons website dedicated to helping startup & aspiring bassists develop into the musician of their dreams.
#eBassGuitar
www.ebassguitar.com

[@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!

[@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.

[@steveford3289]

Great lesson - thank you

[@danielpalmersofficial]

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

[@ebassguitar]

Legendary!

[@danielpalmersofficial]

@@ebassguitar My hero!! 😀👍

[@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!

[@robster6820]

Fantastic!

[@ebassguitar]

Cheers!

[@tomgwyther]

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

[@grooveattitude06]

Excellent. Thank you!

[@ebassguitar]

You're most welcome!

[@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!

[@LaurenceHendersonBand]

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

[@ebassguitar]

Indeed!

[@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

[@ErixSamson]

Stuart Clayton's books are ultimate

[@johnhewett9483]

Thoroughly explained good lesson. Love games?

[@pennywiseRJ]

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

[@MarcLuc-pc3by]

More slapping 😁 !u should check Jeff Berlin!

[@ebassguitar]

Yep, I’ve interviewed Jeff :-)

[@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!

[@Electromechanic1993]

Im struggling with my right hand 😢

[@ralfspitaler8921]

🤙🏻🤙🏻🤙🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@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.

[@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!

[@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!

[@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 :-)

[@EyEpOkEr1000]

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...

[@andrepereira744]

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

[@ebassguitar]

Sounds like him to me :-)

[@Crunkboy415]

Not really a new technique, Louis Johnson did it all the time in the 70s and 80s.

[@derrickj8424]

Yep. Not to mention Larry Graham, James Jamerson, too many to name. All these “influencers” thinking they’re doing something new. 🙄

[@LaurenceHendersonBand]

No one is saying it’s a new technique - this is literally a demonstration of how to do it

[@PaulGBass]

Even the track she's playing called Almost There is from 1981, so, of course it's not a brand new technique...

[@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?