For fanatics and musical followers of psychedelic soul and funk music, the electric bass guitar surely is the most important musical instrument there is. This is because this guitar type is the only one that could facilitate slapping, a distinct percussive performance technique. Slapping as a musical technique could assume different variations other than simply plucking the strings. Thus, electric bass guitar could be played with more versatility and creativity.
The invention of the slap performance technique using the electric bass guitar could be credited to legendary Sly & the Family Stone funk bassist Larry Graham. The musician developed his original slapping techniques when he tried to emulate a drum sets sound using his electric bass guitar during the time the band was still struggling to find its drummer. The result, as the clich‚ goes, is plain history.
Slapping the electric bass guitar could be easy to do, though it takes a really patient, resourceful, and persistent guitarist to make the performance sound good. The slapping sound is created through making the right thumb of the player hit the string that hits the fret board. The technique even takes more variations and every guitar player may develop his own style and procedure.
However, for beginners, there are two general procedures to slap the electric bass guitar. The first one is to have the right thumb point towards the strings direction. The second is to have the right thumb pluck perpendicularly to the strings. Professional and advanced-level electric bass guitar players could slap depending on how the instrument is held or simply on what feels truly comfortable when playing.
Slapping has become a very popular technique in playing the electric bass guitar. In fact, there is even a special bass guitar type that was specifically and especially designed for slapping—the Music Man Stingray. This special guitar is a top favorite among slap bass players because of its cutting edge and unique tone.
The electric bass guitar playing technique is very evident of course in music created by Sly & the Family Stone. It could also be identified with music from other bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Korn, and Funkadelic, among others. Slapping has also crossed genres and is currently used by bass guitarists of rock, metal, and fusion bands (like Primus, Cryptopsy, and The Dave Matthews Band). Slapping is also finding its way into the mainstream pop music.
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