All right, all you 'heads been waiting long enough for this, so here it is.

There's a whack of Bassics exercises for you guys to deal with. Most of it is the slap you were asking for. I'll ge the rest up as soon as I work the space issue where I'm getting my site hosted. So, sit back, grab your bass and get down with it. The 'Play' button let's you know there's a clip of me demonstrating what I'm talking about. Take a look at them, but remember, sometimes they can take a minute to d/l.

Let me start by saying that the technique of Slap & Pop, or Thumpin' and Pluckin' , or whatever you want to call it is a very personal technique when it comes to the ryhythm of your patterns. It's all about FEEL, so for some people the technique is easy, but to put it inside of a happenin' groove is a litle more complicated. I'll show you some bassic technique where the Triplet figure is used to create a grouping of thumps and plucks. The thump being the thumb, and the pluck you do with your index finger.

Double Thumpin and Triplets

The double thump technique is bassically striking the string twice, once on the way down and again on the way up. This allows you to get twice as many notes in one movement as you reset your thumb for another strike.

If you add a pluckto that you get a really fast triplet figure with very little effort. This is mastered by guys like Victor Wooten.

This next example is a Pluck Thump Thump triplet. The accent on the triplet is different than the first example, and since you don't double thump on this one, it's not as easy. I use it to really make the triplets stick out.

Double Thumpin in a Groove

What I love is double thuimpin for a double feel of the same note, rather than for speed. Meaning, you can attack the note one way on the way down and a different way on the way back up. Here I kind of mute the note on the up stroke, then on another pluck I hit harder to create the feel of the groove.

Here's a version with a slight variation, but I play it slower.

Here's a slightly faster version of the original example.

Finally, let's look specifically at the left hand for this example.

Left Hand Tap

Now here's something I've been doing for years that not too many people do. I create ghost notes with my left hand by hitting it against the fret board as I play the groove. You have to build up your strength in your left hand to create the sound. So, for all of you that learned to keep your thumb on the back of the neck - THROW THAT RULE OUT. It doesn't apply to THUMPIN'. You have to grab the neck in your hand with your thumb ove rthe top of the fretboard to get this lick out. If I add it to a thumb pluck pattern, I get a cool sounding triplet figure. You create the triplet by plucking then hitting with your left hand, then add the thump. Remember, Pluck--Hit--Thump.

You can also just use the left hand tap inside a pattern. HAVE FUN!!!

The Hammer-On

A hammer-on is where you get more than one note from a single strike of the bass by adding notes to the string being struck. I use this hammer-on to create a fast triplet figure. I'm striking the open note 'A', then applying the 'D' and 'E' notes without lifting my fingers off the fretboard.

Then I repeat that on the 'D' string with the notes 'G' and 'A'. Then I just move it around.

Well, that's it for now. This'll keep you busy for a while. Remember, too, like I said earlier, if you're in the Toronto area and you want to hook up for some lessons, then give me a shout. I had a blast doing them with a few of you, and I'd be happy to do more.

peace.