WARWICK'S Bass Survival 101 Lesson 11: Using Fingerboard Percussive Slaps

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Over the past few weeks I have received several requests from players to post a lesson covering left hand fingerboard percussive slaps. (As usual, I will refer to the fretting hand as the "left hand". I don't do this to alienate any lefty players out there - just to make the lesson easier to read.) Using your left hand to generate a percussive note while slapping the bass can create some wonderfully intricate grooves, ranging from sounding smooth and relaxed to frantic and energetic. I discovered the left hand slap technique after seeing Stu Hamm play live in Hollywood. It was amazing! By utilizing left hand slaps, Stu could make intense grooves with very little hand movement - total economy of motion.

The technique is actually pretty easy to perform. The best way to start is to learn how to get a solid and consistent "thumb" from your left hand fingers hitting the fingerboard. Here are some keys to remember when practicing this:

Keep your left hand thumb on the back of the neck. Do not let it creep over the top of the fingerboard.
I prefer to keep my index finger in contact with the fingerboard while striking the strings with the other three fingers. This helps to keep the over ring down.
Do not hit the strings too hard, as this will actually make a note sound out. Likewise, do not hit the strings too lightly because this will not make a loud enough "thump". It will take practice but your muscle memory will allow you to get a consistent and pleasing sound.
If you get a harmonic when your hit the strings, either move your hand position up or down the neck a bit, or make sure that you are hitting with all three fingers and that your index finger is laying across the strings.

Watch this first video to see how you should execute this technique. Start slowly and focus on getting a good, strong percussive sound every time. While it might be helpful to plug in your bass when trying this for the first time, it is not critical. This is how the technique looks on paper:

Ok, now that you have the left hand slap technique down you need to work it into a groove so you can practice it in time. I like this simple little groove that uses left hand slaps and two-finger pops. Since you already know how to execute the left hand slap, let's focus on the right hand. To do this lick properly, you need to pop with both your right hand index and middle fingers, alternating each time. Watch the video to see how I do this. As always (and stop me if you have heard this before), start slowly and work on your timing and tone. This is the notation for this technique:

Now lets put the two techniques together. You will start by thumbing an open E string and then clap the fingerboard with your left hand fingers. Repeat that one time. Then thumb a muted E string and pop the muted D string with your index finger, following that with a muted thumb on the E string and popping the muted G string with your middle finger. The whole lick looks like this on paper:

This video shows me playing the lick slowly. Make sure each muted note is relatively the same volume and that the rhythm is even. When you first try this groove don't worry about playing with a metronome or drum machine. Once you have the mechanics down, then it is essential that you work with a time keeping device.

Finally, here is a short video of me playing the groove up to tempo. As you get this lick down, you can add hammer-on notes to spice up the groove. Experiment and have fun!

Hopefully, this lesson will give you a vehicle with which to develop your own left hand percussive slap technique. It is really a great way to come up with unique and intricate slap parts. No go forth and prosper!

Good luck with your studies and email me with your questions! Until next time... Stay Tuned!