Who is your Favorite Slap Player

#88
ElMon said:
I've always been drawn to this:



(4:00 min mark for some tasty slap)

Hubert Eaves IV on an MTD, and I like that he uses the technique like a garnish. To use Anthony Jackson's quote of 'slap is the ketchup of the bass world' (paraphrasing) I like it better when it's a spicy mustard that really sets off the dish when used just right. Too much and I need to wash my mouth out.

To0 many slapped notes in succession, at a fast tempo, and IMO a crucial thickness in the low-end disappears and the mix sounds thin and the groove dies.

Marcus would of course be (again IMO) the master at maintaining that fat sound while slapping, and even in that instance, I think he tours with a keyboard player to hold down the 'base' when he's really getting out there.
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So much space between everything it’s ethereal. That is some thick soup for sure.
 
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#90
Marcus is my favorite. He just has that SOMETHING in his parts that seem more musical, substantive, and soulful to me. I prefer this over the robo-slappers and fretboard acrobatics that dazzle the masses. That stuff is cool too, but Marcus just bakes into the song more musically.

Obvious credit goes to Larry Graham, the inventor of this technique. We are all in his debt.
 
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#93
I much prefer old school style thumpin' & pluckin'! Players like Larry Graham, Marcus Miller, Mark King, Brian Bromberg and many others. Y'all need to check out Marcus 'Slim' Shaw, bassist for 'Brothers Igniting A Groove' AKA B.I.G. Amazing player who can play, sing and dance around while doing it. Dude has a great sound and has a heavy funk groove.
 
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#95
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#96
Clark Dark said:
And Bootsy.
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Bootsy's name often gets thrown in slap threads and Im not sure why....he didnt really slap that much. He played a lot of "lead bass" with his fingers and use of effects (my favorite playing of his is on his "The One That Giveth..." album). He was more the Jimi Hendrix of bass than really being a prominent slap player
 
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#97
smtp4me said:
I'll second that nomination.

The following is just one example, but one of my favorites as an overall showcase of Mark's slapping chops. Especially around the 3:40 mark - great googly moogly:
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It's pretty much a given for me that, if I see a bass player wearing a thumb band, I'm about to experience some energy.
 
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#99
Bob_Ross said:
Tony Vitti is your favorite slap player?!?!

I'm sure Tony would be the first to encourage you to get out more, expand your horizons, and listen to a ton of other bassists
...not because Tony isn't an excellent slap player (or an excellent bassist all around) but because he is a genuinely humble musician who understands where journeymen fit in the world compared to the pantheon of truly brilliant innovators.
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First I love Anthony's playing and I posted him because he is an awesome educator and old-school slapper and I had just viewed the vid and hence my reason for the post...
 
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