10 Songs That Taught Me SLAP (Easy to Effin’ Hard)

Learning slap bass is a long lonely road… here’s 10 songs that taught me how to slap, and how you can level up YOUR slap bass game.

When I started playing bass at age 13, nothing seemed cooler than slap bass. But frankly I sucked at it… for kind of a long time. That’s why all these slap bass lines were so crucial to get my technique to the next level.

Which slap lines, you ask? Well you’ll have to watch the video, you saucy reader of descriptions. You’ll learn things like:
- The easy formula Stuart Zender (and everyone else) uses for funky slap
- That yes, Flea bass lines will appear in almost every slap bass lesson ever
- A trick Les Claypool of @officialprimus uses to sound more melodic
- Who the grandfather of slap bass is
- How impossible it is to slap the bass too hard (thanks Louis Johnson)
- Nate Phillips sexy thumb-fingers hybrid technique
- @MarcusMiller1 slaps amazingly and once wore parachute pants
- Stupid-sounding-but-fantastic advice from Mark King about slapping fast
- @squarepushermusic is not a human and he slaps too fast
- How @victorwooten re-revolutionized slap bass

#SlapBass #BassBuzz

[BassBuzz]

Did I miss your favorite bassist? Let me know with a VERY ANGRY COMMENT in this thread please. 👿

[Daniel-kxsy]

Man it's so nice to see someone giving props to Squarepusher. He's an amazing bassist but people think of him as an electronic musician and he doesn't get the credit he deserves in the bass community.

[ultimatefunktimegroovystan]

That Les Claypool solo was a real force on the early internet. I learned it myself, although I was sloppy as hell

[gmkbass]

I remember as a young musician studying music at school, I had to choose a minor degree, so I chose bass, which I hadn't even touched before. This man got me through my early years of bass playing.

Cheers to bass Bob Ross.

[matigodoy]

1) 0:42 - Jaimiroquai
2) 2:21 - Stevie Wonder
3) 4:04 - Primus
4) 6:52 - Earthquake
5) 9:01 - Michael Jackson
6) 10:39 - Pleasure
7) 12:39 - Marcus Miller
8) 14:20 - Mr Pink
9) 15:53 - Squarepusher
10) 17:28 - Victor Wooten

[setaylw]

Thank you so much for referencing the original bass lines and artist who did them. This is often overlooked by teachers and people that post on YouTube. I knew all of the songs in the original form when they came out except for one. You have my respect sir!

[trentgrigsby]

i started playing bass last March. the Beginner to Badass course was probably the best money i could’ve invested in myself. it got me playing quickly. after spending many hours upfront practicing, i played my first church gig 1 month later and people thought I had been playing for years. Thank you Josh for the amazing course !

[reizig]

YES! Jamiroquai! I was so excited when you started playing that bassline. Virtual Insanity was the big hit from that time, but Alright was the one that really stuck in my head.

[rlbink]

THANK YOU for including Mark King. Level 42 are amazing to listen for bassline construction, feeding off keyboards and just all round party awesomeness!

[dbregman]

Thank you for paying homage to the modern greats and older legends. I took a slap bass lab at Berklee, and while Marcus Miller, Larry Graham, and brothers Johnson etc were revered, newer players like Flea and Les Claypool were completely overlooked as slap bassists which bothered me because they are who inspired me to start playing bass and learning slap in the first place! That being said it was a great experience and I was lucky enough to meet Victor Wooten and take a bass lab with him, which was hugely beneficial.

Anyways I appreciate seeing new and old influences given their respect, you da man Josh.

Btw I wish I could hear you play the rest of the Awakening where it gets extra fast lol. That song is super difficult for me and I’ve been practicing it on and off for over a year

[RonJomero]

The song that played during your "When I was a lad..." immediately bugged me because I know I'd heard it before. Took a couple minutes, but then it hit me. Well done, Waker of the Wind. Well done.

[xenocore]

The first song selection made me so happy, Havent listened to that album in such a long time. time to put my guitar away and put the bass in the stand!! Thank you for this video!

[KZ_Suntorn]

Come on my selector (and Squarepusher in general) is probably one of the bigger reasons I've wanted to get into playing bass throughout the years. It's sick to see him get some recognition from the channel that finally convinced me to buy one and start practicing.
Being a huge DnB/IDM nerd, alongside a lot of the bands featured here frequently, it's awesome to see those worlds collide, lol.

[andrewpappas]

I basically got into slapping from Flea and Les Claypool and I’ll occasionally throw it in some of my own songs when I feel it’s needed, definitely a lot of fun to do but needs a hell of a lot of concentration

[Dragon_Eskrima]

Some of my favourites on your list there, started my bass journey in the late 80's, really great to see classic mark king on your list too, massive inspiration for me growing up, ironically I didn't live far from the squarepusher, he was and always will be one of the most influential and phenomenal musicians out there, used to watch him play my favourite tracks on an old ibanez roadstar two bass and just be in awe, sitting opposite and asking him to teach me how to play it, such a legend and its a real privilege to see he's done well, cool channel, great getting back in to the bass again, and your one hell of a player yourself. Keep up the great work

[andyhinds]

I will say this again: you are one of the best and most entertaining bass tutors on the internet. Not only do I learn a lot but I have a great laugh as well.

[salted_pork]

clicked faster than flea playing get up and jump

[abacadaniel]

“Higher Ground” was one of the first slap bass lines I learned when I picked up bass and all, I love Flea and he’s one of my biggest inspirations along with Marcus Miller, Mark King and Louis Johnson and many others. 👌😌

[ssdtrain]

Mark King is a killer bassist.
very underrated for years..

[Hahahorde]

Your videos made me bring my bass to a guitar doctor and pick it back up again after 17 years of not playing. I'll be forever grateful.