AWESOME Thumb Trick to Play Slap Bass in ALL KEYS! 

Here's a cool thumb trick I learned from Louis Johnson that can help you when playing slap bass in different keys other than E. Want to learn more ==> thebasswizard.com/slap-bass-mastery-course

It's played mostly in E because it's E-z

Louis Johnson introduced that technique years ago. But new and younger players may not know of this. Good job player!

I've seen a lot of folks mention the "default key for slap bass is E" thing but, for me, it's actually Gm. I also like Dm a lot. But not a fan of open strings at all when slapping. No clue why. Of course, I played bass for over 30 years before I attempted slap and I would never consider myself very strong in the style, so that might have a lot to do with it. --- As always, great video. Thanks.

I’m not a “slapper” but it’s interesting to learn this kind of tricks. Keep on the good job. Thank you for sharing !!! 👍👍👍

I was 50 percent sure you were gonna bring up the Louis Johnson trick . Very nice !

I slap in any key major or minor, it's called practice slapping in DIFFERENT keys, regardless of how many strings you play, I go back and forth with my 4, 5, and 6 string

Slap bass in the key of E is like playing the piano in the key of C. All easy white keys.

I do the same with the B string on a five string bass. You hit the nail on the head with the open note. E or B seem to be the main root of any scale while plucking, and it still sounds cool. PHAT!! Pretty Hot And Tempting. LOL

Excellent! One word, "awesomeness"!

wohhh...!!!! never thought this lesson ever excisted.I am amazed.

Masterfully demonstrated. 5 & 6 string variations, actually, have opened an intricate, broader, and less boring bassification.

Great video. Thanks...your playing style is very cool too.

BIG HELP Marc! This video helped my slapping tremendously. I'm still struggling though with unwanted string noise. Any tips on cleaning up my sound? Thanks for all your help.

You are a great guy love your advice and knowledge.

RIP Louis Johnson always slapping with the thumb over technique

You’re an amazing bass player man.

Major shouts to "Thunder Thumbs". Gone but not forgotten.

great sound🙏😍

Really good lesson

Happy Memorial Day. Your advice is very beneficial so keep doing your thing

F sharp minor slap pretty sweet

Very good, I love Louis too.

amazing lesson, I've learned alot in few moments

Thanks👍🎶

All this said,...to each his or her own...style! I think you should have mentioned tho’...hand size!...some of these techniques are easily adapted by the relevance of the size of one’s hand thus,..that technique develops. Some are more effective & efficient by the “bar fingerings” and some with the thumb use. Bottom line is you need to PRACTICE to see what works for you! This is WHY we see and hear of famous various types of Bassist! Funk & Rock everyone!...🤘🏽🎶🎸

Yes that's a great trick and yes I already use that trick

Thank you

Very helpful thank you

Sounds good Marc , nice trick with the thumb '

Thanks you for video so much...excellent..!👍👍👍👏

thank you❤❤❤❤❤

People play in E because thats what the guitar is tuned to... Which happens to be somewhat influenced by the way our brain interprets frequencies. Most folks really start to drop off lower then D or C Unless you've got some awesome low end pick ups or amplifiers. The other than ng that's really nice about playing on a higher route note is that you get access to runs that go below your route note which is always sexy af.

Thanks for sharing✌

Very cool video. But it would be great if he would’ve explained all the other notes in the lick,, slowly.

Just bought a bass and slapping is a bit hard to do. Maybe the action is too high. What should be the string action?

Because in E we have with that bass open E, like you say, really fat and cool sounding, the lowest note we have on a 4 string. Also all of the other open strings are chord tones for E minor and A is the 11th or 4th, enabling us to gain quite a lot with those open strings sounding combined with the other notes on the fretboard. You can do it also to some extent with the key of A and have a pretty low open bass string. The other open strings are the 5th, 4th and m7th and you'd still have that open E to use in the A key. If you have a 5 string you have the 4th, m7th, m3rd, and m6th and a aeolian sonority just with those open strings... and with a 6string you get that extra C, giving you the m3rd of A, m6th of E etc... but i agree with you; this basic knowledge of how open strings relate is capital, to understand how and why these keys are used more and how to move on to more distant keys. Cheers and very cool vid.

I started to laugh very hard in the first minute. Yes the key of E! Now I'll watch the rest of the video

Awesome, thanks!

That’s clever! thanks

176 thumbs down? I suggest that those 176 whoever they are (probably aliens?) use those "thumbs"down to slap their bass, and show us if they can do better? Keep up the great work my man!

i love what you are saying

There's one thing to be done about the difference in the sound of the open string. I've got meself a Yamaha BB1024x, and it has a nickel silver nut, so the open strings sounds fretted. Kinda strange to get used to after 20 years with bone, plastic and graffite nuts :-)

Would it be possible to show how to tune the amp for crisp tone like youre rockin?

I tried both methods and I preferred the barre method, the one you disapproved of. I can play more cleanly and solidly if I don't use that wraparound method.

Cool! Thank you for the tip young Nuno of the bass! I say that because in this video you kinda favor a young Nuno Bettencourt.

These reasons are true but they are consequences of the real reason. You chose to play in the key of E ("key of E" does not talk about mode, so it can be major or minor modes) beucase of the tonal atraction of the E note; you want to rest on E and having it as the lowest note brings a sense of tension release and "resting". Having it sounding while other notes are being played, or before or after, highlights that note, and it being the tonic is a really really important matter for this. The lowest note in a harmonic path guides the harmony, the ear perceives all the notes in relation of that lower note. When a composer is chosing a tonality - in tonal music; serialistic music, the field of my studies, are quite a different matter, but even in that context the low E would play a big role most of the times - he choses the tonality based on the instruments range; it is not a matter of "color". With tempered instrumentation there are no different colors for different tonalities; people may talk about synestesic stuff, but that is never taken in consideration, the instrumentation is the most important part, and chosing the key accordingly is important in order to get the most out of the instruments. In the case of the electric bass, having the tension being released in that note is very significant, and after that all the possibilities, as listed in this video, come into play. It is not about the sound of the low E itself, but the sound of the low E along the other notes of the instrument, hence the key choice.

Parabens... Slap bass love my... Denis, brasil.... Show theat

Q;What is so attractive about playing slap-bass in the key of E? A: I've always thought that slap-bass in the key of E was just the default, by nature of the 4 string standard bass tuning,(A 440) and by it being the key of the lowest string, the most percussive and easiest to strike with the thumb. In other words, the lowest of the 4 strings just happens to be in the key of E, if tuned standard, and not necessarily because of it's tonal qualities, or any inclination or preference to write music that key.

You could always use a MIDI bass and do the "Seinfeld" thing and get that groovy sound on all open and fretted notes.

nice man.. i like it..

Ummm there is Coolidge gadget call a capo they work on bass too open string in any key

Because it sounds so good, when you slap that open E

Dude! You look a lot like Danny Rexon, lead singer of Crazy Lixx!

That's good

you played bass with mitchel musso?

Hello Marcelo, wanted to ask wht brand of strings you use, Amo and if you use effect pedals. By the way I like your videos.

What about 5 strings? How do you do that?

Hi there, thanks for always sharing usefull tips & tricks. I'm notecing that your string action is really low, can you please tell me how low (hopefully in millimeters) :) ? Do you use different string actions when playing slap or fingerstyle? Do you hear your strings buzzing while playing, if so, can you hear that via the speakers foh? Hopefully you'll find some time to answer my questions, or perhaps feel inspired to create a nee video :) Greetings from the Netherlands!

Hey! Which Fender JazzBass are you using?

Can I ask you what kind of compressor is this on your bass?

What’s your bass rig set up?

How to slap on any key? Just learn those key! ! I also know that all the slappers knows why we like to play E key!! The first trick….we already knows when we saw Louis Johnson !

When wrapping your thumb around the fretboard, what if you're using a 5 string bass and are trying to get to the low E string?

yeah that's a Louis Johnson trick

top tip

THANK YOU FOR DROPPING THOSE PEARLS ON US ............. I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR NEXT REVEAL

what kind of strings do you use on that marcus miller bass?

What Bass Effects do you used in this video?

It’s easier to use the open E for the slap effect

This is the only reason why I sometimes want a 4 stringer. Doing the thumb thing on the E string across the B string is a real PITA, sometimes not even viable.

Cool trick but my hand is not big enough to place thumb and use fingers at the same time.

nice

And what about slapping in a 5 string bass ? no matter what, is much more difficult to do, beacause you have also problem or resonance of other strigs. it's a nightmare to learn how to properly slap in 5 string. ( not considering the 6 strings)

I always play in E flat !

What strings?

Slapping is a technique?

is it practicing

What model J is that?

Nope. Never heard of defaulting to E before. And since when did the bass ever determine the key a song is played in?

Is that the Marcus Miller signature bass??? 🤔😱😱😱

One reason: Because the e string its the most easy string to play with slap or any other technique

I'm a bass player but I'm always wondering why is it that my bass won't make that same exact sound you make when you slap. My bass still has that full bass sound even when I'm slapping and popping it hardly, Is it on my strings or what? My bass doesn't sound funky no matter what I do. If you're familiar with the bss part of the song Santeria , thats the kind of sound my bass produces even when slapping. I'm using Yamaha bass

that was a *VERY* long explanation to get to the part where you show what Louis Johnson have been doing fo Years (RIP)

1:02 I bet that's because we root our basslines around slapping open E string UPD: Basically I was right

That compression though

Very cool. You've grown a lomg way, Bassist.

So obvious, but try it with 5 string :3

when you are trying hard to improve, there is always a band member or two to criticise on your style..to the extent they slowly back off and avoid playing wif you...these type of person(s) are no worthy than a can of garbage

How can any bass player not know why so many bassists slap in E? Obviously using an open string frees up your left hand. It’s the same reason so many rock songs pedal off E (or A). This is basic stuff.

I think a capo would solve the problem.

What if you play stand up bass 🤔😂

(absolutely beginner)When I slap the strings hit the frets. Is it ok?

Mr. 'BW' Hey, I liked your video i.e., you....your presentation, etc. Don't worry, I'm not looking '4' a date! I'm '66', began plyin' @ '12', & was working every weekend in a '5' piece act, before '13' yr. of age...Started $2.50 a gig up to $7.00 -$8.00 buck. '3' pieces, sax drummer, front man, were '17, '18' '19', guitar at Wurlitzer piano player ( didn't call keyboards ) also pre Fender Rhodes. When near '15' & still '14, I stopped playin'. Then picked up the Bass after Military service when '22'... Played Jammed, got a job in music company, went to college to take a Music Theory course... Became indoctrinated as " Classical Music Major. Analyzed Johann Bach , became Theory Composition Major, studying '4'part writing as well. Also an applied Classical Bass Major. Played dinner theater as House Bass Player, with DC national guard....lots of gigs. Once played in a Band that played so well we, played the MD School for the Deaf. lol true story. All to mostly become an Itinerant Saloon Minstrel, working '6' night a week, '50' weeks a year. Had a lot of fun... The whole Point is, I think that makes me qualified to say your GOOD, and I think a pretty Great Teacher! Dennis O

Intenté poner los subtítulos en español, pero no puedo...💔

Slapping in E is just sexy lmao no other way to put it. You can make good use of all the open strings, not just the E string. That includes the low B on a 5 string. Also the left thumb technique is not great at all on a 5er. We just have to learn our keys the old fashion way

Wrong* you can simply use a capo to play slap with open strings in other keys

How about on a 5 string? :'(

Basically because its an open string

This is the first time I ever heard someone say G# instead of saying Ab