I’ve been browsing RU-vid in search for some good Bass playing tutorials and I made a full stop at this channel hosted by Johnny Long.What a fucking score !thank you Mr. Long. I’m hooked. This man is authentic.
Man I like you. I can play bass but my technique is still at the beginner level. I love looking at your videos because you have such a positive attitude. Thank you.
THANK YOU For Clarifying the Tech, Being an Old School Funkster since 1974, we Never Called it Slap Bass, Slap is Actually Slapping the strings with an Open Hand Using the Fingers.
I've been wondering I wanted to learn to play a bass....this video right here answered my question....I will be purchasing a bass...and I will be watching alot of you vuds. Thanks for some amazing content
Anthony Jackson & Nathan East truly made me want to take bass more serious. Im originally a rock guy so I was way into Phil Lynott of Thin Lizzy and Dug Pinnick (Kings X) but there's so much on bass to learn and using my fingers more often and now getting into the thumb/slap technique. Going down the rabbit hole of Larry/Bernard Edwards /L. Johnson//Marcus Miller/Wooten. I've always liked Flea too.
Johnny , with this one video you have taught me way more about slap/thump than another dude that I can't understand because of his accent , that I payed for!
That bass is a Japanese copy that originally came with smaller, cheaper tuning pegs which have been upgraded to cloverleaf Fender style. The pickups are (I believe) mini humbuckings, and the body is made out of plywood. Notice how the black paint of the sunburst is farther into the body where the arm contour is. This is to hide the layers of the plywood, which would show through the red and yellow stained clear coat. The plywood body makes the bass heavy. When I was in my Freshman year in high school (1975-76) I had an Orlando bass that was identical to yours except that it was 100% original. The company that made these basses branded them with many different names for various distributors, Angelica, Orlando, Electra, Degas etc. but they were all nearly identical. I sold my Orlando when I was 15 to buy a Mosrite bass. A couple of years ago I finally found one on Craigslist and snapped it up. Heavy as a pig, but I just love it!
This is the best video I have seen to help learn how to thump and pluck. Thank you! Could you do another one for beginners that incorporates the plucking part to go with it?
Like your thumping and plucking, have an G and L bass jazz tribute,, thump and pluck with three fingers I, m an conga and timbales player, too like what u said about drumming on bass when I play my bass always have in mind the drums, hand claps on the one, percussions every instrument I play always start on the one count
The slap and pop style was created by Larry Ghram who created it by accident as the band he was playing in did not have a drummer. To compensate for that loss he developed the pop and slap technique to mimic the percussive sounds a drum kit would make.
I already know how to slap really well, and the way you explained the basis to it, using that pattern really helped me understand how to build a stronger rhythm and pattern to any riff, I think too much how they go together, when it should come in layers
Johnny, waaay back when, I went to a club here in LA and while there I went outside to smoke and a guy pulled up with a bass in a laundry bag- it was Anthony Jackson with a prototype 6 string tuned to A with a 36 in. scale. Weirdly enough about 3 months later I recorded part of an album- I did one side and Anthony was on the other! (Webster Lewis Touch My Love) RIP Webster, he was from my hometown Baltimore, but I met him out in LA.
I remember reading an interview with Anthony Jackson where he called slap the 'ketchup of the bass world' but my heroes at the time were Flea and Marcus Miller.
Slap sounds bad sometimes when someone is doing it just for the sake of displaying the technique. If, however, it serves a musical purpose it can be really great.
I love your posts/videos Johnny. Can you show us more about thumping? How to make the transition to more complicated stuff... How do you use inversions when improvising? Keep up the good work!
I would love really love for you to upload more theory based content. Maybe like a simple way to memorize notes through geometry patterns. If u need to open a patreon to make it happen I'm sure alot of ppl will pay. Just food for thought bassmaster
Mister Drucker U r so right reading wise...but I talking to beginners who look down not upwards...but I can't thank u enough for your comments and coming to my site...yeah I love it
johnny long all the inspiration and positive feedback might just be enough for me to get a bass guitar.....👍👍👍👍 keep bringing the good vibes and funky thumping beats for us to try to learn......👍👍👍👍
FWIW the Music Man Sting Ray was largely *developed* to slap on, with help from Louis Johnson. Even the Sterling budget line can get you there. Ernie Ball makes the Music Man basses now; they're not quite like the original but they are still quite nice - in fact, if I ever go the 5-string route or if I want to do fretless again, I'll be giving their offerings a look just because they're good, solid, "working" basses.
This is great! Very informative, Is the D note on the 'A' string called a hammer-on? Any chance of doing a drum machine 'how to'? I have one and don't know how to get started.
Just got my first bass. Dont know nothing. I'm dumb as a post. I grew up listening to Motown. Jazz & blues. Bass jumps out at me when I listen. That's why I got a bass. Gonna watch all your videos to learn. You dam funny too my brother! 👍🤣
This is the genesis of your intro?! 😱 I had just asked about thumping and lo, it came to me! Funny thing that I've learned by just starting bass, my kickstand pinky doesn't want to rest on the body of the guitar at all... UNUSUAL because I usually leave it there to play guitar for most things. When I finally sorted out that I wasn't thumping hard enough, I gave her the beans and soon realized that I HAD to pluck on the way back up to keep my rhythm. However, just thinking about thumping and then plucking was hard. 🤔 It came natural to thump and then pluck to thump again. I got that rhythm down and brass tacks after that. I will say, I feel violated by my Ibanez Talman TMB 105 bass... My ribs are sore from digging that bass into my chest and hunkering down to sort this technique out. I'm not at your 4:47 though! That might be a while, best grab a cup of coffee and wait for me to join you at over 150 BPM!
Hey Johnny all that is good but the thing i learned is that if your AMP is not up to pare and the sound is flat you can thump and pluck till the cows come home it just wont sound right. so please say something about the amp set up or what kind of amp to buy.
Mr Shadakaka Long, dig your style man! I’ve just begun trying to slap but I can’t seem to get the right tone. I’m sure right hand technique plays a major part but can you talk a little more about equipment, setup, and amp settings? Can all basses be thumped assuming correct technique? If my bass isn’t setup up optimally (it’s brand new with factory setup, less than year old) could that be the cause? Do I want more action or less off of the frets? Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge!
Stephen Kims ...Shada ka ka...every bass can be thumped..yet a good set up makes the concept so much better...get your bass set up and play on...bass on
There was actually one track that Anthony Jackson slapped and popped on I believe it was Chaka Khan’s early years but I may be mistaken that was the only track he popped on and that’s when he said he did not like it and never did it again if somebody could find it please share the link
I have been playing for over 30 years and I have never been drawn to thumb and pluck style. As a matter of fact, I can kill it on almost everything else but I ABSOLUTELY SUCK at using my thumb.
When I first started slap & pop/ thump & pluck I'd have better luck slappin myself, practice makes perfect, just gotta keep at it is all. And its okay to make mistakes..
Mr. Long, i love your video's..... One ? Could you educate the electric bassist out there, and let them know electric bassist ( Thump , and Upright bassist SLAP!!! )
Thomas Till ...sounds close...lol.....check it out.....the great white bat was..(Shakaka) or,chicago,shawshankredemption...funny stuff..lol But I'm Shada....ka,ka...lol
