Slap bass tabs
Slaps Bass For Beginners
Bass Lessons
Hey I wrote this tab to help people who are learning slaps bass.
I did really right this
I wrote it again because my other good account and all my tabs
got deleted somehow.
I changed a few things and added a few more exercises in. I did
NOT copy this
from a book its just set up like one. Play the first bar twice then
the second
twice. Feel free to play around with the timing
Slaps bass is using your right thumb (if left handed then left) to
'slap' the strings. To slap use your right thumb to hit the string.
Try and do this close
to the fretboard. Twist your wrist and release the thumb after
contact with the string.
This is one of the methods used to play slap bass. Do not hit
the string with force, it will only make background noises and wont
have a clear sound. Make sure that your slapping is accurate
and firm.
Slapping is represented with an 'S' or a 'T'
Exercise 1
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——————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|—0———————0———————0———————0————
0———————0———————0———————0—————|——————————————————————————————
S S S S S S S S
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 2
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——————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|—0———————0———————0———0———0———0
0———————0———————0———0———0———0—|——————————————————————————————
S S S S S S S S S S S S
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Ghost notes or dampened notes are notes that have no distinguishable
pitch
and are shown with an 'x' This is rythm techique or is used to stop
a note
from ringing. You place your left fingers lightly over the string.
This should not produce any ringing sound. Be careful not to
hammer—on
either. These are muted (not palm muted)
Exercise 3
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——————————————————————————————|——————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|—0———————0————————————————————
0———————0———————x———x———x———x—|—————————————————x———x———x———x
S S S S S S S S S S S S
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 4 (with sixteenth notes)
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————————————————————————————————|————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————|—0———x———0———x———0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0
0———x———0———x———0—0—0—0—0—0—0—0—|————————————————————————————————
S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S S
1 + 2 + 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 + 2 + 3 e + a 4 e + a
Popping is a techinque used in slap bass. Using your index or
middle finger pull
the string you are popping then release it. The string should
snap back.
Slapping and popping should be done in one movement. The popping
should
sound clear and loud and in time. Popping is shown with a 'P'
Exercise 5
——————————————————————————————|—————————2———————————2———————2
————————2———————————2———————2—|——————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|—0———0———————0———0———————0————
0———0———————0———0———————0—————|——————————————————————————————
S S P S S P S P S S P S S P S P
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 6
————————————————————————————————|—————2—————2—————2———2—————2———2—
————2—————2—————2———2—————2———2—|—————————————————————————————————
————————————————————————————————|—0—0———0—0———0—0———0———0—0———0———
0—0———0—0———0—0———0———0—0———0———|—————————————————————————————————
S S P S S P S S P S P S S P S P S S P S S P S S P S P S S P S P
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a
Hammer—Ons are notes that you dont pick. You use your right hand
fingers to strike the
note. Pull—Offs are the same only they are in reverse. Hammers
are shown with a 'H' or
h then the note. Pull—Offs are shown with a 'PO' or p then the note
Exercise 7
——————————————————————————————|——————————5—h—7———————————7—p—5—
————————5—h—7———————————7—p—5—|————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|——7———7———————————7———7—————————
7———7———————————7———7—————————|————————————————————————————————
S S P S S P S S P S S P
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 8
————————————————————————————5h7——|————————————————5h7———————————————
————————————————————————5h7——————|—————————————————————5h7——————————
7———7———7———7———————5h7——————————|—7———7———7———7———————————5h7——————
————————————————5h7——————————————|—————————————————————————————5h7——
S S S S S S P P S S S S P P S S
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + e a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + e a
Double Stops are popping two strings at once. Use your index
and middle fingers
to pop them. They are shown with a 'P' or a 'p' Slides are also used.
To slide
Hold your finger and 'slide' Your fingers stay in contact with
the strings
until you have reached the note. Slides are shown with an "https://www.bigbasstabs.com/"
or an ''
Exercise 9
————————————————————————7—/—9—|—————7———5———————————————7—/—9———
————7———5———————————————5—/—7—|—————————————7———5———7———5—/—7———
————————————7———5———7—————————|—5———————————————————————————————
5—————————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————
S P P S S S P P S P P S S S P P
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
The following are some random exercises
Exercise 10
——————————————————————————————|——————————5—h—7———————————7—p—5——
————————5—h—7———————————7—p—5—|—————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|——7———7———————————7———7——————————
7———7———————————7———7—————————|—————————————————————————————————
S S P S S P S S P S S P
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 11
——————————————————————————————|——————2———————3———————4———————5——
————2———————3———————4———————5—|—————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|——0———————1———————2———————3——————
0———————1———————2———————3—————|—————————————————————————————————
S P S P S P S P S P S P S P S P
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 12
————————————————2—————————————|——————————————————2——————————————
————————2—h—4———————4———2—h—4—|——————————4—p—2———————4———4—p—2——
0———0—————————————————————————|——0———0——————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————
S S S P S S S S S P S S
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
Exercise 13
——————————————————————————————————|——————5h7—————————5h7————————————
——————5h7—————————5h7—————————————|5———7———————5———7—————7—7—7—x—x—x
5———7———————5———7—————7—7—7—x—x—x—|—————————————————————————————————
——————————————————————————————————|—————————————————————————————————
S S P S S P S S S S S S S S P S S P S S S S S S
1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + e a 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + e a
Slap Bass Tabs: A Beginner’s Guide
Welcome to our beginner’s guide to playing slap bass! This tutorial will provide you with easy to follow tabs and all the information you need to get started with playing this unique style of bass.
The Basics of Slap Bass
Slap bass is a playing technique used primarily in funk, soul, and rock music. It involves using the thumb and fingers of your picking hand to create a percussive, rhythmic sound on the strings. This style of playing adds a lot of character and energy to a bassline and is a great way to add a new dimension to your playing.
Before we get started with the tabs, let’s go over some basic terminology and techniques you’ll need to know:
- Slap: The act of hitting the string with your thumb.
- Pop: The act of plucking the string with your fingers.
- Hammer-on: Fretting a note by tapping your finger down on the string, rather than using your picking hand.
- Pull-off: Fretting a note by pulling your finger off the string, rather than using your picking hand.
Now that we have the terminology down, let’s move on to some basic tab exercises.
Basic Slap Bass Tabs
The following tabs are simple examples to get you started with slap bass. For these exercises, we’ll be using the fingerings Slap = S and Pop = P. The numbers above the tab represent the fret number to be played:
Exercise One: E Blues Scale
G |----------------------------------| D |----------------------------------| A |-7-S-5-P---7-S-5-P---7-S-6-P-5-P---| E |----------------------------------|
In this exercise, we’ll be playing the E Blues Scale. Alternate between slapping the first note and popping the second note for a punchy bluesy feel.
Exercise Two: C Major Scale
G |----------------------| D |----------------------| A |-3-S-1-P---3-S-1-P-0-P-| E |----------------------|
This exercise uses the C Major Scale. Again, alternate between slapping and popping the notes to create a bouncy, upbeat feel.
Advanced Slap Bass Tabs
Once you’ve mastered the basics, you can start exploring more complex and intricate slap basslines. The following are examples of some advanced slap bass tabs:
Red Hot Chili Peppers – “Higher Ground”
G |-------------------------12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-12-10-9-7--| D |--------------------10-10----------------------------------------------------| A |-------------7-7-8-8-----------------------------------------------------------| E |-0-0-0-0-8-8------------------------------------------------------------------|
This iconic bassline from the Red Hot Chili Peppers is a great example of using slap bass to create a funky and catchy rhythm. Note the use of muted notes and hammer-ons in this tab.
Marcus Miller – “Run for Cover”
G |-------------------------------------------------------------| D |------------7-5-3----------------------7-5-3-----------------| A |------3-3-6-------6-3-3----------------6-------6-3-3-------| E |-3-3-6--------------------6-3-3-3-3-6---------------6-3-1--|
This bassline by Marcus Miller is a great example of slap bass in a jazz funk context. Note the use of slides, pops, and muted notes in this tab.
Conclusion: Keep Practicing!
Playing slap bass can be challenging at first, but with practice and perseverance, you will get the hang of it. Always make sure to warm up and stretch before practicing, and take breaks often to avoid injury. With the right techniques and techniques, you can create some truly unique and impressive basslines that will take your playing to the next level.