Slap Bass In 6 Weeks - Week 2

Welcome to Week 2 of the "Slap Bass In 6 Weeks" course, a comprehensive guide designed to escalate your bass guitar prowess through focused and advanced techniques. This week, we delve deeper into the realm of slap bass, introducing you to essential techniques that will enrich your musical vocabulary and enhance your ability to express yourself through the bass guitar. This course is taught by Phil Williams.

Bass Lesson Overview

Introduction of Pops and Pulls

Pops and pulls are pivotal in creating the rhythmic punch and melodic flair characteristic of slap bass. By learning how to effectively pop the strings with your fingers and pull them to create a resonant sound, you unlock new dimensions of groove and dynamics in your playing. Mastering these techniques not only adds a percussive element to your bass lines but also elevates your ability to articulate notes with precision and flair.

Dead Note Pulls and Ghost Notes

The introduction of dead note pulls and ghost notes breathes life into your bass lines, offering a way to infuse subtle rhythmic complexity and texture. These techniques are all about control and timing, allowing you to punctuate your grooves with muted tones that add depth without overwhelming the harmonic content. Mastering these can significantly improve your groove and feel, making your bass lines more compelling and expressive.

Hammer Ons and Pull Offs

Hammer ons and pulled hammer ons introduce a legato aspect to slap bass, allowing for smoother transitions between notes and adding a fluid, vocal quality to your playing. These techniques, crucial for playing faster lines without losing the slap tone, enhance your ability to execute quick, seamless phrases, thus broadening your expressive capabilities on the bass guitar.

Technique Builders: 8 Bar Exercises

The course includes dedicated 8 bar exercises designed as technique builders to solidify your grasp on the introduced concepts. These exercises are crafted to challenge your proficiency, encouraging you to integrate pops, pulls, ghost notes, and hammer ons into cohesive, musical phrases. They serve as both a test and a reinforcement of the techniques, ensuring that you not only understand them theoretically but can also apply them practically in a musical context.

The Machine Gun Triplet

A highlight of Week 2 is "The Machine Gun Triplet," a technique that synthesizes your newfound skills into a rapid-fire execution of triplets, creating an impressively percussive effect. This technique is a true testament to your control and agility on the bass, offering a dynamic and rhythmically intense addition to your repertoire.

Benefits to the Viewer

By diving into Week 2 of "Slap Bass In 6 Weeks," you stand to gain:

• Enhanced rhythmic and melodic expression through advanced slap bass techniques.
• Improved precision and agility, allowing for more complex and dynamic bass lines.
• A deeper understanding of how to add texture and rhythm to your playing without sacrificing melodic content.
• The ability to incorporate a broader range of sounds and styles into your bass playing, making you a more versatile and sought-after musician.

Guitar Techniques Used in All Lessons

Below is a list of techniques explored throughout the course. For those covered in Week 2, detailed instruction is provided to ensure your mastery and ability to incorporate them into your playing.

• Hammer Ons
• Pull Offs

This week's lessons are a step towards mastering the art of slap bass. With dedication and practice, you'll not only grasp these advanced techniques but also integrate them into your unique musical expression, elevating your bass playing to new heights.