Playing Octaves for Slap Bass

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Tony Newton from Expert Village. We're talking about slap bass today. We're going to do octaves with the thumb first, and then we'll add the index finger into this. Octaves are very much part of playing slap bass. You hear it on lots of tunes (Plays Music). From the 70s from Disco tunes all the way to now. Larry Grahm. I think Larry Grahm was the first one to do it. Now one way is to do the octaves with just the thumb. (plays music). Okay now we'll play. (Plays music). Now this time what you're doing is, playing hammer on and out. So you are using both hands. The left hand to hold the note down, then popping (pulling out) with the first finger. Practice all the way up and down the neck. All the strings. Now we'll add some other rhythms in here (plays music). Now what we do in this case is bounce off of the bottom string. See, it happens like this (plays music). You can go backwards. You create the rhythms out of you're playing. One thing I like to talk about is that everybody has different genetic advantages, depending on how you're built. Victor Wooden has a short round thumb. My thumb is alot longer so I can't do some of his stuff. His thumb is really rounded which makes it advantagious. Some bass players have long fingers. Whatever physical advantage you have. Use it to your best advantage and you'll go a long way with it."