This month will be all about the slap!

Your monthly REC take will be to master this lesson :
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Larry_Graham_Style/

All assignments will be revolving around the techniques needed to play that lesson. You should also start working on it right now and hopefully by the end of month you will be able to play it well.

Weekly assignment 1:

Slap bass exercise 1

Lessons to practice:

Slap Bass Exercises 1: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...bass-exercises/

Goal : To master different slap patterns and be able to play them against a drum backing.

Purpose : Practice your slap bass technique and get new slap patterns under your belt.

Instructions :

I want you to learn all the patterns included in the lesson. Practice them slowly with a metronome/drum backing or Guitar Pro file included. It is important to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. I want you to slap and pluck a little harder (then in previous slap videos you posted). Try to attack strings with more force in order to get proper sound. Slap bass is an aggressive technique, don't worry strings will be able to withstand it. You want to be aware of your dynamic range possible when slapping.

Requirements :

Post updates on your practice daily if possible, describing what have you done. I want you to post the recording audio or preferably video of your performance of the patterns from the lesson played against a drum backing at the tempo you are comfortable with. For that recording I want you to record on a tempo you are comfortable with , if its 50-60 or 80 bpm doesn't matter. Its better to play clean and right then sloppy on a faster tempo. Just notify me which tempo backing track you need for recording and I'll send it to you.

Deadline to complete: 8th of November

Good luck and remember to post your questions and progress!

How do you feel about the assignment, especially the monthly REC take ? Do you think you can do it, as we can discuss to switch the monthly REC take for some other slap lesson if the one I recommended is too long/complicated etc.
I think you will be able to record that lesson pretty well after we go through all the exercises during next weeks.

Let's do it!

Cool , that is the right spirit! Let me know which bpm backing do you need for current assignment!

I'm going on vacation for a few days. I hope to have a video up for you on Monday.

Excellent! I just want to inform you that I won't be able to post new assignments until you post your "homework", for upcomming weeks. But Monday sounds fine to me! We have to do lots of work this month though, so lets try to be more efficient at it - 4 assignments + REC is planned. If you finish an assignment early I can post a new one for you earlier.

Cheers and have a great time on vacation!

Here's week 1. Exercises 1, 2, 3, 4 & 6 are recorded at 110 BPM. Exercises are at 80 BPM.

I had a really hard time getting the double slap to come through on the recordings, so I slowed it down to 80 BPM.

Weekly assignment 2:

Thumping practice 1

Lessons to practice:

Thumping practice 1: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/thumping_practice_1/

Goal : To master different thumping patterns and be able to play them against a drum backing.

Purpose : Practice your slap bass technique and get comfortable with different thumping patterns.

Instructions :

I want you to learn all the patterns included in the lesson. Practice them slowly with a metronome/drum backing or Guitar Pro file included. It is important to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. I want you to slap and pluck a little harder (then in previous slap videos you posted). Try to attack strings with more force in order to get proper sound. Slap bass is an aggressive technique, don't worry strings will be able to withstand it. You want to be aware of your dynamic range possible when slapping.

Requirements :

Post updates on your practice daily if possible, describing what have you done. I want you to post the recording audio or preferably video of your performance of the patterns from the lesson played against a drum backing at the tempo you are comfortable with. For that recording I want you to record on a tempo you are comfortable with , if its 50-60 or 80 bpm doesn't matter. Its better to play clean and right then sloppy on a faster tempo. Just notify me which tempo backing track you need for recording and I'll send it to you.

Deadline to complete: 16th of November

Good luck and remember to post your questions and progress!

P.S.

I was thinking a bit and I think we should change the monthly REC take for you. Since Larry Graham lesson is very long (2 parts) and has lots of techniques and changes maybe it would be better to do it some other time as I'm not sure we are going to have enough time to practice all the techniques needed for it.

With your agreement I would switch the monthly REC take to this lesson instead the Larry one:

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...ble-stops-slap/

How do you feel about it ? Its a groovy lesson that is demanding on double stops slap technique. I think you can master it perfectly after you go through all the exercises etc.



Great to hear you are practicing!

I would suggest that you practice more these exercises at slow tempo. Start from 60bpm. Pay attention to slap technique but also to timing and grooves. You control the duration of the note with the left hand. By fretting and then releasing "force" on that particular finger will choke the sound and mute the note - control note values that way. In these exercises we had lots of different note values combined together in a tricky way. Try to listen more closely and to match the drums. With slap one thing is for sure, you have to start slow - when I learn a new pattern I always start with 60 bpm and then go up by 10bpm to desired tempo. I would also suggest hitting the strings a little harder next time (this was good progress in relation to previous slap work you done).

This week we are going to focus on the thumping technique alone. I would like you to record those exercises too, try to do them on a more comfortable tempo as this time 110bpm was a little to high after all, even 80bpm is fast.

Keep up the good work mate!

The change in the monthly video is fine with me. I'll eventually tackle it and post a video to the REC program though. I've already learned more than half. No reason to stop now.

Thanks.

That is great! Then I'll let you decide which one of the two lessons - to record for monthly REC take due the end of the month.

Keep up the good work mate!

Let's go with the double stops lesson for the Nov. MTP video.

Things have calmed down for me, so I should be able to get this week's lesson up by Sunday.

Great, I'm looking forward to your submissions!

This should be a fun slap month of mtp!

I'm "auditioning" as a bass player tonight. It for a band I used to play guitar in 15+ years ago. We'll see how it goes.

That is great news! I wish you luck tonight! Let me know how it goes.

Can you post a backing track for the thumping lesson? A slow one would be nice.

Click to view attachment
Click to view attachment

Here are the backing tracks! Use whichever one suits you tempo wise...

Cheers,
Bogdan

My 80 BPM take...

Very good work! I liked how you slowed down and recorded on a more comfortable tempo. I think you didn't master that tempo yet but you are there. When practicing focus on timing as you were loosing time in this take and dropping out of groove. Its pretty normal for slap starters to do that, since slapping motion takes time to execute so you need to get used to how much each motion takes time so you can calculate it in when playing and be able to be in sync with the backing. Focus on that. Second focus point should be muting. With slapping it will be mostly left hand muting. Try to mute notes you don't want ringing with your left hand fingers while fretting notes you need. Slapping hand should also hit only the strings you need ringing and avoid others in the motion. You are slapping on a 6 string - its generally harder to do because of string spacing so you are doing great job so far!

I had to slow the tempo down to get those 16th note double slaps to sound right. To me, slowing the tempo down that much made the slow stuff really hard to keep in the groove. This is definitely something I need to work on.

I did record with the six string because I like the tone I could get better, but, you're right, muting those extra strings is work.

This week's lesson really showed me where I need to improve.

Its good to start slowing things down. This take on the lesson was much better then in the previous assignment. Timing was much better and everything. And yes, playing slow isn't easy at all and some fast licks do look easier up the speed or they appear that way. I would like if you could play all exercises you do starting from 60bpm and then going up 10bpm or less when you reach faster tempos. I always start at 60bpm when learning something new or just practicing exercises even though I have experience with slapping. 60 bpm is a nice natural tempo (1 sec = 1 beat) and with just some practice you will learn to listen which is very important. Whether its a metronome or drum backing it won't matter if you practice listening.

Keep practicing these things, I'll post a new assignment in few hours. I think we'll continue with slapping exercises since they good for fast progress.

Weekly assignment 3:

Slap Bass Exercises 2

Lesson to practice:

Slap Bass Exercises 2: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/slap-bass-exercises-2/

Goal : To learn one of more advanced but fundamental slap bass techniques - left hand slap.

Purpose : To get comfortable with left hand slapping technique.

Instructions :

I want you to learn all the patterns included in the lesson. Practice them slowly with a metronome/drum backing or Guitar Pro file included. It is important to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. You can play exercises on your lowest string on bass (if you are playing 6 string), you don't need to play necessarily on the E string. Pay attention to left hand slap, at first it may feel weird but its just a matter of finding the sweet spot when hitting the fretboard. You can hit hard with your left hand and its recommended in order to get a nice sound.

Requirements :

Post updates on your practice daily if possible, describing what have you done. I want you to post the recording audio or preferably video of your performance of the patterns from the lesson played against a drum backing at the tempo you are comfortable with. For that recording I want you to record on a tempo you are comfortable with , if its 50-60 or 80 bpm doesn't matter. Its better to play clean and right then sloppy on a faster tempo. Just notify me which tempo backing track you need for recording and I'll send it to you.

Deadline to complete: 22th of November

Good luck and remember to post your questions and progress!

I worked on this week's lesson yesterday. The four string makes a really weak sound with a left hand slap, but the 6 string makes a better sounding slap noise. Don't know if that's because of the heavier B string or what. Should have a video posted by Sunday evening.

Hmm I haven't tried that technique on 6 string bass, but gennerally you should be able to execute it on all basses. I have tried doing it on acoustic/electric guitar and it works pretty same. I recommend dialing in more mids in the sound and practicing just the left hand slap motion.

Check out this lesson : http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/Start_Slapping_Now/

In video 4 I explain the left hand slap more in depth.

Try hitting the fretboard as hard as you can. It requires pretty nice hit in order to sound good.

Looking forward to the video of your playing!

Let me know if you have any further questions along the way...

Cheers

Can you post the Larry Graham backing track, please?

Click to view attachment

Measures 20 thru 25 are killing me. That weird syncopated bit is hard to get down.

Slow it down and listen carefully. Try to count it down and see how it works out against a metronome. Listening is the key here. You can also listen to how I play it in the main video and play along. Once you "get" the groove its not that hard, but there are some rhythm changes to grasp at first.

I worked on it again today and I've pretty much got it.

Next week is a big holiday in the US. I'll be going out of town for a couple of days. Not sure how much practicing I'll get in.

Great news! Try to work a little more on the weekly assignments, they will help out on executing that lesson easier later on.

p.s. and I'll need the left hand slap exercises lesson recording on Monday so we can work on the last assignment this month!

I'll have the weekly lesson up by Sunday PM (Monday for you).

Slap Bass 2 assignment. No backing track, just raw bass. \m/ \m/

Good to hear you got some practice down. Its a good start , keep working on it more as you want to get those left hand slaps heard clearly and consistent. You need to find a hitting sweet spot and hit hard in order for them to come out - its pretty much a game of trial and error until you get comfortable with the technique. Adding middle frequencies on bass eq will help too. Good job on keep up with assignments!

Weekly assignment 4:

Thumping practice 2

Lessons to practice:

Thumping practice 2: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/ls/thumping_practice_2/

Goal : To master different thumping patterns with dead notes and be able to play them against a drum backing.

Purpose : Practice your slap bass technique and get comfortable with different thumping patterns that incorporate dead notes in a groove.

Instructions :

I want you to learn all the patterns included in the lesson. Practice them slowly with a metronome/drum backing or Guitar Pro file included. It is important to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo. These slap patterns are all about dead notes and there are some 16th notes in so you will need to play them really slow when practicing. Pay attention to muting technique to get all the dead notes out right.

Requirements :

Post updates on your practice daily if possible, describing what have you done. I want you to post the recording audio or preferably video of your performance of the patterns from the lesson played against a drum backing at the tempo you are comfortable with. For that recording I want you to record on a tempo you are comfortable with , if its 50-60 or 80 bpm doesn't matter. Its better to play clean and right then sloppy on a faster tempo. Just notify me which tempo backing track you need for recording and I'll send it to you. As these patterens are demanding, please submit them in appropriate tempo recording.

Deadline to complete: 30th of November

Good luck and remember to post your questions and progress!

You can upload your monthly REC take to the REC board these days. http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...ble-stops-slap/

Keep up the good work!

Worked on this lesson for :30 today. Those 16h note double thumps are the worst.

This whole bass MTP program has been an eye opener for things I need to work on.

Yeah those 16th notes really need lot of work to come out. I advise recording that lesson on a slow tempo of 50-60bpm.

I'm really glad you liked the bass MTP! We have covered a lot of topics in a short amount of time and you did great!

Upload the this last assignment once you practice it enough.

You can also proceed and upload the Double Stops Slap lesson recording to the REC program as you monthly REC take now.

Cheers,
Bogdan

I uploaded the Larry Graham lesson to the REC.

http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=32162

Wow great job man! I have made comments there...
It was a very pleasant surprise for me to see it!

How is this week's thumping practice going?

My holiday plans got canceled, so I'll have plenty of practice time. I don't see any problems with getting it posted by Sunday PM.

I think I'll also work on this lesson, too: http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/misc-less...ss-arrangement/

I had it worked up a while ago, but never posted a video. I'll have to relearn to post it. It will be the first video where I play to parts.

Good idea to cover that lesson! Let me know if you need some help with it.

How is work on the last December assignment going for you?

It's good. Can I get a slow-i backing track? Maybe a faster one, too.

That should say slow-ish.

Here are my comments for assignment 4 you sent me by email (I can't upload anything to the forum right now, I'll add it here later on when its possible).

EDIT: here is the uploaded take : Click to view attachment

Playing was good, you got the hang of the techniques. Tempo was right too. My advice would be to stay on that tempo until you can play everything even and in time with the drum backing. You shouldn't go to a faster tempo if you can't play everything in time with the beat. In all of the exercise takes you had timing issues, so try practicing it a little more. Timing will improve once you get more comfortable with the slapping technique used so don't worry much about it. Just try not to skip to faster tempo if you can't play everything comfortably on the slower one (that is something we all tend to do ).

I want to congratulate you on completing bass MTP course! You have showed great devotion to practice and have improved a lot during these 3 months. Course was a little intensive of course because of its nature but we covered lot of grounds from jazz improvisation,styles, groove to slapping and popping. You should keep working on all the assignments we covered in this course and using comments I posted as guide - get comfortable with all the techniques/topics.

Hope you had a great time in this course as I had mentoring you!

Here is your November MTP summary:

Assignment 1 - completed -
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...st&p=440366
Assignment 2 - completed -
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...st&p=442003
Assignment 3 - completed -
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...st&p=443852
Assignment 4 - completed -
Take uploaded in this latest post.

November MTP REC take - completed:
http://www.guitarmasterclass.net/guitar_fo...showtopic=32148

Congrats man!