Slap bass technique Graham pioneered the slapping technique on the electric bass (he refers to it as "thumpin' and pluckin'"), in part to provide percussive and rhythmic elements to the bass line when his mother decided to no longer have a drummer in her band. This style couples a percussive thumb-slapping of the lower strings with an aggressive finger-snap of the higher strings, the slap of the thumb used to emulate a bass drum and the pop of the index or middle finger a snare drum. The slap-and-pop technique also uses a lot of muted or "dead" notes, which adds to the rhythmic effect. Radically expanding the tonal palette of the bass, the style has become the archetype of modern funk.
Slap bass technique Graham pioneered the slapping technique on the electric bass (he refers to it as "thumpin' and pluckin'") in part to provide percussive and rhythmic elements to the bass line when his mother decided to no longer have a drummer in her band This style couples a percussive thumb-slapping of the lower strings with an aggressive finger-snap of the higher strings the slap of the thumb used to emulate a bass drum and the pop of the index or middle finger a snare drum The slap-and-pop technique also uses a lot of muted or "dead" notes which adds to the rhythmic effect Radically expanding the tonal palette of the bass the style has become the archetype of modern funk