Slap bass has come a long way since Larry Graham first championed the style in the 1970s. Graham has said that he was simply trying to create a drum-like sound to flesh out the rhythm in the then drummerless Family Stone.
In the hands of the bass players you’re about to read about, it has truly become a worthy addition to the electric bassist’s technical arsenal.
From Larry Graham (the godfather of ‘thumpin’ and plucking’) to Flea’s furious slaps and pops with the Red Hot Chili Peppers and, of course, the phenomenal Victor Wooten, be sure to listen to all of the players mentioned in this list – there is a lot to be learned from each of them.
Oh, and don’t forget to also check out our guide to the 20 best bass solos of all time, too.
20. Throwback – Ida Nielsen (Bassist: Ida Nielsen, 2016)
As a member of Prince’s NPG and power rock trio 3RDEYEGIRL, Ida Nielsen’s old-school funk meets new-school soul style undoubtedly pays homage to the purple one.
In the months following Prince’s passing, Nielsen returned to her native Denmark to finish recording her solo album. Throwback is a fine example of her aggressively precise slap technique.
19. Emergency on Planet Earth – Jamiroquai (Bassist: Stuart Zender, 1993)
Stuart Zender made an audacious statement with this killer bassline from Jamiroquai’s first album. Although quite simplistic in structure, there’s nothing simple about the groove and feel.
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Funkier and funkier with every turn, Zender brought his slap bass chops together with a sense of restraint that he became an expert at employing throughout his tenure with Jamiroquai.
18. If That’s Your Boyfriend (He Wasn’t Last Night) – Meshell N’dgeocello (Bassist: Meshell N’dgeocello, 1993)
Loaded with crisp energy, the deep-pocket slap groove holding down this uncompromising hip-hop/funk anthem just will not stop. Slides, fills and ghost notes make it impossible to pin down.
There’s little harmonic variation, but N’dgeocello’s percussive bass technique creates a feel all of its own.
17. Lopsy Lu – Stanley Clarke (Bassist: Stanley Clarke, 1974)
Featuring razor-sharp pops, huge string bends and his usual disregard for convention, Stanley Clarke threw everything into the mix with Lopsy Lu and changed the face of slap bass playing in doing so.
It remains a reminder to all of us that no matter how much we think we know, there’s always more to learn…
16. D-Code – Alain Caron (Bassist: Alain Caron, 1997)
D-Code sees Alain Caron taking care of business with a percolating funk groove that’s played with an immaculately even technique.
Caron mutes the lower strings with his right palm and anchors his little finger against the body of his bass guitar in what Bruce Lee would have called economy of motion.
15. Thriller – Dirty Loops & Cory Wong (Bassist: Henrik Linder, 2021)
Henrik Linder was a student at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm when Dirty Loops first broke the Internet with their fusion covers of pop hits. His virtuoso slap, pluck and chordal style is both anchor and color for the Swedish group’s unique sound.
Here, he delivers a state-of-the-art slap bassline alongside guest guitarist Cory Wong.
14. Stone Jam – Slave (Bassist: Mark Adams, 1980)
Over the course of five Slave albums released between 1977 and 1980, Mark “The Hanselor” Adams perfected a distinct approach to slap bass. But if you could get just one Slave album, make it 1980’s Stone Jam.
Adams lets loose on the title track with a monster slap groove in F# minor. Fast-forward past the epic guitar solo to hear him go for broke in the last minute.
13. Take the Power Back – Rage Against the Machine (Bassist: Tim Commerford, 1991)
Slap bass and rock music – always a touchy subject, and while Tom Morello’s innovative guitar work and old-school shred combine to great effect on this landmark RATM track, it’s Tim Commerford who sets the groove from the start, slapping and popping his way through the lead riff.
12. Love Games – Level 42 (Bassist: Mark King, 1981)
Level 42’s Mark King stands shoulder to shoulder with the all-time greats on the slap summit. Need proof? Check out his trademark ‘chugging’ slap rhythm for this classic Level 42 line.
Note the left-hand pats throughout, a key in King’s machine-gun style, especially on triplets.
11. Stomp! – The Brothers Johnson (Bassist: Louis Johnson, 1980)
Stomp! clocked in at 6:20 on the Brothers Johnson Light Up the Night LP, with over two minutes shaved off for radio. But both versions had a most pleasantly surprising centerpiece: a slap bass solo.
Louis “Thunder Thumbs” Johnson’s ability to throw all kinds of slapping, tapping slides and chording into the mix makes it a true one-off. Musically adventurous and funky to a tee.
10. Endless – Toby Petersen-Stewart (Bassists: Toby Petersen-Stewart and Jacob Umansky, 2023)
Toby Peterson-Stewart’s 2023 solo release, Endless, sees him trade licks with six-string bass mastermind Jacob Umansky.
“It started with a two-riff idea that I sent to Jacob on Instagram,” he told Bass Player. “He added another riff and before you knew it, we had a song.”
If you can play along with the blistering picking-slap-hybrid licks, you’ve arrived as a bass player.
9. Run for Cover – David Sanborn (Bassist: Marcus Miller, 1981)
Once dubbed the “thumbslinger” for his cutting edge slap-style, Marcus Miller was just 18 or 19 when he recorded Run for Cover.
The acute sense of time and feel evident in his muscular bassline, combined with the signature tone of his Jazz Bass is unmistakable.
For a slap-bass workout, you need look no further.
8. Tommy the Cat – Primus (Bassist: Les Claypool, 1991)
Tommy the Cat is probably the best way to hear Les Claypool doing his thing. He slaps, taps, and strums his Carl Thompson bass to produce a frenetic whack-fest with a strong, slightly swinging 16th-note groove.
Break it down and you’ll come up with a combination of chord strums, ghost notes, palm slaps and pops. The difficulty comes when you try to play it at the same speed as Les Claypool does.
7. Higher Ground – Red Hot Chili Peppers (Bassist: Flea, 1989)
Higher Ground, the first single from the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ fourth studio album Mother’s Milk, created air bassists out of all of us.
With Flea’s slap bass replacing the clavinet of the original Stevie Wonder hit, it’s a perfect entry point to playing alternating groups of slaps and pops; also note the ghosted and muted notes, which add to the part’s percussiveness.
5. Glide – Pleasure (Bassist: Nate Philips, 1979)
Glide, the Top 10 R&B single from Pleasure’s 1979 album Future Now, sports some of the finest bass work of the era. Using a double-stop slide to connect two impossibly funky licks, bassist Nate Philips drives the track with his formidable slap-and-pop technique.
“Everybody asks how I got that tone,” Philips told Bass Player. “I used my ’70 Fender Jazz, which has a maple fingerboard with block inlays. I remember putting a fresh set of Rotosound roundwounds on right before doing that take.”
6: Slapocalypse – Charles Berthoud X Giacomo Turra (Bassist: Charles Berthoud, 2024)
Another gem from YouTube star Charles Berthoud, this bassline is one of his funkiest.
Everything on this song clicks: his slap skills are totally in the pocket and guitarist Giacomo Turra’s angular funk makes it impossible to stand still.
An object lesson for anyone interested in the inner workings of slap bass.
4. Hair – Graham Central Station (Bassist: Larry Graham, 1974)
Having invented slap bass with Sly and the Family Stone, it’s no overstatement to say that Larry Graham impacted the bass world with as much force as Jimi Hendrix did with the electric guitar.
Hair is pretty much based around an E7 chord, with the frequent use of a b3rd, but check out Graham’s phrasing and how he plucks a high note on the onbeat instead of the offbeat. He really was a one-man rhythm section.
3. Forget Me Nots – Patrice Rushen (Bassist: Freddie Washington, 1982)
Yes, it’s the Men in Black song. Forget Me Nots revolves around the eight-bar bass hook “Ready” Freddie Washington lays down at the top of the tune. His incredibly catchy popped line will not leave your brain once you’ve heard it.
“That bassline is the whole song,” Washington told Bass Player. “If I had switched to a different line in one of the choruses or on the ride-out, I wouldn’t have been playing Forget Me Nots anymore!”
Washington played his ’72 Fender Precision Bass with new roundwound strings. He plugged direct into an API console and added some dbx 160 compression.
2: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – Sly and the Family Stone (Bassist: Larry Graham, 1969)
This classic Larry Graham bassline kicks off with a simple slap and pop riff that brings his blend of funk and R&B to the table in no uncertain fashion.
After a few minutes of this, you’ll be dying to play it yourself – and it’s simple enough that you’ll probably nail it, too. But will you have as much funk in you as Larry?
1. U Can’t Hold No Groove (If You Ain’t Got No Pocket) – Victor Wooten (Bassist: Victor Wooten, 1996)
A decade before YouTube made extravagant bass parts available to everyone, you had to buy a CD and figure out what was going on – and we all attempted to do just that with Victor Wooten’s debut solo album, A Show Of Hands.
This opening cut set out his stall with a mixture of strummed chords, melodic runs and percussive slap techniques.
The tone, the energy and the sheer enthusiasm of a young Wooten, perhaps the greatest bassist of his generation, shine through.
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