Dave's Slapping Technique

rpkuhn2 · Unread post by **rpkuhn2** » Fri May 16, 2003 7:38 am

I did a search on this topic to see if anybody really explained in detail as to how Dave manages to keep the rhythm in certain songs by "slapping." This technique of his is more evident in acoustic showings than with the band. I find that when I try to slap it does the opposite of what it is supposed to do. It disrupts the rhythm of the song. I find that when I try to slap it causes a break in the song, while Dave incorporates it so fluidly. Does anybody have any tips or secrets they know to improving my "slapping?"

Ryan

GreedyLittlePig · Unread post by **GreedyLittlePig** » Fri May 16, 2003 8:02 am

Get a girlfriend....j/k :shock:

rpkuhn2 · Unread post by **rpkuhn2** » Fri May 16, 2003 8:03 am

I already had one and I still suck at it

Jay · Unread post by **Jay** » Fri May 16, 2003 10:31 am

hey what do you say to a girl with one black eye....ok nevermind.

ihopeyoulockedthedoor · Unread post by **ihopeyoulockedthedoor** » Fri May 16, 2003 12:17 pm

if i told you once i told you a thousand times..........

4mbi3nt · Unread post by **4mbi3nt** » Fri May 16, 2003 12:48 pm

do a search for dave's right hand, or right hand, etc...I find lotion helps with the slapping too :wink:

pjsim15 · Unread post by **pjsim15** » Fri May 16, 2003 8:57 pm

It isn't really "slapping", it's more of a picking up your fretting hand fingers while strumming with your other hand. Some guitars are good for the percussive stuff, while some are not. Also, using a thin pick doesn't cut it, try, atleast, a medium. It takes some time to develop the timing to make that "chuck" sound. Just keep working at it.

jsgksu · Unread post by **jsgksu** » Fri May 16, 2003 9:03 pm

Hey pjsim15, you ever make it to Kent, were kinda close and I need someone to jam with next year when school starts back up.

Corona5k1635 · Unread post by **Corona5k1635** » Fri May 16, 2003 11:31 pm

Pjsim15 i'm sorry but thats very very wrong. at least for dave stuff.

repeat: don't listen to that post!! (nothing personal Pjsim)

dave never picks up his fretting hand to mute the strings to slap. i thought that initailly too..but i have tons of videos of his stuff and he never ever picks it up at all.

some songs...(like verses on Ants...OSW..and Too Much) he does "lay" his finger(s) across the stings to rake and get the shicka-shicka sound.

but when he slaps he doesnt lift his fingers (haha like all normal people in the world) what he does its actually "slap" the strings. you can see this incredibly well on his Farmaid 2002 performance. ''''get it off kazaa or some filesharing network''''' during his AATW he's slapping so damn hard if you listen close you can hear just the slaps frign echoing its soo damn loud. liike damn he's become better at if over the years...

its all about control. now how he does it i do know. but i can't be relied upon to say exactly or teach you cause i've just figured this out recently and am still working on it myself. but now that i've encorporated it into almost every song i find i have SO MUCH MORE CONTROL.

so what it is ....is, i believe, is all rooted from palm muting. dave slaps his wrist (not down into the strings as if he were going to punch through into the sound hole) but instead straight down in a way that is closer to parallel to the strings. but yes it is angled down a bit. and he hits the strings right about where you would palm mute--the bridge. watch him play Too Much and Nancies on Farm Aid '02...watch him play Two Step on any of the DVDs...he does it. once you've seen it and realized it you'll see it all over the place.

when he needs to mute during verses he slaps.
when he needs to mute during chorus or other full strum parts he rakes.

verse: lots of right hand specialty
chorus: lots of left hand specialty

i dont know if i was clear enough on the slap itself..if not ask and i'll cut out all the "why and when" parts and just focus on that...

whoa i need to stop typing :shock:

dave 8)

billywestom · Unread post by **billywestom** » Sat May 17, 2003 1:16 am

I'm going to have to disagree with Corona. I think ESPECIALLY during Nancies and Too Much from that show he is lifting his left hand from the frets to slap the strings in between chords. But, he doesn't take his fingers out of position from the chord, just lifts them a little so that the notes don't ring. I am pretty positive about it.

MattyTrane · Unread post by **MattyTrane** » Sat May 17, 2003 1:50 am

Jack Black here is right :roll:

mbgreen · Unread post by **mbgreen** » Sat May 17, 2003 11:22 am

Its really a combo between pjism and corona's posts. Some songs, like nancies, he will lift his left hand a little tiny bit to get the song. But songs where the action is continuous and there are no pauses, such as warehouse, he uses the technique corona talks about. It sort of depends on the structure of the song, but if you try to duplicate everything he does by lifting your left hand and raking, you wont get it. What I do on warehouse, for example, is hit the notes on the top strings and then make a concentrated strike on the bottom two (muted), all in the same strum, to get that slap sound.

Corona5k1635 · Unread post by **Corona5k1635** » Sat May 17, 2003 11:49 am

sounds good to me guys

i'm sure he lifts "sometimes" ..i'm gonna watch it again but i just don't see it

sorry Pj i just didn't see it

dave 8)

pjsim15 · Unread post by **pjsim15** » Sun May 18, 2003 2:20 pm

I have never heard of anybody slapping their wrist on the strings. I think what your "seeing" is dave strumming down hard on the 2 or 4 or what ever number to emphasize the chord.

billywestom · Unread post by **billywestom** » Sun May 18, 2003 2:36 pm

If I were a betting man, I would say there isn't a song that he rests his right hand on the strings...All of his muting comes from his left hand

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Dave's Slapping Technique

Dave's Slapping Technique

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