Slapping (music)
Slapping and popping are ways to produce percussive sounds on a stringed instrument. They are primarily used on the double bass or bass guitar. Slapping on bass guitar involves using the edge of one's knuckle, where it is particularly bony, to quickly strike the string against the fretboard. On bass guitars, this is commonly done with the thumb, while on double bass, the edge of the hand or index finger may be used. Popping refers to pulling the string away from the fretboard and quickly releasing it so it snaps back against the fretboard. On bass guitar, the two techniques are commonly used together in alternation, though either may be used separately.
Not to be confused with Drum stroke.Double bass[edit]
On the double bass, the technique was developed by jazz bands in New Orleans in the early 1900s, and later spread to other genres, including western swing, rockabilly, and other offshoots of those styles.
Slapping is a technique also adopted by acoustic and electric fingerstyle guitarists.[1]
On double bass, the earliest players of this technique in American music include Bill Johnson (1872–1972), Theodore "Steve" Brown (1890–1965),[2] Wellman Braud (1891–1966), and Pops Foster (1892–1969).[2]