My students have often asked me if it is possible to slap on an upright bass. While I usually mention that there is a whole unique style of upright slap prevalent in rockabilly music, I know that they are usually talking about slap a la Flea or Victor Wooten.
I usually point them to this outstanding video of Stanley Clarke performing School Days on the upright bass. This video features Stanley taking an extended solo and also talking a bit about his thoughts on playing the double bass. Great stuff, and a powerful example of the power of YouTube to promote learning and sharing among musicians.
Here’s another clip featuring a more laid-back performance of the same tune with Stanley Clarke on the upright bass. The quality is grainer than the aforementioned video, but the camera get in nice and close to Stanley’s hands. Check out the area that he uses to slap on the upright–very similar in parts to this Charnett Moffett solo that I blogged about over the summer.
Related Posts:
- Charnett Moffett takes ultra-funky upright bass solo
- Djordje Stijepovic performs Atomic Boogie
- Christian McBride – two bass soli
- Ray Brown master class in nine parts
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