slap bass
A percussive bass technique using thumb strikes and finger pops on the strings.
In Depth
Developed by Larry Graham in the late 1960s with Sly and the Family Stone, slap bass revolutionised funk, disco, and later pop music. The thumb slaps the lower strings against the fretboard while the index or middle finger pops the higher strings by pulling and releasing them. This creates a sharp, percussive attack that turns the bass into both a rhythmic and melodic instrument.
Larry Graham invented slap bass accidentally while trying to replicate a drum machine's sound when Sly Stone's drummer failed to show up for a gig.