Best Slap Bassists
Saidus Salehin Khaled (Sumon), is a bass player, singer, songwriter, composer, music producer from Bangladesh and the vocalist and bassist for the rock band Aurthohin. He is known as "Bassbaba" (Father of Bass) among his fans and audiences for his bass guitar playing. There's none like him as the Boss of Bass Slaps. As a bassist, I tried a lot to cover the same bass tappings of "Guti (the Finale)."
Many other bassists often use bass slaps during concerts or other stage shows. But about Bassbaba, I can say, he plays bass slaps and popping almost 95% of his performance. Every slap of his is perfect. He never hesitates to slap on the bass continuously. It seems no other man will be born in the future who can be a bass master, and of course, Bass Slap Lord!
Michael Peter Balzary (born October 16, 1962), better known by his stage name Flea, is an Australian-born American musician, best known as the bassist, a co-founding member, and one of the composers of the rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers with whom he was inducted in 2012 into the Rock and Roll Hall... read more I think that Flea is the best slap bassist around. His aggressive slapping is killer in Mother's Milk and beautifully melodic in Californication. I personally think he gave the Red Hot Chili Peppers their signature punk funk sound. He totally deserves the Number 1 spot on this list.
Seriously? You can't say that when you think "slap bass," Flea doesn't instantly come to mind.
In my opinion, the best improvisation bassist ever. Legendary at his skill of slapping.
Victor Lemonte Wooten is an American bass player, composer, author, producer, and recipient of five Grammy Awards. No one even comes close to Wooten! No one! Victor can play any style and all equally well. Flea is just a rock speed demon. He doesn't have nearly the same sense of jazz and funk as Wooten. Flea is good, but Wooten is evil good!
Flea and Wooten are on completely different levels. Just look up "Victor's Jam" on YouTube. You will NEVER see Flea play anything even remotely close to what Wooten plays in that clip!
A flawless bass player! Unbelievably tight and on time. Flea is a great bassist. However, he can't match the creativity and technicality of Victor.
Flea himself says he doesn't know musical theory, yet Victor has taken years to study just that! Plus, he has been playing since he was 3 years old!
Leslie Edward "Les" Claypool is an American musician, singer, songwriter, composer, author and actor best known as the bassist and lead vocalist of the band Primus. Les Claypool slaps his bass around like it owes him money for about ten years straight. Listen to "Tommy the Cat," "Dirty Drowning Man," "Lacquer Head," or anything by Primus and you'll understand that Les deserves nothing but the top of the list.
He is the guru. Nothing like before or since. Love all the top 3, but there is only Les in an alternate universe, peeking his head through the curtains with his bass head sticking out and him kicking that one leg out like some prehistoric ostrich!
Les is more, and for the last time, "PRIMUS SUCKS!"
Fieldy is a legend. He's the first nu-metal slap bassist. From my favorite band, KoRn, Fieldy has been in the band forever.
I have to admit, Fieldy is not the best slap bassist of all time, but his sound and technique are just so awesome.
There's nothing in slap he hasn't done or can't do. He may not have invented slap, but he put it on the global stage, brought it to an entirely new level, and inspired a generation of bass players.
Level 42's music was always torn between jazz/funk roots and the pursuit of successful hit singles. This has colored people's perception. He's not going to get the rock vote, and he isn't seen as part of the jazz fraternity. But no one could slap a bass with the speed, rhythm, precision, and melodic fluidity of Mark King when he came out. Many now have caught up and can impersonate his style (some are in this top ten list). You see kids in music stores doing it. But one has to remember the impact he had and how far he elevated the skill of slap.
Tasteful playing with a funky feel. More classy than "showy." Be it slap, fingerstyle, or tapping, he's surely the best!
I've seen a lot of bassists and Marcus is definitely in the top 3, with Wooten and Caron right behind him.
Just listen to Detroit and you'll hear one of the coolest and most intoxicating slap lines. Pure Marcus Miller.
Gary Lee Weinrib, known professionally as Geddy Lee, is a Canadian musician, singer and songwriter best known as the lead vocalist, bassist, and keyboardist for the Canadian rock group Rush. Well, first of all, many of the world's greatest bass players were influenced by Geddy. This list includes Iron Maiden's Steve Harris and Tool's Justin Chancellor.
Secondly, he sings and plays those technical basslines simultaneously, which has always seemed "inhuman" to me.
The live version of Leave That Thing Alone is spot on!
YYZ and Spirit of Radio are two of the greatest bass riff songs on the planet.
Larry Graham influenced all the others on this list, period! He is the reason this category exists in the first place. Who is better than him? What's even crazier is he only started playing the bass because his organ broke. He started playing slap because he thought he was going back to guitar eventually until he met Sly and the Family Stone.
Ask yourself if you would find the following top 10 lists credible:
A Top 10 of Philosophers without Plato
A Top 10 of Modern Physicists without Einstein
A Top 10 of Innovators in Aviation without the Wright Brothers
Tastes may differ, but without Larry Graham in the Top 10, this list will not make any sense.
The Newcomers
One of the best bassists that I really want to copy. His style is a level of magnificence and creativity beyond expression for a bassist. I've been searching for tabs or notation for his songs that he played on bass, but no luck so far. Wow. I mean WOW.
If only he could give some tabs for the song "Rushed Love," that would be great. Gustavo is my inspiration to become a bassist who expresses emotion from the inside. He should be the legendary bassist of all bassists. Come on, people. Put him on top of this list. He deserves it.
Excellent and inspiring slap bassist. He displays such incredible technique and knowledge of music theory. He should definitely be higher on this list. Check out some of his bass videos or some of his music on Spotify and you will see.
The best bassist in the world alive. Sumon is in a band, but Davie alone rocks the whole world. Actually, very few people visit this website and Davie didn't get any votes, neither did Sumon, for the last couple of years.
The G.O.A.T. at slap. Everyone else on this list must ask permission from Davie before they can slap the bass.
Bootsy stands in a class by himself. Not only did he master the technique of cloning pure funk, he smashes atoms while simultaneously delivering a superior element of funk in the rawest of nature. He is the Jimi Hendrix of bass playing!
He has skills, man. Tab, pull, slap, pick. His bassline is easy to find in X's songs.
Sadistic Desire was a great work, and Vanishing Love as well.
In my opinion, he slaps a lot better than Flea.
Yes, once I saw. He is a good slap bassist.
Dudes... Seriously. Check this guy out. Speed, accuracy. He is beyond incredible in my eyes and definitely deserves a top spot. I was a Wooten fanatic until my girlfriend showed me a video of this guy.
Another great slap bassist. I don't know much about him, but he is a bassist from Poland and has amazing slapping technique.
You're asking about "slap" bass technique? He's underrated. A monster!
I've only seen his live bass solos twice, but they were some of the most impactful solos I've seen of any musician, period. This includes solos from some of the greats, Geddy Lee and Mick Fleetwood among them. He blew me away.
Top 10 for sure. Aaron Wills is one of the most underrated bassists today!
The 15-minute bass solos at every show are new every tour. Super underrated.
The man revolutionized the instrument. That is definitely top 10 worthy.
Michael Christopher "Mike" Starr was an American musician, best known as the original bassist in Alice in Chains, which he played with from the band's formation in 1987 until 1993. Just watch the old Alice in Chains and you will see. He's one of the best and I celebrate him for that talent.
Awesome musician. He stomped those boots and slapped that bass into a grunge sound to love.
He slaps his bass and stomps his boots, making great music.
Ue-Chan has taken the fundamentals he learned from Flea and has taken them to a whole new level while adding his own funky personality into the slap style. His riffs are instantly intricate, catchy, and just oozing with personality and character.
Wicked fast slaps and an aggressive tone make him stand out even in a band as crazy as Maximum the Hormone.
Or does he make the band stand out?
Added for obvious reasons. Ue-Chan looked up to Flea and without a doubt, he can be compared to him.
Futoshi Uehara for the win!
What happened to this list? Are you all brainwashed? We're talking about slapping, and here Louis Johnson is at number 22. Are you crazy, people? Louis Johnson can break your faces into pieces with his slapping techniques. He is the most sophisticated bassist in terms of slapping. This list is utterly insulting. Put him up. Either one or two. Not below 3.
That LJ is this far down on the list really renders it null and void. "Thunder Thumbs" is easily in the top 2 or 3 greatest slappers of all time. Most of the voters must not know about him. Seriously, some of the names on this list, while decent bassists and/or slappers, aren't even in his league.
Sunny, you're the best bassist I've ever seen in Barisal.
We, the people of Barisal, are proud of you, Sunny. I'm sure one day you will reach your goal and take Bassbaba's position.
Best wishes.
Ryan is so good. He could play circles around most of the others on the list. Just listen to "Dig" and you'll know why he should be number one. Watch the interview of when he filled in for Fieldy. Different styles, but Ryan's is so much more complex and faster.
Ryan Martinie should be way higher, in the top 5 at least. He is amazing at slap bass and bass in general.
Plays with both class and control. He knows how to maintain a song's dynamic and not let the song fall apart.
Apart from that, his solos are incredible.
Don't know much about this guy, but he can slap.
This guy, the bassist from the Spanish band O'funk'illo, is the king of slap bass!
How the hell could you forget this guy when Fieldy is listed so bloody high? I'm almost shocked.