Too many slappers, too few musicians!

[YamahaGuy]

On slapping -- not a fan.

As others have noted, artistry and musicianship is relative.

Question: is "tapping" i.e. super high gain lead channel with some hit pickups, and tapping the strings to simultaneously fret and attack the desired tone/note on electric guitar the electric equivalent of slapping an acoustic?

If so, I bet the responses would differ somewhat.

[Bear Davis]

I like it when its done well. If there is more percussion than guitar playing I likely won't be into it.

That being said I sometimes toss in some percussion into my playing. Adding percussion to an already advanced piece does not make it easier. Quite the opposite.

[hifivic]

All Michael Hedges wannabees!

[rollypolly]

To me it’s an impressive thing that might circulate on YouTube that you can send your buddies but will I ever sit around and say hmm, I think I’d like to listen to some slap acoustic. Nah , never.

[rgregg48]

It's all that Aussies fault!






Question: if it wasn't for Chet Atkins
Where would Tommy Emmanuel
Be?

Answer: in Australia!

[tbeltrans]

When I first saw the title of this thread, I felt that there was something odd about it. Just now, I realized what it is.

In England, the term "slapper" has a very different meaning than what is intended in the subject of this thread. If the American equivalent slang was used, I am sure the moderators would have closed the thread down by now. I guess I am getting slow at mentally placing these things in my old age.

Back to the subject of the thread...

I have seen differentiation in this thread between outright slapping the guitar and those little rhythmic taps on the strings. Those little rhythmic taps on the strings become bothersome after a while because to me, they sound like scratches on a vinyl album, for those who remember them when we were younger and that is all there was to listen to other than the radio:

Da da da do SNICK da do dum da dum SNICK, etc.

Tony

[sinistral]

Originally Posted by hifivic

All Michael Hedges wannabees!

People used their guitars as percussive instruments before Michael Hedges, but he definitely took it to another level.

Someone in the audience should have shouted out to the amateur on the left that his constant tapping of the guitar was distracting, and that he should trim his strings. Sheesh.



Not sure where any of you were when Friday Night in San Francisco was released, but I think I listened to this song 100 time in a row in disbelief that it was just two guitars. Oh, to have seen the concert live. Who needed John McLaughlin?!?

[Mark Stone]

Originally Posted by Pizzanetor

Hi guys, this thread was born with a deliberately provocative intent, just to discuss a bit the topic.

Am I the only one who has noticed that recently on the internet there are literally thousands of videos of guitarists slapping their guitars, rather than fingerpicking/strumming/other conventional techniques?

For sure, everyone is free to do what they want with their instruments and express themselves the way they want, but is it possible that we are losing the traditional way of playing and also that guitars are being used more and more often as high-end bongos?

Also, I find this technique really boring, as well as literally incompatible with other instruments.
Furthermore, it seems to me that this technique hides several shortcomings both on a practical and theoretical level.

Opinions?

Without reading the other responses, I would say that it's just a matter of taste. Some people love that style; others don't. No one is required to listen to music they don't like.

[JohnW63]

BushLeague,

Nice selection. In that setting being percussive is needed and fits the song well, but once it it not needed, the guitarist gets back to playing. I may think about figuring that bit out. My instructor plays a 6 string bass and does plenty of solos. Holding up the groove is needed during his melodic departures.

I think one other thing that the slapper-tappers do that loses my interest quickly is that all the sound is the same level in volume. There is no "feel" being put into the music. No swells of volume. No movement in the mood. Like a xylophone with guitar like noises.

[Corndog]

Originally Posted by sinistral

People used their guitars as percussive instruments before Michael Hedges, but he definitely took it to another level.

Someone in the audience should have shouted out to the amateur on the left that his constant tapping of the guitar was distracting, and that he should trim his strings. Sheesh.





Not sure where any of you were when Friday Night in San Francisco was released, but I think I listened to this song 100 time in a row in disbelief that it was just two guitars. Oh, to have seen the concert live. Who needed John McLaughlin?!?

I saw Paco, Al, and John together in LA sometime around 1980/81. Humbling.

[usb_chord]

Here's a slapper and a musician!

[hubcapsc]

I stumbled onto this Mike Dawes guy that Mr. Moustache posted about
on a Rick Beato youtube video... "worlds greatest acoustic guitarist?"...

I don't know about all that slapping and stuff, but some people are just
amazing. Unfathomable.

-Mike "1, 4, 5"

[srbell]

Originally Posted by YamahaGuy

On slapping -- not a fan.

As others have noted, artistry and musicianship is relative.

Question: is "tapping" i.e. super high gain lead channel with some hit pickups, and tapping the strings to simultaneously fret and attack the desired tone/note on electric guitar the electric equivalent of slapping an acoustic?

If so, I bet the responses would differ somewhat.

I'm not a fan of overly percussive acoustic playing either, but do appreciate the difficulty of the technique.

Regarding "tapping" on electric, I think that's a completely different thing. At least for me, I hear the high-gain electric with tapping as smooth, legato runs or arpegios - pretty much the opposite end of the spectrum from the acoustic percussive style as far as sound goes. They do both have one thing in common though, and that's is some interesting right-hand technique.

[Marty C]

Sometimes the tools used can be overdone, just like percussive playing... and looping. I often see guys that use loopers that take 30 minutes to build a 2 minute song. They sound good, but lost me 25 minutes ago.

[ewalling]

As a wooden box, the guitar has great potential as a percussive as well as a sonic instrument. I wish I knew how to exploit that style to good effect.