Theory
It's Week 6! Until last week, slap was rhythm. This week you lay melody on top of it. It starts with the hammer-on. Play one note with the thumb (slap), then strike the next fret hard with a left-hand finger — and a second note rings without striking again. Literally one strike, two notes.
Today's two notes are open E (4th string) and G (4th string, 3rd fret). E is the pentatonic root (R), G is the b3. Slap E "dun" with the thumb, then immediately drive the ring finger down like a hammer onto the 3rd fret. The finger must press right behind the fret precisely, and fast, so the second note is clear. Press slowly and the sound smears mushy.
The knack is not finger force but the decisiveness of the strike. Lift the finger slightly, then drop it aimed just behind the fret with a tap. Start slowly at BPM 75 and focus only on whether the second note G sounds as clear as the first note E. If it's quiet, be more decisive; if it smears, get closer to the fret. This one small left-hand move adds the smoothness of legato to the slap. What was a stiff strike now begins to become a melody that connects note to note.
On a 5-string, the notes and the hand shape are the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B deadened with the thumb, and carve just the hammer-on feel into your hand. Once thumb + hammer, two notes rings clearly today, tomorrow you'll learn its opposite, the pull-off. First mark the hand's home on the fretboard — root E and the b3, G; today's two notes all come from here.
▶ 4-string. Below is open E (thumb), 3rd fret is G (hammer). Today's two notes come from these two spots.
▶ 5-string. The hand shape is the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B deadened with the thumb.
See it
Today you carve one hammer-on into your body. First warm the hand with a thumb pulse, then repeat thumb + hammer, two notes. Each example comes in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.
First, the thumb pulse. Slap open E in even quarter notes to first set the home (downbeat) where the hammer-on will land.
▶ BPM 75, 4-string. The four downbeats are the pillars the hammer-on will land on.
▶ 5-string. The notes are the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B deadened with the thumb.
Now lay a hammer-on on every downbeat. It's thumb + hammer. Slap E with the thumb, then immediately strike G, so one beat yields two notes.
▶ BPM 75, 4-string. From the E slapped by the thumb, the left hand strikes G for two notes at once. The two notes must be even in size.
▶ 5-string. The notes and spots are the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B deadened with the thumb so it doesn't leak.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up Flow last week's 16th thumb lightly at BPM 60 to wake the hand. Today, ready the left hand in the hammer-on posture in advance.
10–20 min · Brain training As below, very slowly, lay the hammer-on G onto the thumb-slapped E. Measure 1 is thumb only, measure 2 is the hammer-on.
▶ BPM 60, 4-string. Measure 1 thumb pulse, measure 2 hammer-on. Check by ear that the second note G is clear.
▶ 5-string. The notes and spots are the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B covered with the side of the thumb.
20–40 min · Real play Repeat thumb + hammer, two notes at BPM 75. If the second note smears, drop the tempo and revive the decisiveness of the hammer first. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm the same two notes on the 5-string.
40–50 min · Record/feedback Record 30 seconds and listen for whether the hammer-on note is as clear as the first note. Note today's stable BPM too.
Done when: you can slap open E with the thumb, add G with a hammer-on, and produce two notes from one strike clearly at BPM 75.
Nudge today's hammer-on up to BPM 85 and check that the second note stays alive even as it speeds up.
▶ BPM 85, 4-string. Check that the hammer-on G stays clearly alive even as it speeds up a little.
▶ 5-string. The notes and spots are the same as on a 4-string. Always keep the low B deadened with the thumb.
- The hammer is weak. Lift the finger slightly, then drop it with a tap aimed just behind the fret. It's speed, not force.
- The first note dies. Fussing over the hammer, the thumb weakens easily. Slap the thumb clearly too to match the size of the two notes.
- Too far from the fret. Pressing far from the fret smears the sound. Aim right behind the fret.
- Neglecting low B (5-string). Absorbed in the hammer, B rings easily. Always keep B covered with the side of the thumb.