Theory
For two days you learned the hammer-on (going up) and the pull-off (coming down) separately. Today you weave the two into one and attach melody to the slap. The stage is the E minor pentatonic — the five notes where funk licks live.
E minor pentatonic is the five notes E · G · A · B · D. In degrees, R · b3 · 4 · 5 · b7. On the bass they sit neatly at open E (4th string), G (4th string, 3rd fret), open A (3rd string), B (3rd string, 2nd fret), and open D (2nd string). Moving only between open strings and the 3rd/2nd frets, it's a spot just right for slap.
Today's short lick, over these five notes, slaps with the thumb, goes up with a hammer-on, adds color with a pop, and comes down with a pull-off. Within one measure, the hammer-on and the pull-off appear once each. Slowly at BPM 75, focus on whether the attached notes (hammer, pull-off) are as clear as the struck notes. The pentatonic is the lick's map. Play only within these five notes and a funky sound comes out on its own. Without worrying about straying, lay on hammers and pull-offs freely and sing.
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 once comfortable, imagine an extension starting on the low B. Once this short lick flows today, tomorrow you'll refine it to complete the pentatonic slap lick. Today is the last warm-up on the way to that finish. It's not hard, so enjoy it and let your hand learn it. First stamp the five notes onto the fretboard.
▶ 4-string. The five notes sit neatly on the open strings (E·A·D) and the 3rd/2nd frets (G·B). Today's lick is all within this form.
▶ 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 place yesterday's hammer-on and pull-off onto the E minor pentatonic. First run the five notes with a walk to settle them into your hand, then repeat the short lick. Each example comes in both a 4-string and a 5-string version.
First, the pentatonic walk. Run up and down the five notes with the thumb (D with a pop), letting the hand learn each note's spot in advance.
▶ BPM 70, 4-string. Up as R-b3-4-5-b7, then retrace back down. Let the hand memorize the five notes' spots.
▶ 5-string. The notes and spots are the same as on a 4-string. Keep the low B deadened with the thumb.
Now the short lick. Slap with the thumb, go up with a hammer-on, add color with a pop, then land on the root with a pull-off. One measure holds everything you've learned.
▶ BPM 75, 4-string. E→G hammer-on, A→B hammer-on, D pop, fill the gap with a ghost, then land with a G→E pull-off.
▶ 5-string. The notes and the move are the same as on a 4-string. Once comfortable, imagine an extension starting on the low B.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up Flow yesterday's pull-off lightly at BPM 60 to wake the hand. Today, set your ear to the five pentatonic notes.
10–20 min · Brain training Run the short lick very slowly as below, carving into your hand the spots of the two hammer-ons and the one pull-off.
▶ BPM 60, 4-string. Very slowly. Check that the hammer-ons (E→G, A→B) and the pull-off (G→E) are as clear as the struck notes.
▶ 5-string. The notes and the move 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 the short lick at BPM 75. If the attached notes smear, drop the tempo and revive the hammer and pull-off into clarity first. Learn it on the 4-string, then confirm the same lick on the 5-string.
40–50 min · Record/feedback Record 30 seconds and listen for whether the hammer and pull-off are as clear as the struck notes. Note today's stable BPM too.
Done when: you can play a short lick weaving hammer-on, pop, and pull-off over the E minor pentatonic smoothly at BPM 75.
Nudge today's short lick up to BPM 85 and check that the attached notes stay alive even as it speeds up.
▶ BPM 85, 4-string. Check that the hammer and pull-off stay clearly alive even as it speeds up a little.
▶ 5-string. The notes and the move are the same as on a 4-string. Always keep the low B deadened with the thumb.
- The notes disconnect. When slap and legato play apart, the lick stutters. Connect it in one flow and roll it smoothly.
- Only the hammer/pull-off gets quiet. Force gathers on the struck notes (thumb, pop) easily. Sound the attached notes at an even size too.
- The pop pokes out. If only the D pop is too strong, the lick gets bumpy. Trim the pop to the same size as the other notes.
- Neglecting low B (5-string). Absorbed in the lick, B rings easily. Always keep B covered with the side of the thumb.