Open String Hammer-Ons
In this course we'll be looking at the open string hammer-on technique. This versatile technique has been popularised by bassists such as Marcus Miller, Stuart Hamm and most notably, Victor Wooten, who has put it to good use on tracks such as the Béla Fleck and the Flecktones classic ‘The Sinister Minister’ as well as ‘A Show of Hands’ and ‘Classical Thump’ from his solo album A Show of Hands. It’s a technique that can open up the bass in many ways since it can be used to play more harmonically complex material than is usually performed with standard slap and pop technique. Although a technique should never dictate your note choices, you’ll find that this one really is ideal for playing fast, arpeggiated passages that just wouldn't be playable with slapped and popped notes alone.
1 – INTRODUCTION
In this video we’ll be talking about the many possibilities offered by the open string hammer-on technique. We’ll also take a look at how Victor Wooten uses one of the variations on the technique to play blindingly fast triplet figures based on power chords.
2 – EXERCISE #2
In this exercise we’ll be using the most common variation of the technique: open-hammer-pop. We’ll be putting this technique to use by playing through a descending series of second inversion arpeggios in the key of E minor.
3 – EXERCISE #3
This exercise uses the same technique as Exercise 2, this time to play descending root position arpeggios in the key of C major.
4 – EXERCISE #4
In this exercise we’ll be using the open-hammer-pop technique in the context of a groove. This line is based on power chord figures and is a great illustration of the many possibilities the technique offers.
5 – EXERCISE #5
In this exercise we’ll be using the open-hammer-pop technique to play a funk groove over an E minor tonality. Most of this line is based on a straight sixteenth note rhythm, but there are also some sixteenth note triplet figures in the fourth bar.
6 – EXERCISE #6
This exercise again uses sixteenth note triplet figures, but hopefully by now you’ll have discovered that these are a lot easier to perform than they might sound! In between these figures, a groove is played using more conventional slap techniques.
7 – EXERCISE #7
This exercise features groupings of three sixteenth notes - an open A, a note hammered-on on the A-string, followed by a popped open G. Again, some sixteenth note triplets are played in the fourth bar.
8 – ADDING ANOTHER HAMMER-ON
In this video we will examine the technique of following the open string with TWO hammer-ons. This will open up further possibilities.
9 – EXERCISE #9
In this exercise we’ll be using the technique to play through a line based on descending seventh chords in the key of C major.
10 – EXERCISE #10
In this exercise the second hammer-on note is the same pitch as the open string note that is popped after it. This simple slap and pop technique can be used to play fast sixteenth note passages utilising open strings, and has often been used by Stuart Hamm.
11 – EXERCISE #11
This is a very fast exercise, with a lot of notes flying by! However, because two hammer-ons are being used, the slapping and popping performed by the picking hand is very simple.
12 – FURTHER VARIATIONS
In this video we will look at another variation on the open string hammer-on technique. This is a variation that Victor Wooten used during his solo piece ‘Classical Thump’.
13 – EXERCISE #13
In this exercise we’ll be using the new variation on the open string hammer-on technique to play a descending series of seventh chords in the key of D major.
14 – EXERCISE #14
In this exercise we’ll be incorporating the technique into a funk groove in E minor.
15 – EXERCISE #15
This is a very complex exercise that uses several different combinations of all of the techniques we’ve covered in this course.
16 – EXERCISE #16
This is a much slower exercise where the open hammer technique has been used to outline a chord progression, much as a guitar player might. This is a technique that Stuart Hamm used on ‘The Tenacity of Genes and Dreams,’ from his Outbound album.
17 – EXERCISE #17
This exercise features a lot of the techniques that have been covered in this course, including double hammer-ons and double pops.
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