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The Open-Hammer-Pop Technique

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The open-hammer-pop technique is a combination of three conventional slap bass elements: a slapped open string, a hammer-on, and a popped note. This technique can be used to play some unique slap bass lines and has been popularised by bassists such as Stuart Hamm and Victor Wooten.

The open-hammer-pop technique is typically used in two ways: as a sixteenth note triplet figure, or as part of a group of conventional sixteenth notes. Both approaches will be covered in the following exercises.

If you require additional help with any of the techniques used here, the following courses (all included in the monthly subscription cost) should prove useful:

Don’t forget to hit the Download Resources button above to get the PDF worksheet and audio files for this piece (available to subscribers only). The worksheet is available with TAB and without, for those who wish to give their reading skills a workout.

This course is 24 MINUTES long and contains the following videos, each of which can be selected from the video player above:

Exercise #96

In this exercise the open-hammer-pop technique is used to play sixteenth note triplet figures in the second and fourth bars.

Exercise #97

In this exercise the open-hammer-pop figure is part of an almost continuous sixteenth note line. Stu Hamm used it in this way on ‘The Tenacity of Genes and Dreams’.

Exercise #98

This is a variation on the technique which includes another slapped note between the hammer-on and the popped note. There are also some slapped pull-off figures.

Exercise #99

This up-tempo line uses the open-hammer-pop technique as straight sixteenth notes for simple fills at the end of the second and fourth bars.

Exercise #100

In this exercise the technique is used as sixteenth notes at the beginning of the first three bars. It is then used to play descending sixteenth note triplets in the fourth bar.