Bill Bark Bones wrote:Was it strange adjusting to the 6 in regards to slap?
For me, coming almost exclusively from being a 4 string player, I had to alter my playing style to employ a floating thumb technique, (i.e. moving your thumb up and down a string to anchor it vs. the typical style of keeping your thumb anchored on your pickup or above the E string only and reaching across 4 strings to pluck them). Employing the floating thumb helps you keep track of what string(s) you're on and keeps your fretting hand positions comfortable and minimal vs. having to stretch across 6 strings.
Note: if you prefer the much narrower 6 string styles of a Fender VI or Schecter Hellcat VI, for example, you could keep your thumb fixed above or on the E string and reach across comfortably, but these basses are much harder to slap on, IMO, because the string spacing is so narrow. I owned a Schecter Hellcat VI for a while (since sold it), and I did not use the floating thumb technique on that bass. In the end, there's no right or wrong answer, since it all depends on your playing style and your ability to adapt to an instrument as needed.
