Uploaded June 2016 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago

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BECOME A PATRON: patreon.com/joshfossgreen
FREE PDF FOR THIS LESSON: joshfossgreen.com/flea-style-slap-riff
HOW TO SLAP: youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMIGBQ8tBb8nWFa2fbZ83dm8HW7dYA-YH

In this lesson we’re gonna have some fun and learn a slap riff I wrote “in the style of” Flea. It borrows some rhythmic patterns and right hand slap patterns commonly used by Flea, applied to a simple diatonic i-VI-iv-VII progression in the key of G minor.

Like all of Flea’s actual slap parts, this line doesn’t use any fancy double thumping or double popping, just slaps, pops, and hammerons.

Once you have the line under your fingers, you can experiment with note length to get a significantly different sound out of it. Try playing the notes very staccato (short) and let the low notes die when you pop the high notes, and then for contrast try keeping both notes fretted when doing the quick thump-pop patterns. Cool, huh?

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