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Slap Basics With Doug Johns: Diggin’ In
Meet Doug Johns
I get a lot of questions while on the road or during clinics. But one of the most common questions is about how I get that “pop” sound out of the right hand without really plucking the string. I’m going to do my best here to explain how I do it. This is by NO means the “right” way – just a way – only a variation or technique to put in your toolbox.
I refer to the sound or technique as digging in. Now, I must say that as I practice more and more, I realize how too much digging in can really mess up the sound of something. Yet, when used appropriately, it can be a nasty, funky cool thing.
Video is really gonna save my butt here, as it can explain a technique far better than I can do with only words. But here’s the synopsis:
To me, there are 2 areas on the body side of the bass that I primarily focus my right hand around: 1) over the bridge pickup, and 2) over the neck pickup. I’ve played mostly a PJ set-up my whole life; so, to me, these are the 2 natural areas for the right hand to anchor from.
Back by the bridge pickup seems to be the best place for me when it comes to precise, articulate fingering with the right hand. For a rounder, fatter sound, moving up towards the neck pickup works well, but the string can be a little more uncontrollable. Hitting the strings, especially over the neck pickup, is a balancing act of digging in just enough to get that snap – but not so much snap that you lose control of the string.
Controlling the string in this technique is almost impossible without some sort of anchor point for the right hand (for us right-handed players). Having that anchor – if it’s the pickup itself or the string or even a ramp/thumb rest – frees up your fingers to focus control over your selected string.
I’ve experimented with ramps over the years, and I’m seeing that they’ve become more common – and I think that’s a good thing. When digging in on a string, a ramp can help keep your right-hand fingers from sinking too deep towards the body of the bass. It lets you take control of the string, which is crucial.
You can check out the examples and exercises in the video.
They’re designed to help you control that spongy, erratic area of the string. And since we’re talking so much about strings, I’ll just mention that the one that feels taut enough for an attack and spongy enough for the funk is the right string for you. Whichever string that might be.
But there’s more to it than just the mechanics. There has to be energy and musicality behind it. I think the power or diggin in I do with my right hand comes from being naturally inclined toward literally feeling the drumbeat in my hand. Most of the time, I can feel the beat in my right hand as if it’s a kick and snare. So, I’ll do exercises with my right hand to mimic a drumstick, a kick drum, hi hat or whatever.
So go ahead and give it a try. Get diggin in on that bass and see if you dig it. A reminder from the start of this article: it IS possible to use this technique too much and at the wrong times. Look for what makes sense in the tune, and use the right tool for the right job.
Now get out there and jam with somebody!
Thanks, Doug
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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