Slap and pop
Slap and pop is a percussive bass guitar technique that utilises two separate actions of the "strumming" hand. The slap technique involves hitting the string from above, forcing it against the Fretboard of the bass momentarily, producing a brief puchy note. The string can be hit with any part of the hand, but is most commonly hit with the knuckle of the thumb.
The pop action is the reverse of a slap, where the string is pulled with any of the four fingers and released to give a similar effect. The pop technique is commonly called "Plucking".
The unique sound of the Slap and Pop technique comes from the string hitting the fretboard with high force, and gives a much more Percussive sound than regular fingering of notes with the strumming hand.
There are numerous variants of the Slap and Pop technique, which extend the basic actions by including other percussive strumming techniques, such as adding hammered notes, and repeating slap and pop patterns to effectively produce the equivalent of a drumroll on your bass (see Victor Wooten).
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