Spank bass is a musical performance technique evolving out of the slap and pop or slapping

Slapping

In music, the term slapping is often used to refer to two different playing techniques used on the double bass and on the bass guitar.-Double bass:...

 methods of bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 playing. Spank bass treats the electric bass

Bass guitar

The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....

 as a percussion instrument

Percussion instrument

A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...

, striking the strings above the pickups with an open palmed hand. The term derives from the motion of spanking

Spanking

Spanking refers to the act of striking the buttocks of another person to cause temporary pain without producing physical injury. It generally involves one person striking the buttocks of another person with an open hand. When an open hand is used, spanking is referred to in some countries as...

.

While this method of playing is more visually effective, it lacks the accuracy of slapping. To compensate, the player must fret the note carefully to eliminate other strings from ringing out the primary note. The sound of spank bass combines the thump produced in slapping with the added noise of the hand striking the other muted bass strings.