Just out of general interest. I would imagine that 98% or what I do uses fingers. But every now and then I launch into picking, when playing the bass like a guitar. I particularly find I use the standard bluesy picking technique of flatpick held between thumb and 1st finger and middle,ring and occasionally little finger also used to pluck the strings..

Andy

Frankly, I don't play with a pick because I find it harder to use a pick.

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I have played with a pick in the past - it was almost "de rigeur" in the 80s Joy Divison/New Order period, when everyone wanted to sound like Peter Hook.

Nowadays though, I just wouldn't give up the control and sound-shaping potential of using my fingers. I feel that I can get so much more of my "own" sound, when using my fingers and to give this up, would almost make me feel "naked" and with only one sound to use. Like a painter being told that they can only use one colour or just black & white.

I also feel now that I can get any sound using my fingers, that in the past would have menat I had to use a pick. For example, I used to quite like Jean-Jacques Burnel's sound on the early Stanglers' stuff, but I tried the other day and I can get exactly the same sound, using my fingers and my Roscoe Beck bass - although I know the original was on a Precision with a pick.

So I don't think there's anything that would make me use a pick now. http://talkbass.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

For certain sounds a pick is useful. Like if you're doing a Yes cover.
Otherwise I concider it a tool to use sparingly. Fingers is where your feel is!

Me?

It’s rare that I will pick in public - bass or nose. I do mess around at home with a pick as I imagine that someday it will come in handy. I like the distorted Stranglers (JJB) sound as well as the pick next to the bridge all clean and high/mid sounding or even that tic tac sound from the countrypolitan sounds of the sixties. I don’t know if this is just snobbery or demographics or what, but even thought there are plenty of examples of fine pick bass players, locally I see mostly beginners or guitarsist that dabble in bass using a pick.

jc

I have to agree with Rock; the vast majority of pick-using bass players I've seen have been either beginners or converted guitarists. I learned with my fingers, and I can't use a pick now, I've tried. Personally, I don't see how one can properly play a bass with a pick, it just seems artificial to me. Finger-picking sounds so much better, much fuller. Of course, I've been called a snob when it comes to this topic, but I'm doing better...

ShadowChaser

I am a converted guitarist and a pick has absolutely no challenge. I can get fast lines with alternate picking BUt i don't use a pick. I consider it cheating it is so easy for me. Plus i have improved my finger dexterity by using my fingers

As a former guitarist, I abstain from using a pick completely. I wanted to learn to play bass in all styles and though more difficult at first, I am glad that I did-it certainly has allowed me to achieve sounds that I desired. Even things that I hear where the bassist used a pick I feel that fingerstyle is plenty effective.

I tried a pick after about a months worth of playing bass with my fingers and i couldnt get any speed and i was clumsy on slow stuff. So I shot the pick in the trash can and havnt used one since.
Maybe someday i'll work at learning pick style but I work on mostly funk and jazz playing so i dont really need a pick at all.

I am a pick person myself....I know that alot of bassist think it is sacriligious but it helps me acheive the sound I look for which is punchy and tight as a knats ass.
Picks all the way for me.

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Mike Linkletter
SOLE SURVIVOR

I have dabbled in picking.One thing I tried was finger picks and thumb picks(like what banjo players use)it was fun for a while but I soon got bored with it.One technique I tried was turning the thumb pick around and slapping\popping...gives a mallet like sound...cool but not really useable.To answer your question I use my fingers...to get a pick sound I use my fingernail of my index finger and downstroke

I use a pick at times. In fact, I started out using a pick and later picked up fingerstyle. Especially when playing rock I find I can do certain lines and rhythms with less effort and more economy of motion using a pick, and it doesn't hurt the sound. Never saw much point in waxing philosophical over whether or not to use a pick -- frankly I don't take myself that seriously. The only people who seem to care about whether or not you're using a pick is other bassists. Kind of puts it in perspective, I think. After all, what percentage of your audience is made up of other bassists?... When was the last time one of them paid you? And does it really matter what they think?

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Robert B

I'm primarily fingers but will use a pick to get a fresh perspective when things are bogging down. It makes me think and play differently, which can be just the thing when I'm beginning to bore myself.

I am also a guitarist/former guitarist. I have only used fingers on my bass. Which is weird cause I could never "rest" stroke when I had some guy teaching me some classical tunes. But I can on the bass. I either use a pick or fingerstyle on my guitar. depends on the song.---Staci.

Same as Staci fingers and plectrum for bass and guitar.

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Chris

I haven't used a pick since I first started taking lessons.

There seems to be a really prejudice against pick players, espically in guitar shops.

You ask to try out your latest fantasy, the assitant picks it up, plugs it in, tunes, then proceeds to play a 70's guitar solo on the bass. Looks at you to see how impressed (or un-impressed) you are. Then before he hands the bass to you, knocks its slightly off tune to make anything you play sound awful. Then low and behold if you should ask for a pick to use, your request is answered with a look of shock/amazment.

Just wondered if anyone else had noticed that.

Oh yeah, how come at least 75% of guitar shop employees have pony tails or mullets.

Jim.

I used my fingers forever and have been using a Mediup guage pick for a while now. I personally find no shame in attempting to diversify my attack on the instrument as much as possible...So There http://talkbass.com/ubb/wink.gif

When I first started playing (way back this last summer) I started with a pick more or less by accident - because I didn't realize most people played with their fingers. I dabble with playing with my fingers some of the time now but predominantly use a pick - I like the clear notes it produces, so you can hear what I'm playing rather than just sort of feel it. I'm sure someone who knows what they're doing can achieve that same sound without a pick, but I don't see any reason to stop using a pick. Just personal preference I guess.

I always use my fingers 'cept for 1 or two songs out of our 4 hour setlist.

'Too Rolling Stoned' is one that I use the pick on, for most of the song -till the end.

Other than that, I find that fingers give a better sound and more control.

For many years I used a pick then I switched to fingers and never looked back. But either way is good if it works for you.

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Carl

I've tried to use a pick off and on for years, but keep using my fingers. It's only interesting because I can't play with my fingers for cr@p on guitar!

-GM

I started playing the bass when my friends and I started putting a band together. I got the bass from my aunt, which was the only instrument I could get a hold of. Our guitarist used to yell at me for using my fingers and made me use a pick. Now, I prefer to play with my fingers because it gives you more of a unique voice. When my guitarist yells at me now, I just tell him to shut up.:-)

First of all, Id like to introduce myself since im new to this forum. I've been playing the bass for 7 years now, and i recently bought a Fireglo Rickenbacker 4003 bass, so i tought since i made the investment, why not go all the way and become serious about bassplaying http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif
Anyway, for as long an i have been playing, i have never used a pick. Well of course maybe occasionally to try it out, but i mean, it just doesn't feel right. IMO, just the thickness of the bass' strings (as opposed to guitar) is a great obstacle for using a pick (and provides WAY better feeling when using fingers).

Besides, i love playing chords (that's right, chords with the bass) and with the pick it sounds terrible, it sounds much better when doing a downstroke with 3 or 4 fingers of my right hand.

Anyway, take it easy

I am a converted guitarist referenced above and I am using a pick. I am struggling trying to find "my sound" and use a pick with flatwounds on a MIA Fender P. Paul used a pick on his 4001 so I say picks are OK.

I started learning bass with pick because I was playing punk and I needed it to get the speed and sound. I started using fingers for other types of music, and I found, after some practice, that I can do the same with fingers. I still like to use both depending on the music. 1st post

I wouldn't agree with some of the comments that suggest the the most pick players are either converted guitarists or beginners. After all, some of the best bass players (in my opinion) have been pick players, such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. I think some people just might prefer the feel, or the tone, that they get from a pick, and I don't think that this should devalue their ability in any way.

[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]

I use a pick for probably 50% of the stuff I play......I can play way faster with a pick. I use it almost as an eq device....when I thump the strings with the 3mm Dunlop Stubby, they stay hit! I'll often use fingers for the bulk of a song, and use the pick (that I've stashed in the palm of my hand) for sections I wish to emphasise or "bring out" in the mix.

Cheers http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/cool.gif

John

i use my fingers. Much cooler. You dont have to go around searching for a pick, you can just pick up your bass and play.

A little while ago (February sometime) I posted a reply that I used a pick and saw no reason to stop. A few weeks ago I started taking lessons and was shown how to play with my fingers. I was shocked at how much better it sounds - there are still some things that I think sound better when played with a pick, but they are few and far between (and someone who is good at playing with their fingers may not even need a pick for those). I'm converted.

I always keep a pick in my wallet in case my fingers get really tired in the middle of a gig, then i take out the pick until my fingers are rested.

I use my fingers as long as i can though, i like the feel much better.

The funny part is that i when i started with bass, i used my fingers all the time because Jason Newsted (Metallica) used a pick and I hated the dude. (i think he uses fingers now, i dont know.. i just know he sucks)

I have tried changing to pick a few times, but i keep coming back to fingers.. it's just the way that it feels natural for me.

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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hobbes:
I wouldn't agree with some of the comments that suggest the the most pick players are either converted guitarists or beginners. After all, some of the best bass players (in my opinion) have been pick players, such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. I think some people just might prefer the feel, or the tone, that they get from a pick, and I don't think that this should devalue their ability in any way.

[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]

[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

McCartney started out as a guitarist.

If you only use fingers, there are many sounds and songs you can't truely reproduce. The same can be said of a pick.

If you can't use both effectively you are limiting yourself.

Here is a trick I learned. I learn every song with a pick and with fingers, then select whichever sounds best. For me it is usually 70% fingers & 30% pick and sometimes I actually use both on the same song.

Although I can use my fingers fairly well (alright, I'm no Flea, but I can do the job), I prefer to use a plec. However, our drummer, who goes to music college and spends a lot of time with musos who've been playing for years, despairs at this.

"You can't use a plec!!!! Nobody in our college uses a plec!". To be honest, this is quite annoying, as it's like telling him he HAS to play with two mounted toms, or whatever silly terminology he uses. I respect that you can do a great deal more with your fingers, and I'll probably end up shouting at anyone who uses a plec like him, but I just prefer a plec.

I started this thread over three months ago. In that time I realise I have not used a pick ONCE on bass. I don't think I qualify as a pick player any longer.

Andy

I use a pick 99.999% of the time. I've tried using my fingers, but simply cannot get the same attack, brightness, or general tone that I cn with a pick. Nothing against fingers, but it just doesn't sound right for the sound I'm going for. The music store thing is true. It seems like every time I go into a store to try a new bass, someone comes up and asks if I can play any Marcus Miller or Vic Wooten. Once again, nothing against that, but I have no desire at all to learn how to play that way.

Just my two cents.

I like to go in between picking and playing with fingers but it all really depends on what song im playing, the speed of the songs, what kind of sound i want, etc.

for example, if i want something brutal and driving, i go with the pick. but if i want a clicky, deep groove i play with fingers. so really all it is is what kind of sound you want.

i don't use a pick, it's much easier and you can go a whole lot faster when your playing Punk rock music. but that;s just my opinion.

I am a converted guitar player and that's the reason I use a pick most of the time.

I can't say for sure that I'm the first person to do this, but I've never seen anyone else do it. When I was going to college, I drilled a hole through an extra heavy pick and tied it to my bridge with fishing line. It looked ridiculous, and I was probably the butt of many jokes.

At the time, I played mostly with fingers, but found that pick was good if I wanted to sing at the same time, or for playing really fast stuff. With my pick dangling around my volume pot, it was never far away.

Since then, I have played almost exclusively with my fingers, and pick-on-a-string is long gone. I am still the butt of many jokes, but that is a story for another day.

I can just see it now....the next big marketing ploy....:D

Hi,
Anyone out there use a "Thumb" pick?
y'know the type that stay attached to your thumb via a plastic "ring"?
I use one quite a lot,the great thing is being able to use your fingers at the same time!

Just to throw in my (obnoxiously redundant) two cents, I really beleive the choice between using a pick and using your fingers is a matter of personal prefrence. For some people, either pick or fingers is the only way they'll go. For others, it depends on the song and the effect they are trying to create. I really don't think any one of those categories is better or worse than the other. However, I fall into the third category.

I use both methods fairly often. When I first began playing, I was in a punk band (I am in a diffrent punk band now), and I used a pick almost exclusively for the tight and bright tone it gave. As I became more competent on the bass and began branching out into diffrent genres, I found fingers work better for some material. I still use a pick often, however, and will never go completely one way or the other. Its just a matter of tone, and to me, I feel the versatility of being able to use both my fingers and a pick is a good advantage to have.

I use whatever style a song or sitiuation calls for. I play 65% fingerstyle 25% with a pick and 10% other, slap, thumb, ect. I think you should be open enough to try different styles especialy if you do originals and or play in a couple of different bands (covers ect.) that way your rythym section wont be locked into just one certain groove...JMOP

Originally posted by Paul A
Hi,
Anyone out there use a "Thumb" pick?
y'know the type that stay attached to your thumb via a plastic "ring"?
I use one quite a lot,the great thing is being able to use your fingers at the same time!

I don´t have a thumb pick, but I like it. I´m gonna buy it when I can

**** using a pick!

**** playing with your fingers.

Two cents worth if anyone cares.......
I have been playing for 12 years now, and have always been a die hard finger player. Even when the GN'R stuff came out in the late 80's and blew my mind, I still played with the fingers.
However..... What first turned me on to playing bass was hearing Geddy, Cliff, and Steve Harris. And, after ten years and every relaxation technique known to man, i still could not play fast enough to play the stuff that turned me on in the first place. My fingers and tendons were just too tight to get the speed necessary. Even when I learned the John Myung 4 finger right hand thing, I still had no speed. So, here I am 12 years later teaching myself to play with a pick so all those Metallica tunes that have alwyas been to fast can now be realized. Sometimes, how you play is not a choice, but is dictated by the music or by physical limitations, as is my case.

The debate rages on.............

Originally posted by silvermaneZ
[The debate rages on.............
[/B]

Why is there even a debate? Just let each person do whatever they feel is necessary for themselves...
and don't worry about what anyone else is doing...:rolleyes:

Yah, I started out playing with my fingers, cause i thought that it was the "right" thing to do, but my musical interests changed and the band i am currently in is punk, and i think punk players who use there fingers are sissys(lol) j/k. but i never use a pick at home or any other time i play bass, so go figure. I like useing a pick and it works but the sound is totaly different.



-cp

I play usin finger style. I have tried to use a pick in the past and it just doesn't feel natural to me. Plus, any sound or speed I need I can get just fine with my fingers.

I have also heard people say that to play bass with a pick is wrong. Well, I say, if thats your preferance and it gets you the sound you want, then it doesn't matter what other people think!!!

I originally started playing bass 4 years ago for a concert band in school (gasp!) and my teacher wouldn't let me use a pick. he didn't like the sound.

I've tried using a pick recently, but it doesn't feel right, and I can't get anywhere near the speed of using 3 fingers... with fingers is the way I learned to play, so I'm gonna stick with it.

it's all what you think sounds good and feels right.

Originally posted by silvermaneZ
What first turned me on to playing bass was hearing Geddy, Cliff, and Steve Harris. And, after ten years and every relaxation technique known to man, i still could not play fast enough to play the stuff that turned me on in the first place. My fingers and tendons were just too tight to get the speed necessary. Even when I learned the John Myung 4 finger right hand thing, I still had no speed. So, here I am 12 years later teaching myself to play with a pick so all those Metallica tunes that have alwyas been to fast can now be realized. Sometimes, how you play is not a choice, but is dictated by the music or by physical limitations, as is my case.

I wouldn't feel too bad about that. I was just reading a Bass Player interview with Graham Maby who says he often uses a pick for his faster lines.

I've never understood why this is a debate in the first place. I can see some animosity toward those guitar players who "converted" to playing bass, but these anti-pick protests almost begin to sound like some kind jealousy toward guitar players. As a bass player (never a guitarist) who plays both ways, I can tell you my playing and picking style is not much like a guitar player's. Is slapping any more or less legit than finger picking? Are six string basses less legit than four string one's? What about those who use funk fingers: heretics?

The pick is just a tool in the arsenal. Sometimes I'll even lay down the same track both picked and plucked and then choose between them, just as I might try using two different basses on a part. In my most recent studio foray, I used a fingered Smith on one track and a picked Rickenbacker on the other because each seemed to suit the song best.

I wonder if guitar players have this kind of debate?

On a gig Saturday night I got to digging in a little too much on my stingray and developed a huge bubble blister on my middle finger (that humbucker can really eat some flesh)needless to say halfway through the 3rd set I could'nt pluck much with it at all. One of my bandmates suggested using a pick (what I thought was odd was that I had'nt even considered it). I had'nt used a pick since 1975. I gave it try to no avail. If it was what I ever considered a skill I've certainly lost it. I finished the night plucking with one finger (we had to change the set list around a little to accomidate ) but it all worked out. Anyway the point is I doubt I'll ever pick one up again. While I like to think that I try to be open minded to all styles I have to admit that I really never felt like a bass player till I learned to play with my fingers. Dropping the pick in my teens to me was like taking off the training wheels. To each his own! And I know it sounds narrow minded but God I hate to see a bassplayer using a pick.

Originally posted by Rick Rice
Dropping the pick in my teens to me was like taking off the training wheels.

Maybe you should call up Joe Osborn and suggest he take off his "training wheels". :rolleyes:

I'm a converted guitarist of going on 8 years now. When I started out I used my picks, and tried very hard to use my fingers. In time I learned to use my fingers, and love the tones my hands can produce. (On the other hand), I still go to the pick for very sharp&thin tones that I need for some of my rock songs.
I think some players to often wish they were playing the upright bass.(a fingers only club)

If you want so baddly to play only with your fingers,
THEN GO LEARN TO PLAY AN UPRIGHT DOUBLEBASS.

Originally posted by LowfreqB
I think some players to often wish they were playing the upright bass.(a fingers only club)

If you want so baddly to play only with your fingers,
THEN GO LEARN TO PLAY AN UPRIGHT DOUBLEBASS.



Double bass is hardly a "fingers only" club! I generally use my bow about 98% of the time. In fact, I find it a waste to hear a great double bass played ONLY with the fingers.

I still strongly believe that electric basses benefit from using both fingers and pick, just like I sometimes use my fingers to play my double bass (but I sure feel naked without my bow!).

Pick is one sound.
Fingers is another.
One not better than other just different.
Unless of course the guy paying you wants the pick in which case picks rule('till they want fingers again anyway...)
I don't use the pick that much but it always amazes me in these pick/finger discussions how many never bothered to learn. To be able to say you've mastered the ebg in all the western popular music forms you have to play pizz, pick and slap. Period. So get on with it.

I use picks all the time, (but not exclusively by any means),in varying thicknesses and degrees of stiffness. I can't get that attack any other way, just as oil painting artists use brushes, paddles, sticks, fingers, and what have you.

I use a pick if I'm playing "motorhead" tunes, other than that I prefer fingers, it's more comfortable to me.
I find that, for me anyway, I play faster and more accurately with my fingers, but some songs call for the "pick sound".

"Double bass is hardly a "fingers only" club! I generally use my bow about 98% of the time. In fact, I find it a waste to hear a great double bass played ONLY with the fingers. "


Damn it pays to think eh? guess thats why I play an electric and not an upright? (:}) hehehe!

Its a matter of tonal choice for those that CAN make different tones come from there bass. Its like this, I suck at the pop and slap thing, I can get along, but I'm no Les Claypool! So do I suck now? I can play with time and groove better then alot of some pop&slapers. Getting it in the pocket is more important then whether you use a finger,bow,pick,nose:)

I use a flat[ick when that sound is needed just like I use the other ways to get the string vibrating.

hey lately ive been playing alot of punk because thats what i like to play and thats what i play with my friends who play guitar. i play with my fingers, and always have for the 7 months that ive been playing bass. however, i just cant seem to keep the speed up at the right rate all the time. ive heard of things called finger picks that i guess slide onto your fingers and kind of act as fake long finger nails that you can play with. i think this might help my speed. anyone know anything about them? next time i stop into the guitar shop i just might pick up a couple of them. im just curious about other peoples' experiences with them. thanks :)

I prefer the sound from playing with a finger than with a pick. But...sometimes it just looks better, especaily when you are playing rock stuffs.
Also...i felt that it is eaiser to play a baseline that u need to switch around strings very often and fast with a pick.

Anyone know any AMPS or EFFECTOR that can give a soft sound even when playing with a pick?
(I ask this because i see alot of Jrock bands bassists play with a pick but they has very soft sound, like playing with fingers.)

Thanks for answering my questions~~

Personally, i don't think it matters if you use fingers or a pick. I have been playing on and off for 4 years now and I find that each one is good for certain kinds of sounds. Fingers are better for Jazz and blues stuff and picks are better for punk/hardcore and most new metal.

taken from the web site of Carol Kaye.

"Jerry, yes your sounds are great with a hard pick and the versatility is something, from deep bass (they'll accuse you tho' of playing w/fingers, it's so deep-sounding) to the highest pick-sound (but w/the bottom left in!). "

"First of all, it doesn't matter to me if anyone plays with
a pick or not, never did"

"Have always played with a hard pick, altho' much of the time it sounds like fingers. "

"But if you're going to play with a pick (I've never played with fingers, never had to), "

I could go on, of course. I'm not attempting to say that anyone should play with a pick (or any other preferred method), just kinda politely pointing out that for those of you 'purists' who feel that there is something wrong with playing with a pick, well, you've got a fair number of bass heavyweights on the opposite side of that argument.

Kyo

well, for some things a pick just sounds better, like the bands I'm in that are punk or rock or stuff where you just need a hard, driving sound with not much technique. But for other stuff, like a worship music band I'm in where the style is slower and more melodic, a pick just is too harsh for it, so I stick to my fingers. I usually use either a Tortex .6 or .73, anything heavier and I get too booming of a sound and a screwed up rhythm, anything softer and too much of the sound of the pick and it snaps too much.

Pick is one sound.
Fingers is another.
One not better than other just different.

I'm with Jeffbonny on this one!I prefer the feel of using fingers but at times I need the tone and articulation you can get with a pick. At other times I might need to mute with my right palm and play thumbstyle to get a faux-upright sound. Or whatever other technique works for the song.

BTW attempting fast rock songs with my fingers (although frustrating at first) helped my RH strength/dexterity/confidence no end as a beginner. Why not try it? ;)

I can only use finger-style, so personally I kinda admire those who can use a pick (even if they ARE former guitarists). For me, fingers is just plain faster, but it's not 'cause I'm a purist. I just started playing w/ finger-style, and frankly don't have much incentive to use a pick. I'm not interested in being an all-knowing, Zen Master of the Bass (though it's certainly a worthy goal), so I just do what's most fun, for now. But I think the best-'o-the-best probably would use both, depending on the song...