Can someone tell me whether using my fingers or using a pick would allow me to play better and play the widest range of styles?

learn both....

This discussion has been carried out very recently 2 or 3 times in other places on this board - I would suggest you read through these to get an idea of the arguments on both sides.

in my opinion finger style is better by far. you can do more with it from a bright finger funk to a full, rich jazz tone.

I think whatever feels more comfortable. If you like to use a pic use one if you dont use your fingers. If you want to
use a pickle use a pickle just watch out cause the pickle juice can mess up your pickups and sometimes becomes sticky

i'd say both are good and each for it's own reason. i feel that it's easier to use a pick to play songs that only require a few constant notes (some blink 182 and so on). but a pick often gives a different tone to the note, it has more of a sharp sound to it, rather than the smooth and softer tones you get by using your fingers.
an example of this is some stuff i play. i find it easier to keep pace and pound in a solid sound to the chorus of For whom the bell tolls by Metallica, with a pick. the other example is the Red hot chilli peppers Otherside, which i feel sounds great when u use your fingers; it comes out fresher and cleaner than a pick.
but hey that's just me.

Learn to play so cleanly and consistently with your fingers that it sounds like you're playing with a pick. That's my goal, and I'll probably take it to the grave with me.

For recreation purposes, play the one that suits you best. For professional purposes, learn both.

Will C. http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/cool.gif

Picking's for noses, tomatoes, and guitars!

Hey hey,

You're claiming that guys like Jason Newsted and Bob Daisly aint' real men????
(do i smell lots of conservativity??)
It's time to move on now..........

I think it is very childish to say these things, "real men dont use a pick".

My advice is to master both......
One of the arguments of using your fingers is that you can do more with them and with a pick. If you combine both of the styles then you'll get the widest range of techniques.

Well thats my opinion.... http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/tongue.gif !!




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Guitar players use picks. Real men play bass with their hands. Got to fufill the need for speed. Slap and pop that monster.

-MCE

being a beginner, I am using a pick...there's just not enough damn room in between the strings for my fingers!!!!! http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/wink.gif

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Sean

Learn both. There's times when a pick is needed(like fast and constant notes) Some albums that require a pick are all of Metallica albums(except for a few songs),Chamber Music by Coal Chamber,Blink 182's stuff,some Videdrone stuff,some Orgy stuff,etc. Fingers sound good on the strings cuz they have a smooth sound. I do all 3 though. I slap,pop,and pick.

Here's my rule of thumb, because you should learn both:

Finger bass, pick nose http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/confused.gif
Pick bass, finger butt http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/tongue.gif

You can't go wrong...well, if you do, you're gonna regret it!

Learn both, but who uses fingers?
Wooten, Jaco, P-Nut, Flea, Claypool, Clarke, Gary Willis, Mingus, etc, etc.
Pick? Punks!

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"I'm no hero. I just like to hit people on the head." - Nelson

Learn both.
I like fingers though.
It makes me feel like i can do more and I am not as restricted.

I don't use a pick ...

but Michael Gordon does - fast funky ****e too!

There is no shame in using one, if that's your thing.

It all depends on the sound that you want,I find myself using both. I can move around faster with my fingers but get a better, sharper sound from a pull-off with a pick

I'm for learning as much as you can. Versatility is a virtue, IMHO. Although, I guess you should start with your fingers and try a pick later.

I started with my fingers, but started using a pick when I couldn't quite get the Chris Squire tone I needed for some things.
Now I'm trying to learn slap, which I used to despise as a style, but have come to really like.

If you don't want to learn how to pick, you could always get a pair of Tony Levin's Funk Fingers to get that more percussive sound.

Rojo, you said it best man. Look at all the greats from the past. These are men that in some circles could be considered Gods in their own right. Finger picking is fast becomming a lost art with punk and ska crap out there now, everyone thinks a bass should be picked like a guitar, NOTTTTTT!!!!!! If you want speed and are having trouble keeping up with your fingers, learn a three finger gallup (spelling?) and learn it well.

moved from Bassists to Technique

Chris A.

i think that when you start out you should definately alternate, i started playing a year ago and i never picked, now i can use my fingers like a semi-pro but i can pick worth crap... so get a little practice on both, especially if you ever decide to play a little guitar

i think that when you start out you should definately alternate, i started playing a year ago and i never picked, now i can use my fingers like a semi-pro but i can pick worth crap... so get a little practice on both, especially if you ever decide to play a little guitar

I think "do both" is the general consensus from everyone here. There are things you can do with one that you can't do with the other. In my opinion, this is what you should do: Lock yourself in a room with your bass and a pick. Try fingers and pick and play for a few hours. Don't let anyone tell you what to play, just play how you feel. Anyone telling someone that people who play fingers are better, and that punks play with picks are wrong. I can smoke many finger people with my pick, but then again many of them can outdo me in other areas. My advice as always, is dont listen to anyone, just do what works for you.

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playin 4 s8n
-joe

Someone wrote above that "only guitar players should use picks"-well, we're in the bass GUITAR discussion so I take that to mean that it's OK to use a pick on bass. The same person went on to say that "bassists should play with their fingers." I play the bass with my fingers, though the right-hand fingers are often holding a pick. Touche! Seriously, I don't care if someone plays the music they want with their fingers, their nose, their weenie, or a drumstick, as long as they're enjoying themselves. You can ignore alternate techniques at your own risk. Anyone who sez that you can only get a hard, clicky sound with a pick has obviously never taken the time to be creative with one. Try different gauges and materials; play with the butt end instead of the point; play hard, soft, and medium; do it right over the neck or way back by the bridge. World-class players like Steve Swallow, Anthony Jackson, Mike Gordon, Carol Kaye, Bobby Vega, Phil Lesh--they all play with picks much of the time and manage to get gorgeous tones with the plectra of their choice--so can you!

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Someone wrote above that "only guitar players should use picks"-well, we're in the bass GUITAR discussion so I take that to mean that it's OK to use a pick on bass. The same person went on to say that "bassists should play with their fingers." I play the bass with my fingers, though the right-hand fingers are often holding a pick. Touche! Seriously, I don't care if someone plays the music they want with their fingers, their nose, their weenie, or a drumstick, as long as they're enjoying themselves. You can ignore alternate techniques at your own risk. Anyone who sez that you can only get a hard, clicky sound with a pick has obviously never taken the time to be creative with one. Try different gauges and materials; play with the butt end instead of the point; play hard, soft, and medium; do it right over the neck or way back by the bridge. World-class players like Steve Swallow, Anthony Jackson, Mike Gordon, Carol Kaye, Bobby Vega, Phil Lesh--they all play with picks much of the time and manage to get gorgeous tones with the plectra of their choice--so can you!

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Someone wrote above that "only guitar players should use picks"-well, we're in the bass GUITAR discussion so I take that to mean that it's OK to use a pick on bass. The same person went on to say that "bassists should play with their fingers." I play the bass with my fingers, though the right-hand fingers are often holding a pick. Touche! Seriously, I don't care if someone plays the music they want with their fingers, their nose, their weenie, or a drumstick, as long as they're enjoying themselves. You can ignore alternate techniques at your own risk. Anyone who sez that you can only get a hard, clicky sound with a pick has obviously never taken the time to be creative with one. Try different gauges and materials; play with the butt end instead of the point; play hard, soft, and medium; do it right over the neck or way back by the bridge. World-class players like Steve Swallow, Anthony Jackson, Mike Gordon, Carol Kaye, Bobby Vega, Phil Lesh--they all play with picks much of the time and manage to get gorgeous tones with the plectra of their choice--so can you!

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I don't feel comfortable playing my bass with a pick and I don't feel comfortable playing a guitar without one. Go figure.

I personaly don't even own a pick but if I heard a need for a pick in order to express myself I'd certainly get one. It has taken too much practice to get the low sweet sound. Using a pick would be counter productive to me. There also is the question of muting. I do most of my muting with the side of my picking finger which gives a range of totally damped out to just enough to clean up the finger board noise. I'm not sure you can get that range of control with a pick since most people end up muting with some part of the heel of thier hand. There is also the issue of the percussivenes of the pick compared to finger style. Some kinds of music need that punch and the bassist should be using the proper tools for the job. However you can still get the percussion of the pick using finger. Try letting your nails get a little longer than normal. trim them a little at a time untill you can raise the arch of your(make picking fingers more vertical) hand allowing just the tip of the finger and tip of nail to strike the string. Seems easier to learn one style that covers both situations.

This is just my opinion. If it aint broke-dont fix it http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/wink.gif

You can always use a felt pick,I did this for a couple of years when I first started,then went to fingerstyle because the pros did it that way.I can play just as fast with a pick,and do use one when playing guitar,but for bass I prefer fingerstyle.I have a genuine tortise shell pick for guitar,it's surface makes it less likely to slip out of my hand than any plastic pick.just thought I'd throw that in.

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Jim M.
Keep Tahoe Bluesy

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by JimM:

You can always use a felt pick,I did this for a couple of years when I first started,then went to fingerstyle because the pros did it that way.



<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>



Joe Osborn and Carol Kaye played on probably half of the Top 40 hits between 1965 and 1975, literally hundreds of hits WITH A PICK. I think they qualify as pros!



I personally owe a lot of my concept of bass tone to those two players, and I am happy to sound remotely like either.

I play with a pick occassionally, but just because they sent me a bag of picks with my bass. I feel totally comfortable playing any style with my fingers. I can get a pick sound with my fingers, I just get really close to the bridge and play kind of disconnected. Stacato, if you will. And I find my hand gets more tired from gripping a pick than playing with my fingers constantly. Maybe I'll add the third finger.

You know, I hear so many people say they can get a pick sound from their fingers. I guess my angle is you spend more time with it, you just might find you get more than "A" pick sound!

There are and endless variety of tones available from the pick. While you may feel you can reproduce "A" pick sound quite well with your fingers, there's just no way anybody can reproduce every tone available from a pick.

If you don't use one regularly, you likely aren't aware of just how many different unique tones are available from the pick.

Although every player should be able to create a huge range of tones with a pick, even looking at the broader picture, many pick players vary hugely in sound from one another. Take Chris Squier, Joe Osborn and Gene Simmons - all three use a pick, yet none of them sound even remotely like each other. And within each one of these players, there are is a huge palatte of tones.

If you add even some of these many pick sounds to your palatte, it can only serve to expand your own range of tones.

The notion that there is "one" pick tone, and that you can easily cop it with your fingers is rather naïve IMO.

I use my thumb, index, middle and ring. I don't use a pick. Not because I'm against it or anything... Simply because I find it confusing. Do whatever you feel is more comfortable.

I play the guitar aswell and I use a pick for the guitar. So whatever you find comfortable, mate!

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

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Never trust a man who doesn't drink - Winston Churchill

And again :rolleyes:

i'd say learn both...

i use a pick in some songs
i can strum the strings easier , and i get a sharper tone.
i use my fingers also
i write "soft" basslines that help give the song some melodic flavor. i get a nice bassy tone.


with my current band Lure609
i go about 50-50 pick vs. Fingers

lata

Just to go against the grain here..
I say use JUST A PICK!
just kiddin', [insert standard answer here]

For mine, it comes down to want you want to play. I find that playing covers, certain songs just need to sound certain ways .. and you just go with the method that suits the sound the best.

I prefer the sound of fingers definately, but hey, some songs just really seem to need a pick to sound right (or it could just be the crappy way I play !!!)

Definately learn both though .. it's probably the only real way you'll be able to make the decision for yourself.

I'm sure the debate will rage on !!!

Simple as this: In order to produce the most varied sounds of my bass I occasionally use a pick. Why should I not use one if it delivers what I need at the time? [I used to be against picks, but if I need the pick sound..]

Originally posted by Mesa Man
Simple as this: In order to produce the most varied sounds of my bass I occasionally use a pick. Why should I not use one if it delivers what I need at the time? [I used to be against picks, but if I need the pick sound..]

Absolutely....just use whatever is needed for the sound you need. Does it REALLY matter HOW you get it...as long as you DO? :)

use your fingers man its alot easyer than a pick

I prefer finger-style, but I suggest to learn both.

Picks are for pussies.

:)

Originally posted by Brian Gordon
Picks are for pussies.

:)

Jeepers, dude, thanks for clearing that up! I don't have a cat right now, and the last one didn't play bass. But if I DO get a bass playing pussy, I'll make it use a pick!

I started with a pick and now use my fingers. I would use a pick again if I wanted or needed that sound. Picks work good for some rock sounds. I use a Dunlap nylon pick in the gold or silver weights.

The reason I don't usually use a pick is:
They get lost easily.
Fingers go with you where ever you go. You're all set

When I first got my bass and I got home to play it, I searched my house frantically for a pick. I asked my dad "Are there any picks in this house?" He said "No, just use your fingers. You're better off with your fingers anyway."

So I have been using my fingers ever since. If he would have had a pick, I probably would've been using one today.

Picks are good for punk and a more edgy tone. Fingers are good for a smoother more rounded tone like in jazz and blues, and they are good for heavy metal.

Originally posted by fleabass89
Picks are good for punk and a more edgy tone. Fingers are good for a smoother more rounded tone like in jazz and blues, and they are good for heavy metal.

I disagree. It is completely possible to get a warm, mellow tone with a pick. Use a less firm attack and pluck very close to the fingerboard.

Just listen to some of Joe Osborn's work and you'll hear lots of very warm pick tones (among many other tones!).

BTW, fingers are also quite versatile - I just resist the notion that the pick is only capable of a small range of tones.

BOTH!!! Why be limited......
:D :D

when i started playing back in april, i was solely pick becuase i was already sorta comfy using one. but more and more lately i have been using my fingers. i am getting really comfy with my 2 finger style of plucking. some songs i am doing still sound better with a pick, mostly the thin lizzy stuff. :D

I swear by using a pick. It's nothing more than b.s. to say that only good bass players use their fingers! For me it's all about the sound you get. You can't tell me that a bass in drop d with the right tone and a pick doesn't sound amazing! There is only one song my band plays that I don't use a pic, and even then, it's just for the intro! Don't get me wrong, there are amazing bassists that use only their fingers, but if you want a really nice bass sound for an alternative band, you have to go with a pick.

Originally posted by Bassmaster003
It's nothing more than b.s. to say that only good bass players use their fingers! Don't get me wrong, there are amazing bassists that use only their fingers, but if you want a really nice bass sound for an alternative band, you have to go with a pick.


If it is "bs" to say that "only good players use their fingers".....
then, is it not as well "bs"...to say that "you HAVE to go with a pick"? ;)

Rocco Prestia plays fingerstyle.

Steve Swallow plays with a pick.

Both are phenomenal.

Do what you need to do to be phenomenal.

oo, I hope somebody quotes me! :D

Will C.:cool:

Originally posted by Big Wheel
Rocco Prestia plays fingerstyle.

Steve Swallow plays with a pick.

Both are phenomenal.

Do what you need to do to be phenomenal.

oo, I hope somebody quotes me! :D

Will C.:cool:

They are both great..and Jaco played fingerstyle too!
and Matt Freeman plays with a pick :)

Originally posted by basspsycho
Learn both. There's times when a pick is needed(like fast and constant notes) Some albums that require a pick are all of Metallica albums(except for a few songs),Chamber Music by Coal Chamber,Blink 182's stuff,some Videdrone stuff,some Orgy stuff,etc. Fingers sound good on the strings cuz they have a smooth sound. I do all 3 though. I slap,pop,and pick.

but Cliff never used a pick and neither do I for all his material :)

some people are fast, some are not.

I use a pick 99.99% of the time. The other 0.01% is when I drop my pick in the middle of a song and have to use my fingers until the song is over...

But seriously, why does everyone keep saying that fingers are easier? I'm much more adept with a pick than I will ever be with fingers. But then again, I've been using a pick since that very first day I drug my stepfathers bass from under the bed and stared playing along to the first Ramones album...