i have only been playing about 4 months, but i have never used a pick except in the first month i got the bass, i used a pick a few times to play "Adam's Song" by Blink 182 (in case you didn't know , the bass player for Blink uses a pick), but i have never used a pick since , and think the sound of a pick takes away from the whole sound of a bass,and teh theory of kinda backing up a guitar with its sound. i also know a few people that never use a pick and think that people that use a pick really aren't very good at bass, or something liek that... i don't think that, but still don't use a pick..
Please reply because this is almost a poll type thing for me to find out how many people are like me, and how many people use a pick in their regular playing style...
Thanks,
Evan

It is true that most of the "accomplished" players do not use picks. Playing with a pick completely changes the sound of the bass, and IMO you have a lot more versatility when you play with the fingers. Most bass players that use picks are rock players. Some players use both picks and fingers. I don't know if you've heard any Faith No More (a rock band whose mainstream popularity diminished) but their bass player uses both fingerstyle and pick depending on the sound he was going for. When he wanted a rounder, groovier sound he used his fingers. But when he wanted a sound with more attack and clearly separeted notes, he would use a pick.

But IMHO, and I think many would agree, it is worth your while to learn to play with your fingers. If you don't like it, you can always go back to using a pick.

BTW, Steve Swallow uses a pick and he is definitely one of "the accomplished" players around.

Playing with a pick was the easiest way into bass for me, as i learnt guitar first and then switched to bass after about a year. Plus it was easier to play the fast up-tempo rock stuff i liked. But since i've become more experimental in my style and music tastes, i've started really loving the deeper, cleaner sound off fingerplaying and the cool *pop* of funk and jazz.

I guess it comes down to what song i'm playing. The main concern is speed, then sound, THEN looking good/crap

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<>< Crosh <><

Uhhhmmm...depends on which genre of music i am playing...for all punk i use a pick, simply because punk band bassists tend to use picks and i like to mock them. If i play ska, i use my fingers, lets me go faster...

I too used a pick in my first month...stupid music store gave me the things and i didn't know any better...took me forever to get weaned off of them...

And why am i over in this area anyway? Back to off topic, bisk...

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My mother sez i'm speshul...

Biski,

Just wanted to say that you are always welcome over here in Technique. http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif So, don't be a stranger.

You're feelings are on your fingers man... And I think it is easier. I've been trying to learn that pick style playing for a years on my own but I couldn't succeed it yet.. And really don't want to.. And lots of bass player say that playing with a pick with provides speed when playing I don't really believe that.I saw lots of bass masters who are playing with 2 fingers...Anyway fingerstyle picking is a good thing http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

i play with both, i play much faster with my fingers, but use a pick with powerchords and a few riffs, i cant play wipeout with my fingers, only with a pick.

I can't use a pick, and there are two reasons. Number one, they were designed for guitar! Which means they're way too thin for the fat bass strings. To me, it just doesn't feel right to use that thin little pick on bass.
Number two(and this is more philosophical) if you think about some of the most intricate, beautiful guitar music is played with the fingers. So why should bass players give up such a valuable resource? Besides, you can get an almost pick-like sound by playing close to the bridge and turning up the treble.

I can play with both my fingers or a pick.
It depents on what I'm playing. Though I like playing with my fingers more.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by nirvanafan13:
i have only been playing about 4 months, but i have never used a pick except in the first month i got the bass, i used a pick a few times to play "Adam's Song" by Blink 182 (in case you didn't know , the bass player for Blink uses a pick), but i have never used a pick since , and think the sound of a pick takes away from the whole sound of a bass,and teh theory of kinda backing up a guitar with its sound. i also know a few people that never use a pick and think that people that use a pick really aren't very good at bass, or something liek that... i don't think that, but still don't use a pick..
Please reply because this is almost a poll type thing for me to find out how many people are like me, and how many people use a pick in their regular playing style...
Thanks,
Evan <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I think your right.Playing with a pick takes
away the tradition of all styles of bass and
sounds and sucks alot more than with your fingers.

I have always been a fingerstyle bassist because of my classical guitar background, but I know of a lot of great bassists who use a pick in styles such as Jazz (Anthony Jackson, Steve Swallow) and Funk Rocco Prestia style (Bobby Vega), so I'm into playing with a pick just so I have the skill in case I need it. Regardless of the style you play, It's possible for you to sound as credible with a pick or without. It's all up to the way you strike the strings and your sensitivity as a musician. I strongly encourage you to play fingerstyle, though, not because of tradition, but because you'll have an easier time switching techniques between slapping and pizzicato and raking the strings.

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

------------------
You can't hold no groove if you ain't got no pocket!

Decided to join this discussion JUST for the sake of diversity http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/wink.gif The matter is that I always play with a pick, and I never play fingerstyle.

The worst thing in playing with a pick is that the low end goes out, but you can just boost it with EQ. I personally love the ATTACK of the pick, this really makes bass more distinguishable (I hate bass lines that no one notices). Of course, all depends on the style. Playing a ballad with broad bass notes with a pick must surely SUCK. But I play something punkish (which doesn't mean playing the tonics of chords only!!! http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/wink.gif ) and fast, so pick is quite natural.

The main thing I want to say is to play as you want. I don't give a damn if somebody accounts me not a real man because of the pick http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif
If you say I'm not a bassist, then alright, then I play a guitar an octave lower http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

I don't agree that you will sacrifice low end by using a pick - you just need to find out how to get it with a pick. If you want more low end you can always play closer to the fingerboard while still maintaining lots of treble and clarity.

The great pick players like Joe Osborn and Carol Kaye, tended to play close to the neck and they got very big, warm sounds out of their basses. Even guys like Chris Squire and Mike Rutherford got a lot of low end out of their Rickenbackers with roundwound strings by playing close to the neck. They had a lot of treble but ALSO a lot of bottom end at the same time.

I highly recommend using a pick AND your fingers. Both approaches are very versatile if studied carefully but neither is nearly as versatile on its own as both methods combined.

There should be no shame in using a pick though. The top 2 most recorded electric bass players, Joe Osborn and Carol Kaye, were both pick players and nobody can tell me they were lousy players.

i agree about using both. I do use both, and depending on what type of music i'm playing, i'll decide what to use. if its blues, i feel i'll use the figners. but if its punk, hands down, i'm gonna use a pick, no matter what. there is a reason why almost all punk player use a pick, and its not cause they suck, its cause its just easier to use a pick for punk, because of the way you attack the stings. like, me, its easyer for me to do and up/down stroke with a pick, and get it out a lot faster, and last longer doing that, than with my two fingers.

I normally just play fingerstyle, but sometimes I pick up a pick for a different sound. Has anyone else ever tried a felt pick? They will produce a softer sound as opposed to the plastic or steel picks.

OK, I use both. I tend to get used to fingerplaying and then pick up a pick again. Of course many people out there think that hte pick robs the bass of it's original sort of moving along the notes softly sort of thing. However, using the pick keeps the bass from being drowned out by the annoying guitar players. It seems to shine through and hit you in the face every time you hear it. Now, fingerstyle I use mainly for solos just because there's no one to drown me out and I can get some faster switches between strings with my fingers. I think both have their own ups and downs but it all depends on the situation.

As good examples to the difference between pick and no pick are my two idols, Jason Newsted and Cliff Burton. Jason uses a pick and on the albums with him playing you can hear a sort of melodic thump in the back for most songs (mainly because he has a heavy picking style that even interfered with studio equipment). His solos, when he uses a pick, are much crisper, clearer, and more distinct in sound. Now the other extreme, Cliff did not use a pick, his playing was not very audible behind the guitar power chords, but his solos were mad (rather fast I would have to say)

So the moral of the story is: do what you think sounds better or feels better for what you're playing and those who critize you can go to hell!

------------------
When you play bass do you ever wonder what idiot had the idea of making a lead guitar??

"Ihr glaubt zu töten wäre schwer. Doch wo kommen all die Toten her?" (Translated: You thinking killing is hard to do. But where do all the corpses come from) -Rammstein

I use either my fingers or a pick depending on what the song I'm playing calls for. I've seen this on the post already, and I agree with it: it's best to learn to play both ways. It just gives you more sounds to work with. There's NO shame in using a pick. IMHO, it's worse to simply dismiss the idea of using one, and i.e. throw away a useful tool.

MetalBass, good point w/ Newsted and Burton (my idols http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/biggrin.gif). This is a perfect example of how either method can work with the same type of music. I really like the way Newsted's bass comes through on the Black Album. You have to know what to listen for, but it really cuts through. And I don't know if it's possible to get My Friend of Misery to sound right without a pick. I know I can't do it, anyway.

Burton's style is pretty much on the other end of the spectrum, but his bass still cuts through. It sounds more "standard" to me (I guess that's what you'd call it). Most of the time there's not a whole lot of attack on his notes, but they can still be heard. The man was a genius.

Later, all.

I definately play better with a pick, i'm into nirvana very much and other grungy kind of music and punk as well as many other types of music, and i think it depends on what type of music you play if you use a pick or you fingers. a pick gives you a nice crisp clean sound though http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/smile.gif

MetalBass, you don't need to tell your would-be critics to go to hell. It's best to ignore them. Anti-pick elitists have been bashing picks and pick players for 30+ years and it hasn't yet occurred to them that pick players don't give a sh*t about their criticism and are going to continue to do as they please. Don't give them ammunition. Don't think ill of them, just don't think of them at all!

When I started playing bass in 1962 (ouch!) anti-pick bias was unheard of. It was started in the 60s by second-rate studio guys, mainly from the east coast, mostly string bass guys who hated electric bass to begin with and then were forced out -- or into the background -- by west coast studio bassists who came from a guitar background and often used picks.

So why is it still around when most of those guys are long gone from the scene? Because it's not really an anti-pick thing. Scratch the surface and you'll find it's very much an anti-guitar, anti-rock thing. It's more convenient to attack picks, it diverts attention from their real hatred.

I play fingerstyle or pickstyle, whatever I think is the best tone for a given song. You should go for whatever gives you the tone you want, not because someone else does it.

But I can't agree with you on Burton vs. Newsted. That's a studio situation. A pick is just one of several things that may help you be heard better in a live situation. But if you're not heard well on a professionally engineered recording, then it's because the engineer, producer or bandleader wanted it that way. I own many recordings with a pickstyle bassist who's mostly buried and many with a fingerstyle bassist who stands out in the mix.

DW, thanks for the lessons.

I am still a teenager and the whole history thing didn't really occurr to me.

Sorry about the "go to hell" part, I'm a bit impulsive.

Also, I didn't think about the whole studio editing bit (in all the studio editing I saw it was only the drummer Lars who was repeatedly trying to turn the drums up more). Just a funny fact is that when they had Newsted playing in the studio they put a wall of foam around his playing area because the pick noise was so loud that the technicians could not hear what was coming out of the speakers.

ORIGINALLY POSTED BY Metalbass on 6-27-00..... However, using the pick keeps the bass from being drowned out by the annoying guitar players.

_____________________________________________
-That's what i use my volume for...and if your amp isn't as loud as the guitar player, then mess with the treble and highs and lows...also, Turn the guitar down some!!
_____________________________________________


As good examples to the difference between pick and no pick are my two idols, Jason Newsted and Cliff Burton. Jason uses a pick and on the albums with him playing you can hear a sort of melodic thump in the back for most songs (mainly because he has a heavy picking style that even interfered with studio equipment). His solos, when he uses a pick, are much crisper, clearer, and more distinct in sound. Now the other extreme, Cliff did not use a pick, his playing was not very audible behind the guitar power chords, but his solos were mad (rather fast I would have to say)
_____________________________________________
Where did you hear a solo by Jason, because i love metallica, and have a lot of their albums, but have never heard a real solo by Jason..If you have it on a mp3 file or any sort of file, or know where i can hear it, please email me or just respond back...
also, i don't have any albums but Ride the Lightning where cliff plays, but on that album i have never paid attention to the bass, but on my other albums i can NEVER HEAR JASON, and it kinda annoys me .. thanx,
EVAN

Evan,

It is a bit hard to hear Jason through some of the songs but if you know what you're listening for you can find it.

To hear Jason solo you have to watch videos/DVDs. He has a fun little solo on the DVD Cunning Stunts and a series of them in the Box Set "Live S**t: Binge and Purge" on both video and on the CDs.

i wouldnt have a metallica mp3 on your computer if i were you, careful, i hear Lars is still looking for people with mp3's.

Say well I have only been playing for a year and a half, and I mostly play using my fingers, but there is some cases where a pick can come in handy. So I think it is better to be able to play with both. It really depends on the sound of music you want to play

Quote:
I can't use a pick, and there are two reasons. Number one, they were designed for guitar! Which means they're way too thin for the fat bass strings. To me, it just doesn't feel right to use that thin little pick on bass.
Number two(and this is more philosophical) if you think about some of the most intricate, beautiful guitar music is played with the fingers. So why should bass players give up such a valuable resource? Besides, you can get an almost pick-like sound by playing close to the bridge and turning up the treble.

You can use other picks than just thin ones. When I do use a pick, I use a 3mm stubby. I feel that that is plenty thick enough to do justice to bass strings. http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/biggrin.gif

GOD you guys are good at makeing me feel like a freak. i like using the .60mm tortex dunlop picks. and i love them. i like it how their thinner cause then you can attack the strings harder, and not smash the string aganst the neck or pickup. if you attack the strings hard, look for a softer pick. like for instance, i play punk, and my attitue on stage is so to say "wild" so i attack the strings hard, and to compensate, i use thinner picks so that it doesnt sound like the the strings are hammering into stuff since it isnt. the way i see it is that like with fingers, i was tought to let the amp do teh work to get the sound, so i'l play the strings softly, now with picks i gotta hit the strings softer, and not liek a maniack so use thinner picks cause they flex to compensate. i guess i'm just crazy, but i love the tone i get out of thinner picks too. i dont care if their designd for guitar. if i believe correctly weren't electric instruments for guitar's (eadgbe strung) too at first? but now theres electric bass guitar. hm... maybe i'm gonna start a revolution, i'll call it the precision pick.

when i play i dont normally use a pick...yet when i am trying to learn a new song i find that it is better to use one first then go on to using your fingers. i learned this from my teacher, an accomplished bass and guitar player.

I do the exact thing Muttluk does!
i use a very thin pick so i can attack the strings also, with heavy picks it clicks too much and sounds distorted.

I guess i must be pretty wierd compared to yall because i just used a pick for about 5 minutes to warm up on my bass a few days ago , and this is not making fun of anyone or anything like that, but I COULD NOT STAND HOW IT SOUNDED.. i used to be able to play with a pick, but now i don't touch mine my guitarist gave me except when someone has a guitar and lost all theirs or ..... more likely .. I lost all of theirs, because when i get into playing a heavy song on guitar , it's not unusual for picks to be FLYING EVERYWHERE!@!! well... if you think that yeou have a suggestion on what could help me like the sound a bit more.. like for example.. turn down the treble, and put the lows all the way up, or something like that, PLEASE TELL ME!!! THANKS SO MUCH
............................................
EVAN
PEACE..

politics
Poly- Many
Ticks-small Blood-sucking creatures
hahha found that somewhere and had to write that.. thanks as always

Muttluk, Lars couldnt search the hard drive in your computer to see if you have Metallica MP3's...thats hacking, which is very illegal, and very hard unless you are on a network. They do it by seeing who's transfering Metallica songs through Napster. Thats how. But i downloaded "Orion" a few days ago...nothing happened. So just dont download any Metallica songs off Napster if you dont want to get caught. Whether you have any on your hard drive or not is irrelevant.

Anyway, as to playing with pick...i VERY rarely do, only when the sound is needed. I MUCH prefer my hands, and can easily get more speed with 3 or 4 fingers than with a pick. But its unfair to say that someone who uses a pick is worse...its just how they prefer to play. I use fingers because i slap a lot in a lot of my bands songs, so its more natural than to have to cup my hand somehow to hold the pick. I play guitar also, and i can play both classical/flamenco style and with a pick, and i prefer a pick there. Neither fingerstyle or picking is better...just the former is more preferred. But cant be "better," because thats an opinion. And no opinion is correct to everyone. So its up to you to pick which you like more, and go with it. Or do both. Or a mixture. Sometimes when i play with a pick i hold it with my thumb and index finger, strike the low notes with that and pluck the higher ones with the other three fingers (a guitar approach! it works, and sounds cool). But im mainly a fingerstyle slapper dude.

I hope that made sense!

Hmmm...the question here was "who uses a pick"...is it really necessary for anyone to give us detailed explanations of why he does NOT use a pick? If you don't, that's fine, but why are you telling us all about it here?

Now, back to the topic. To those of you who use thin picks, that's fine if it gives you the sound you want. You don't need to feel like a freak. But if you don't use a reasonably rigid pick, then you won't get enough bottom end and you won't cut through very well either. How thick to be rigid? Just depends on the pick material. Nylon by itself is never rigid enough.

As for a thick pick sounding clicky or distorted, I think you may need to work on technique, or at the very least record yourself both ways and listen. To most experienced ears, thin = clicky. And a thick pick is used for control, not distortion. The Dunlop Jazz picks (about 2.25 mm) are used by some jazz guitarists for a clean, controlled sound with quick release. That's what they were designed for, but they work well for bass.

I play both pickstyle and fingerstyle, but my pick playing (usually with a 2mm Adamas graphite pick) definitely has more bottom, top and definition.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by MegaAngus:
Muttluk, Lars couldnt search the hard drive in your computer to see if you have Metallica MP3's...thats hacking, which is very illegal, and very hard unless you are on a network. They do it by seeing who's transfering Metallica songs through Napster. Thats how. But i downloaded "Orion" a few days ago...nothing happened. So just dont download any Metallica songs off Napster if you dont want to get caught. Whether you have any on your hard drive or not is irrelevant.


I hope that made sense!<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

take a joke dude.

It's all...yeah right

Hit the thing with a squash if it sounds good to you.

Agreeing with a lot of posts but I'm away from the subject

I use both pick and fingers. Depending on the groove and tone needed.

Jim

I don't dig picks when it comes to bass. Actually I don't even use it on guitar anymore.

I can take a joke Muttluk! See, i thought you were actually serious! On the internet, its much harder to tell whether people are serious or not...theres so many morons out there that its hard to tell whether someone IS stupid or is acting that way, etc. (No, im not calling you stupid!). But, the way you make sure you can tell its a joke is by using the ol' smiley face. But, dont have to. Anyway, yeah, there. It didnt sound like a joke. Good ol' internet.

i think i started using a pick, but ended up just using my fingers cause i kept losing them. i prefer the feel of the bass playing with fingers (as opposed to my...errr?)...
more natural, you can feel the sounds, maaaaan.

oh and just one more thing...

picks sound nice when anyone else uses them. when i use one it sounds BAD!

i think i started using a pick, but ended up just using my fingers cause i kept losing them. i prefer the feel of the bass playing with fingers (as opposed to my...errr?)...
more natural, you can feel the sounds, maaaaan.

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Rob W:
I highly recommend using a pick AND your fingers. Both approaches are very versatile if studied carefully but neither is nearly as versatile on its own as both methods combined.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Amen, Rob. Chris Squire always comes to mind first as an example of a great bassist who uses a pick. Also Andy West of the Dregs. I believe John Entwhistle uses both methods.

Frankly, I don't understand the intolerance toward bassists who pick. I started out using my fingers, but taught myself picking to get a more stacatto sound (I use either a dunlop medium or heavy standard guitar pick). I still use both it just depends on the type of song. Now I'm teaching myself slap so that I have yet another arrow in my sonic quiver. Do people have a problem with this, too? I also have a pair of Tony Levin's funk fingers: is this variety or blasphemy?

Finally, I would humbly disagree with those who say that picking causes a bass to get lost. I have actually been in a studio situation where I actually had to use a pick on a song becuase it turned out to be the best (not the only) way from turning the bottom end of the track into mud.

I am left handed but play right handed, so my right (picking hand) fingers are less coordinated than most people, so I use a pick almost all the time. Playing righty makes my fretting hand feel more natural. I also like to play some really fast stuff that would be very hard to do with fingers. I also like to use really thick picks (2-3mm) I think they work better with big bass strings and sound less rattley.

i think playng with my fingers is alot easier than using a pic and it gives off a better sound

I agree with Muttluk-
everyone uses thicker picks thinking that they will better handle a bass string:
try using a thin pick!
you sacrifice volume, but gain clarity and lose that "CLICKA-CLICKA" you get otherwise.
And you can always turn up your amp.
This may be taken as sacrilege by any punks out there, but I believe that one of the best bass players ever was Cliff Burton. I don't play metal, I just think that Cliff...
nevermind. Anyways, MetalBass, I think that the style of player dictated the use of picks or not. Try playing Pulling Teeth with a pick! Now, if you're playing a Matt Freeman cover and you don't even try Mr. Pick, you should be hung by your toes. So experiment!

My fingers' got raw man. I have to use a pick or I'll die cause of that pain...

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The Only Mask I Wear is the One I was Born With..

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by pirata:
Quote:
I can't use a pick, and there are two reasons. Number one, they were designed for guitar! Which means they're way too thin for the fat bass strings. To me, it just doesn't feel right to use that thin little pick on bass.
Number two(and this is more philosophical) if you think about some of the most intricate, beautiful guitar music is played with the fingers. So why should bass players give up such a valuable resource? Besides, you can get an almost pick-like sound by playing close to the bridge and turning up the treble.

You can use other picks than just thin ones. When I do use a pick, I use a 3mm stubby. I feel that that is plenty thick enough to do justice to bass strings. http://www.talkbass.com/ubb/biggrin.gif<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

I've used thicker picks, and it still doesn't feel right.

when i first started out on bass. people said that using a pick would be alot easier. but i just suck at using a pick. i think when you first start out on pick you can go alot faster than starting on you fingures. it took me a while to get used to using two fingures. it took a while to build up the speed with fingures too. but i think it all depends on the music and person and just what works out the best for that person. in my case i just sucked with a pick and sticked to my fingures. i think both ways have their benfits and downsides. their is nothing wrong with using a pick. it just matters what works for you.

I use my fingers to hold my 1mm Dunlop pick. Does that count as both at the same time?

What I'm saying is this: Using a pick doesn't give you less control over the sound, like some people say. It gives you another sound, and as much control over it as with fingerstyle. I play mainly pick and sometimes fingerstyle on a fretted bass, and fingerstyle (3 fingers) and thumb (like Sting) on a fretless, and I have been caught in the act several times using a pick on a fretless....

In fact I do use fingers AND pick at the same time. One song I play requires a double bass plucked like sound in the verses and a picked heavy (distorted) sound in the choruses. During the verses I hold the pick with my index while plucking with thumb and middle finger. Ever tried that?

I'm done rambling thank you.


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I play really bad. I'm just a guy with a lotta stuff.

Somehow i can't understand some of you guys.
Such a lot of players tell that you can´t be fast with a pick. I tell you what, and that isn't meant to be a provocation, but i play the pick with no fret noise or something at LEAST as fast as these 4 finger monsters do. At the moment i'm trying to improve my fingerstyle, but if it comes up to incredible speed, pick rules. By the way, i'm playing black metal for quite a while and like Dunlop 0.71 the best (the polished pink ones)

Johannes

Here we go again! :rolleyes:

Originally posted by msaygilar
My fingers' got raw man. I have to use a pick or I'll die cause of that pain...

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The Only Mask I Wear is the One I was Born With..


They just don't make 'em like they used to...:rolleyes:

I have been using a pick since I started playing bass. Pickwise I use a Dunlop Tortex 1.14mm fin pick. Bass players that I listen to that use a pick: Jason Newsted, Chris Squire, and quite a few others that I can't recall right now.

I use my fingers (index and middle), thumb (not slap), and a pick (Fender medium).

you all are freaks!! you use either fingers or picks?? isn't it alot easier to use the guitar player to get that sound you want. oh wait...nevermind... :D



i started using fingers but couldn't get enough speed to play most of what i wanted. when i got the pick i got the speed that was needed...but after a while thought it would be handy to learn the finger method too. now i am almost a full breed fingerer cept for when i play manson. i just can't get Lunchbox right without a pick.

My fingers' got raw man. I have to use a pick or I'll die cause of that pain...


Eventually you build calluses on your fingers if you
keep it up....

It's been six years since the last post so hopefully
you are at that level....

:bassist:

Personally, I think it all depends on what I'm playing. If I wanna play Black or Death metal I'm gonna use a pick. When I play rock or blues I'm using my fingers. I think I get more speed out of my fingers, and a lot less fret noise.

i understand that there are several totally different ways of playing the bass guitar...but can we please stop the insanity????NO MORE PICK OR FINGERS related threads, they get so old...there is a sticky one and there is never anything new in the other threads that hasent already been posted like a thousand times.

besides, real men use their fingers...actually thats a joke, play how you like...really, i mean it.

i played with a pick for the first 3 years or so that i was playing and i started doing different things that required fingers and i switched over and it was the best decision i ever made bass wyse, cause it improved my playing times10 and i have alot more feel

ugh, i mainly just get sick of people saying that playing with picks is just for metal or punk.

you get WONDERFUL TONE with a pick (provided you have a good setup with the pickups and your rig). Just look at Phil Lesh and Mike Gordon.

Im a devoted pick player at the moment, although experimenting with fingerstyle. Ive sumtimes find that i literally do both at the same time tho, will drop the pick for a bit then go bk to it (i like chewing picks :D ) also find i can use my 3rd finger wile usin a pick at times.

But i find you do get a variety of sounds either way but i definately prefer my pick sound. I use a tortex blue pick the SHARP ones. I play close to the neck when i want that warmer sound and if i play even closer to the bridge then i can sound like im through a telephone which is pretty amusing for intros :p .

Oh and im a backward guitarist, when i fiddle around on guitar i only use my fingers when i play bass i use a pick! YES IM RETARDED!!!! :bassist:

Played at the start with a pick, now I am using fingerstyle more often now.

I also like relatively thin picks, I usually use nylon ones because they don't break. I like the nice "snap" I get with it and I adjust my pickup blend control so I won't lose bass. I play with my fingers more but digging in hard with a pick is great fun.

I guess that a REAL bassist would play a double and use a bow according to some who feel what is right and what is wrong with what someone using to create string vibration.

I use fingers or pick depending on many factors. So I guess I am a bassist only some of the time.

We need a poll to vote on if there should ever be another thread created on this topic.