hi, i'm just a beginer in playing bass,i've been playing guitar since i was a kid. i'm used to alternate picking, and i applied it in playing bass. i can do a bit fast solos just like in a guitar, the rhythm is steady,and the sound is much clear when i use the pick.i play mostly metal and alternative rock.

my question is, is it necessary or is it a requirement for a bass player to learn how to finger pluck? does it make me a lesser bass player, if i did'nt master finger plucking?

i would really like to hear from you guys. thanks a lot!!:bassist:

At least in my opinion, it does not make you less of a player at all, just check out some Carol Kaye stuff, all of that is played with a pick.

Grant

It doesn't make you a lesser player, but learning to play fingerstyle will make you a more well-rounded bass player. Any skill that you can develop that furthers your abilities makes you more valuable to bands in the future (you might not need it now, but I guarantee that you will!).

It's not necessary, but I would highly recommend it! :)

I, too, used to play guitar, strictly flat picking style. I switched to bass and only play finger style. I don't like how I play or sound on bass with a pick. But, guess what, that doesn't mean anything to anyone else. Flat picking a bass is what you make of it and there are plenty of great players doing so. Incidentally, if you still want a deeper sound like what is usually associated with finger plucking, use the pick over the neck where it joins the body.

Paul Mac

It doesn't make you a lesser player, but learning to play fingerstyle will make you a more well-rounded bass player. Any skill that you can develop that furthers your abilities makes you more valuable to bands in the future (you might not need it now, but I guarantee that you will!).

It's not necessary, but I would highly recommend it! :)


This is probably the best advice you'll get.

and..
Joe Osborn is either primarily or exclusively a pick player IIRC.

thanks guys for all the replies! i noticed that plucking technique is really an issue.. i'm just used with the pick.
another question is.. is palm muting applicable in playing bass?:bassist:

I believe so. Check out some Manowar stuff. I can almost guarantee that Joey does palm-muting.

Hi

You can play bass anyway you want ! No rules, but as told by other in the foreum, it´s a good idea to check out finger playing, if you want to have a more fat bass sound and play various of music styles.

If you like the sound of pick playing, check out Duff McKagan from Guns and roses and Simon Gallup from The cure. They both have their very own distinct sound. You can always tell it´s them playing, by their sound.

I play the bass both way, depending on what song I´m playing and wich musicstyle the band playes.

Good luck playing bass...

Ole - Motjiva.

thanks guys for all the replies! i noticed that plucking technique is really an issue.. i'm just used with the pick.
another question is.. is palm muting applicable in playing bass?:bassist:
You're asking the wrong people. You need to ask your other band members. If it sounds good and fits with what you're doing, then it's acceptable. If it sounds like crap, it's not. Same thing with asking if it's acceptable to play with a wah peddle, or distortion, or to write moving bass lines versus root only. It all depends on the music you're playing.

If you don't want to learn finger style, then don't. If you like what you're playing with a pick, stick with that. If you start to feel limited, then maybe try it.

I'm saying that coming from the opposite view. I don't play with a pick. Don't want to. Should I learn how to just to have that extra trick in the bag? I don't think so. I haven't played anything yet where I felt like it'd be easier to play with a pick. So, if you'd rather use a pick all the time that's your decision.

Lots of people are prejudice against pick players. Whether they are right or wrong is unimportant. If you stick with bass I can almost guarantee that some future band will want you to play finger style at some point... if not exclusively. I started with a pick and now I play finger style only. I can still play pick if required but I find the fingers sound better for the kind of music I currently play.

that can be a pretty dangerous question here on TB...

is it necessary? no. is it necessary to be a valuable and versatile bassist? yes.

I find that certain songs drive better with a pick while others flow better with your fingers. For me its very easy to get two completely different sounds by just tossing the pick to the crowd assuming you consider 6 people a crowd.

ei, thanks guys for all of your time and opinions! you rock!!:bassist:

as a guitarist that picked up bass, take a moment to listen to my .02 cents.

I first started with a pick because it was the easiest way to get results and play music. I didn't think 2 years later I would come to love bass as much as I do now. Consequently, I have found that I want to get into different styles and genres of bass playing, such as slapping. I now have to correct all the bad techniques I learned when I started playing bass. For example, I used to literally pluck the strings like a classical guitarist, instead of striking them and muting the next string.

I have also found that ever since I bought "a real rig," my bass sounds much better when played fingerstyle than with a pick.

My suggestion to you would be keep playing with a pick, but dedicate a small bit of time to researching the various finger techniques out there. You'll eventually find one you like and then just work at it until you're proficient enough to play live.

Although you may not realize it now, you will probably want to get into finger plucking at some point in time.

Hey -

I'm a jazz guitar player too - and have done everything with a pick.

Then I found that jazz great Joe Pass plays with plucking. Country great Brett Mason (THE lead guitarist in Nashville) plays with a pick and has artificial nails on his right hand which are shaped into "picks" on this middle and ring fingers.

All depends what you want to do. If you're pickin' on a bass, though, forget slapping and popping. Personally, I've found that the most versatile right hand position on a bass is like that of a classical guitar player - God gave you five fingers oin the right hand...use all of them.

Of course it's necessary.
I play about 99% with my fingers, but that other 1% is a pick.

IMO, you should be able to do both efficiently. You'll go further if you can do more.

I dont think that using a pick makes anybody less of a bass player. I used a pick for 10 years. I always use my fingers now. I find that I can move across the strings much faster with my fingers.

I'm probably gonna get rammed for this one but...

I take a little pride in playing with my fingers because any guitarist can pick up a bass and play it with a pick. Granted, they usualy cant get the sound that a true bassist can, but they could suffice.

However, most guitar players can't pick up a bass and play it with their fingers.

This is only my point of view.

If you like a pick, then by all means use it. I think a bass sounds great when played that way.

You need both - they're tools. it's common for guitar players to start out playing with a pick, then learn finger style as they realize that it adds necessary sounds to their toolbox. My recommendation is to start working on finger style.

Don't listen to the people that think you have to do one or the other. What's important is A)You're playing what makes you comfortable and B)You're playing what is best for the song. Learning to use your fingers will make you more versatile, and there's nothing wrong with that (yes, some people will tell you otherwise). Just be open-minded and don't rule out learning a technique if you think it'll work for what you're doing.

its your instrument.....play it how you want. period.

i agree that you should try all different styles and methods of playing...both for your own growth as a musician and just for the experience. also, playing different styles may or maynot sound better with a pick. but get some feedback from your bandmates, but ultimately make your own decision.

ei, thanks for all the replies.it was very enlighting.

well right now, its hard for me to have a steady rhythm using my fingers, using the pick seems so easier because i've been playing guitar for a long time.

but i really love the way the slap and pop technique sounds. is there a way in which i can use the pick for rhythm, then shift to fingers while i slap and pop?

what do you guys usually do? :confused:

Switching between pick and fingers for slapping is probably possible, guitar players kind of do that with tapping, but I can't think of an easy way to do it. I think you'd have to kind of "palm" the pick and maybe hold it against your palm with your pinkie and/or ring finger, then slap with your thumb and index/middle. That in itself should be do-able, but switching back to pick might be a little difficult.

On the pick vs. fingers issue in general, I agree with what most have said; ultimately it is your choice what you want to do. I am primarily a funk/jazz player but I've played in several metal and hardcore bands. I never have and probably never will use a pick. I find that when playing in heavier groups, being a fingerstyle bassist makes you stand out with a unique sound compared to other heavy bands. Most heavy groups the bass is pick only, so that sound is expected.

Definitely if you want to conform to the typical metal sound, a pick is the way to go. If you want to change things up though, there are a lot of things that you can play with your fingers which are impossible with a pick. String hopping is really the biggest thing. Try to alternate between notes on the E and D or E and G strings back and forth fairly quickly, playing this kind of thing with a pick is probably possible but not nearly as easy. I also play chords like major or minor 10ths (like A on the E string and C# on the G string), you need fingers for that.

I think you can get a pretty heavy sound from playing with your fingers, maybe not exactly the same as a pick but different is not always bad. It's always good to have the option to use one or the other. If you get your fingers somewhat up to speed and you see no point to it, just use a pick, it's not a crime. On the other hand, maybe you'll love it or you'll see new possibilities that you couldn't play with a pick.

I always had respect for people who play with a pick, I'm useless with it. Some day you'll need finger style and will develop it, so until then just enjoy your bass playing. :)

I like my fingers. Its gives such a groove sound when you master it.
If you play devil's music like green day and the so called "emo" scene i can recommend you to use a pick.

Devil's music? give me a break.

You're from Sweden, you know what devil's music is.

(totally not insulting Sweden, just commenting on the copious amounts of Black and Death metal that comes from there.)

ei, tnx for all your rplies!! you freakin rock! i was thinking of buying a thumb pick, would that be a good solution for the pick to finger switching? but would it cause damage to the strings by hitting it continous with slapping? thanks!:bassist:

Devil's music? give me a break.

You're from Sweden, you know what devil's music is.

(totally not insulting Sweden, just commenting on the copious amounts of Black and Death metal that comes from there.)

Höhö, i mean that green day use black satanic magic to sell there records.

I was a longtime guitar player who switched to bass 2 years ago because an R&B band needed a bass player in a hurry. I spent the first 6 months with the band as a pick player because my timing/rhythm was MUCH better with pick than fingers. But the more I listened closely to the original versions of our tunes, the more I realized that I really NEEDED to play fingerstyle -- it really helps when you're playing a bass line that has a lot of syncopation and "groove" feel to it. So while the band was on a break for a few months, I practiced fingerstyle every night. It took me a while to get it right, but I'm MUCH happier as a fingerstyle player now. I could still play pick if I feel like it would work better for a particular song, but I'm definitely glad I know both styles.

You have to play with fingers cause pix are for chix :spit:



just kidding, play as you want, especially cause you played guitar

is there a way in which i can use the pick for rhythm, then shift to fingers while i slap and pop?


Yes, there is a way you just have to find it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kUwO9xkyDnA - the bassist in video picks and slaps/pops. I don't know where is he holding a pick

As people have said, you can play with whatever technique you are comfortable.

Just FYI, here's an example of some of
Gary Willis, who I think has the most refined right-hand technique of any bass guitarist:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6qPOTX6OlM&mode=related&search=
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufMhW4ia1U8&mode=related&search=

He also does a lot of cool muting stuff.