Fingers vs pick

[prd004]

Learn both!

I was exclusively a finger player forever and a day. It's still my favorite and I'm glad I have it down, but it wasn't until many years into it that I saw the light of doing both.

Somewhere down the road it is a high probability that some bandleader/songwriter will ask you to use one or the other and being proficient at both will keep more opportunities available.

[walterw]

yeah, the "vs." needs to go.

i'm a proud pick player (having come from guitar) but my fingerstyle is getting better. some songs need one, some need the other. (the ones that need slapping i just don't do, sorry )

actually, in my town i find that "real" bass players who are good with a pick are rare.

[thorplaysbass]

Whatever the song needs. Tone is tone, and to each his own.

I think it's nice to have one of those picks that wrap around your thumb, just in case you feel the need to have a rather aggressive part or accent of a song. That way you can switch back and forth no problem, you just need to get the slapping part down with that thing on your thumb.

[BassPlayer900]

I've got a P bass and a SansAmp BDDI. With these, I can get some pretty cool tones by playing with a pick, and the same goes for my fingers.

When I want Rickenbacker-style tone, I use a pick. When I want to get a deeper sound, I play fingerstyle and turn the tone knob down a little. My skills with pick and finger style are similar now, so I like using both a lot. Depending on the song I'm playing and what sort of sound I want, I switch between the two.

[maxgrant]

I've used a pick in the past. Yellow tortex, my favorite. I still keep them around, but I'm too paranoid about dropping them to want to depend on them. Once I start playing a song with a pick, it's usually all over with -- I can't not play it after that. So I stick to fingerstyle and there is enough there for me to refine as far as sound that I'm not feeling limited at all. Maybe one day when I'm not the lead singer I can afford the extra bandwidth to re-acquire pick skills. But I've got a ton to worry about these days, and keeping track of picks is not one of those things I want in between leading the band, writing the songs, singing the songs, and playing the bass in a 3-piece.

[PaulMacCnj]

I mostly, about 90% of the time, play fingerstyle. There are some songs that I prefer the sharp attack of a pick. Try a few different picks to see what you like. For me, thickness depends on the material. For hard, dense picks, something around .77. For softer picks, 1.0. The drop test is a way to get an idea what sound the pick will add. Drop a pick flat on a hard surface and listen to the sound it makes. Some picks will produce a very trebly, pingy sound. Others will produce a thud. This is the influence it will have on the string sound.

[Bo_H]

Ever thought about finger picks? They come in plastic too...

[Knifedge]

I prefer fingers, but I have developed my own way of using my fingers to get a sharp attack on my sound, very close to the sound of a pick, but without that very slight pick stroke sound. Instead of plucking on a string with my finger when I need that attack, I "hammer" my finger straight into the string, kind of like a piano hammer hits a string when you hit a key, except I deflect my finger off the string slightly, so a bit of a variation of a finger pluck. THere is a definite difference in attack and clarity when I use this approach.

[SDMFJay]

I started out with a pick for the first few years learning bass, then switched to fingers when I found that it made my tone sound a whole lot better. Picks just don't feel right at all now and I probably won't ever switch back.

[Rebmo]

I use a pick for pick songs and fingers for finger songs.

[VanillaThundah]

Use both...believe me, this will not only be the smart thing to do, you will have much more respect from fellow bassists for being well-versed in more than one technique. It never hurts, plus you will be much more likely to get better session work when you diversify.

[Bredian]

This video of Fab Faux was posted earlier, but I couldn't help but notice Will Lee's pickn.... upstrokes?


The Fab Faux - Abbey Road Side 2 (mostly) on Vimeo


Depends on the sound I need.

[ksandvik]

Now and then I try a pick just to get that punk rock sound and realize I could do that with my fingers, too...

[klejst]

I will say I would love to get the sound of pick playing while being able to play as fast as with fingers.

[keiththebassist]

There's absolutely no need to have only one style over the other. I like them both for different reasons and I use both depending on what I think works better in terms of sound and then in terms of technique. Personally, I like it when I prefer the sound of the more difficult technique because it makes an easy place for me to start my improvement.

The only thing I can really say is that I don't think you should use either technique because it's easier for you, you should do it because it sounds better to you. Doing something a certain way just because it's easier is kind of a cop out in my eyes and neglecting a great opportunity to become better at something that your not proficient in.

[zfunkman]

I learned with a pick . . . but once I learned how to play with my fingers I never used a pick again. I felt an amazing sense of freedom with my fingers. I also felt I had more control over my tone. Its also easier to go into slapping mode playing with fingers. I'd never be able to get those Jaco riffs down playing with a pick.

[Ezmar]

I use pick when playing some Yes stuff, when the pick sound is really necessary, or when you can't play it the same way with fingerstyle. I just don't like playing bass with a pick much, and I started on guitar. It's just how I am, I guess.