I'm giving up on fingerstyle after 3 years.....

[The Beast]

The reason there is pick snobberey is because there are alot of terrible players who use it as an easy way out.

However, I have seen some guys who completely destroy with picks.

Personally, i cant play with a pick at all.

[AngelCrusher]

[ and let's face it... you get laid more when you play with a pick and a long strap girls dont think 'mr bass under his chin/wiggly thumb' is cool [/quote]

I know you are joking (hopefully), but anyone who chooses their technique and bass position on what girls think is a total poser. Play for yourself, and your band, and girls will be a nonissue.

[Aaron Saunders]

Originally Posted by AngelCrusher

[ and let's face it... you get laid more when you play with a pick and a long strap girls dont think 'mr bass under his chin/wiggly thumb' is cool

I know you are joking (hopefully), but anyone who chooses their technique and bass position on what girls think is a total poser. Play for yourself, and your band, and girls will be a nonissue.[/quote]
It was a joke. You might want to remove that 36" scale fodera from your tuckus!

Picks = good, fingers = good. If it feels good, it is good.

[halfamind]

Originally Posted by cowsgomoo

and let's face it... you get laid more when you play with a pick and a long strap girls dont think 'mr bass under his chin/wiggly thumb' is cool

They may be true with giggly high school girls, but I promise you, women know what Mr Wiggly thumb and his speed-triplet hand-mates can do for them. The best sex of my life was with women who got that (especially my wife!).

As for the pick, IMHO (don't flame, I'm not) while I love the sound of a well picked bass, to my ear, the bass starts to morph towards being more guitar-like and further away from the mighty DB.

But that's just my groove.

[Rich600]

Why did the dude who started this call himself a noob after 3 years? ive been playing over 2 years and i wouldnt say i was new, my knowledge and technique are better than some people i know whov been playing much longer...Back to the topic, you should try and mix pick and fingers and just play with which ever when you feel the need/want to, i find it very effective.

[csholtmeier]

I switched to primarily pick three months ago after about eight years of fingerstyle. The music I am playing now absolutely requires it. It took a lot more practice to get picking down than I thought it would. I definitely have more respect for good pick players now.

I am really enjoying the sound I am getting. Locking the bass in with the double kick creates a clean, machine-gun like sound. I tuck the pick between my index and middle fingers for slap parts.

[AngelCrusher]

Originally Posted by Govithoy

I know you are joking (hopefully), but anyone who chooses their technique and bass position on what girls think is a total poser. Play for yourself, and your band, and girls will be a nonissue.

It was a joke. You might want to remove that 36" scale fodera from your tuckus!

Picks = good, fingers = good. If it feels good, it is good.[/quote]


hehe..no fodera up high here..fender jazz for me thanks.

[daddyo]

OK. Now to really screw things up. I play fingerstyle bass and classical and steel string fingerstyle guitar. I am always cutting my fingernails for bass gigs then having to suffer with my guitar playing. I can play bass just fine with fingernails but it has a edgy, non-traditional sound. Does any one else play like this? I play a P-bass with flatwounds in church and like the old school smooth tone.

[Selta]

Originally Posted by daddyo

OK. Now to really screw things up. I play fingerstyle bass and classical and steel string fingerstyle guitar. I am always cutting my fingernails for bass gigs then having to suffer with my guitar playing. I can play bass just fine with fingernails but it has a edgy, non-traditional sound. Does any one else play like this? I play a P-bass with flatwounds in church and like the old school smooth tone.

I've heard this is how Steve Harris gets his sound, by letting his fingernails grow. Also, I think it would just sound more like a pick then, rather than something totally obsurd or anything. I personally like picks for their attack and how the sound isnt as boomy. That's me though, I can play fingerstyle as well, jsut prefer the pick .


Ray

[The Golden Boy]

I've been playing with a pick for around 20+ years. I'm happy with it. I can do most of what I want to do, the bass sounds pretty much how I want it to sound in my head. I play with my fingers if I deem the situation calls for fingers- but I'd rather not.

I haven't come across a major problem with being a pick only player in that time- and I really don't care what people think. It's a good thing when someone decides to do what's right for them vs. whatever someone else's ideal of the "proper" bass player. Playing is about enjoying and expressing yourself- if you can do what you want to do your way- go for it.

There's no excuse for "pick snobbery."

[Metal Chick]

I have never really played with a pick. I have two reasons for this. The first reason is that I can barely play a 12 Bar Blues progression in quarter notes using a pick. The second reason is that I simply prefer the deeper sound that comes from fingerpicking.

I don't have anything against bassists who use picks. If you play better with a pick, then play with a pick. Even though I prefer the sound of fingerstyle, I don't think that a bassist's technique should be judged on whether or not he/she uses a little piece of plastic to hit the strings.

[Jazzbasslover]

Squidfinger, don't give up completely on fingerstyle. Sometimes there's nothing better for musical inspiration than to try something different such as grabbing a pick or detuning or using some type of effect. You said that you are on autopilot. I know the feeling. Things sound the same, no inspiration. One of the things I do when I'm on auto pilot is to listen to music that I normally wouldn't listen to and then see how I can take that listening experience and apply it to the style of music that I normally play and listen to. I also like to create bass lines in my head and then play them on the bass. Sometimes the line I come up with in my head can be insanely difficult to play on the bass but when I am finally able to hammer it out it's like I've overcome a stumbling block and have learned a little more. If you want to play with a pick, do it and have fun. But a pick is no substitute for a lack of creativity that we all encounter from time to time.

[Squidfinger]

Thanks for the kind words Jazzbasslover.

Well, here's the update. I've gone back to fingerstyle . It seems the only reason fingerstyle ever really got on my nerves was the lack of definition and volume it had versus pickstyle. I think it had alot to do with the flats also. Picking got me closer to the sounded I realize now I always wanted (a heavy piano tone) so I think that's why I gravitated towards it for a bit.


I've decided that I'm going make the jump back to rounds. The thing about rounds that bothered me the most and made me change to flats is that "shick" noise you get everytime you slide up and down the strings. I thought there was no way to get around that but I've been doing some reading here lately and it's just sloppiness in my technique. I'm gonna get a set of DR Hi-beams here hopefully very soon. I'm actually excited about the challenge.

[Nova52]

Yeah I know this is a bass site but you gotta watch the other artists too. Kirk hammet is a good example...
If you ever see a close up of him (ESP catalog has a good one)
you can see that he has a pick tied to his hand just out of the way for fingerstyle. that way, he can arpeggiate all he wants and then smack the guitar w/ the pick. I tried it.... then my pick-tie broke and it sucked... I say, grow out your nails a little for a pick sound at one angle and a nice meaty finger sound at a lower angle... then you can slap too.

[slinkp]

Originally Posted by hyperlitem

ive been recently kinda digging the tone but i still cant really bring myself to play with one. I just use too many techniques when im jamming that a pick limits me on. When you play with a pick thats all your playing with till u throw it down, then u cant have it back/

It's actually possible to shift the pick over to your ring and little fingers and sort of tuck it into your palm, leaving the thumb and first two fingers free - then when you want the pick again, sort of scoop the thumb under it to bring it back out. Try it! It only takes me a beat or two at moderate tempo to switch this way, and I'd probably get faster if I did it more often.
It does take getting used to and is pretty easy to screw up :-)

Did you ever think about using one of those picks which you attach to your thumb so that when you don't need it you just ignore it. (You could even slap with them although it might be a bit harder and sound a little different) Furthermore you can also do a lot with a pick.

I tried a thumbpick for a little while. I just couldn't get used to it.

[hands5]

I play all styles when needed, because IMHO a player needs to have everything he or she can have in there repetoire whether it be all types of music or technique..I believe that it has been refered to as versatility.In some cases the more the better.

[srxplayer]

Originally Posted by James Hart

nothin' wrong with a pick. Lots of Master Players use them. I have fun with one now and again.... it's just another tool to express yourself

+1