Metal technique

Matthew Bryson · #1 11-21-2001, 02:23 PM

I've been really getting into metal lately - and playing it finger style. I only play for my enjoyment at this point - jamming with my albums - sometimes it's hard to keep up and I know that the bassist on the album is using a pick - but I figure it's just good practice for my fingers and I'll always want to work on improving finger speed. How many other people play metal finger style? How many play finger style usually, but go to the pick for the speed metal?

jsbassist · #2 11-21-2001, 02:47 PM

Well, a lot of metal bass players use their fingers, but some of the older metal bassist like Megadeth, Motrohead, etc. use a pick. I play metal,and I use a pick, but I also love metallica, an dI play a lot of it, and Jason uses a pick, but I like the oick sound better.

ThePaste · #3 11-21-2001, 04:15 PM

Steve Harris plays fingerstyle in Iron Maiden. He's really good.

cassanova · #4 11-22-2001, 01:51 AM

im wierd, when i play metal with my friends, ill start with a pick, then in the same song switch to fingerstyle, or start it fingerstyle and switch to a pick, and do this a couple of times in the same song.

red-hot-bassist · #5 11-22-2001, 03:15 AM

when i played sandman with some guys i played pick, i had to get a sharper sound cos he liked his pedals, (fret wanker)

samoth · #6 11-22-2001, 03:34 AM

I develloped the same teknic of Alex webster from Cannibal Corpse !!!

It's amazing but very hard !!!

Try to use your 4 fingers...At the first time cycle your fingers slowly ( index -> middle -> ring -> auriculair) ... Don't hesitate to train anywhere !!! In the bus when you come back home...at school on your desktop... because you have to train your muscle to do the movement precisely. Increase the speed of the movement slowly.In 2 or 3 months you should do it fastly...

You should listen some Cannibal corpse's albums to have an idea of what is speed bass in metal !!!

If you want some other advises contact me at Samoth.samoth @caramail.com !!!!!........

Bye !!!!

bassduder · #7 11-22-2001, 02:39 PM

can someone tell me some good CC songs to get where i can hear websters technique
thanks

samoth · #8 11-23-2001, 12:25 AM

Just type "cannibal corpse mp3" in yahoo.com.....

Try to download songs of the new album called "Bloodthirst".....

But if you find the "Hammer smashed face" live song of cannibal !!! Don't hesitate to download it (this song appear in the movie "Ace Ventura" when Ventura enter in a Cannibal live at the beginning of the movie ) !!!
This song is not the more brutal of the band but there is a cool bass solo at the intro .....

Enjoy the true death metal !!!

**Hategear** · #9 11-23-2001, 01:10 AM

When I first started playing bass, I really wanted to play finger-style. I play in a cover band and I would like to play the songs using the technique used by the "original" bassist. However, my wrists are so gunked up, I couldn't (and can't) play finger-style with the speed I need for some of the songs we play, so I was "forced" into playing with a pick. Some people consider playing bass with a pick "cheating." I however, do what I do with what I have.

I know Steve Harris is ungodly fast with his fingers. Another guy that's quite fast is (drumroll), Beefcake the Mighty of (another drumroll) GWAR! Check out some video of him during his Scumdogs of the Universe days.

EDIT: I know that the guy that "plays" Beefcake has changed a few times over the years and that the Scumdogs and America Beef is not the same musician as the Carnival and Violence Beef. Some of you need to stop PMing me with your little "tips" about the band.

i_ love_ bass · #10 11-25-2001, 03:04 PM

i don't get it??? how can you go faster with a pick????? i sure can't, you have 1 pick, and four fingers, do the math, you can go much faster with fingers then one pick

poopy

EskimoBob · #11 11-26-2001, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by i_ love_ bass
i don't get it??? how can you go faster with a pick????? i sure can't, you have 1 pick, and four fingers, do the math, you can go much faster with fingers then one pick

poopy

i agree with you totally there... i dunno what it is, i just can't get the pick to work for me at the moment... but i'm learning... the fastest way i can play with a pick is to incorperate up and down strokes really fast, but i invariably end up dropping the bloody thing... then again, i'm using the fattest pick known to man, so i should probably get one a bit skinnier.

simon a

bassbedlamite · #12 11-26-2001, 02:32 PM

If you tremelo pick the bass then you can definately go faster than even all four fingers... but why would you want to? if you tremelo the bass or pick it at all for that matter, you lose the depth and thickness that electric bass needs. electric basses emulate the uprights, correct? the electric bass itself can't be as thick as the upright, but playing with a pick doesn't help that.
I'll take a little finger speed with my metal thank you very much.
*steps down from soapbox* lol

i_ love_ bass · #13 11-26-2001, 09:26 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by bassbedlamite
If you tremelo pick the bass then you can definately go faster than even all four fingers... but why would you want to? if you tremelo the bass or pick it at all for that matter, you lose the depth and thickness that electric bass needs. electric basses emulate the uprights, correct? the electric bass itself can't be as thick as the upright, but playing with a pick doesn't help that.
I'll take a little finger speed with my metal thank you very much.
*steps down from soapbox* lol

whats a tremelo pick????

bassbedlamite · #14 11-26-2001, 10:29 PM

tremelo picking, quite simply is just picking on the up and down strokes, very fast. it's very common in death/black metal for guitar. when you do it on bass, the sound is horrible. there was an awesome band around here, and their bass player always did this and it killed the whole sound.
in my opinion, it's just funner to build up the strength in your plucking fingers. i always enjoy trying to get my pinky/ring finger to do 16ths together

fun fun fun.

EskimoBob · #15 11-27-2001, 08:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by bassbedlamite
tremelo picking, quite simply is just picking on the up and down strokes, very fast. it's very common in death/black metal for guitar. when you do it on bass, the sound is horrible. there was an awesome band around here, and their bass player always did this and it killed the whole sound.
in my opinion, it's just funner to build up the strength in your plucking fingers.

totally agree with that one, my boy... i think practicing with a pick is a good idea, though, to give songs some variation... and, i dunno if this would work, but has anyone tried pinched harmonics on bass (i just thought of it this second)?

keep it real

simon a

leper · #16 11-30-2001, 01:34 AM

jaco did pinch harmonics all the time

**Hategear** · #17 11-30-2001, 01:55 AM

I guess hundreds of pick-using bass players must be wrong.

30 Helens agree, "Picks rule!"

XxBassmanxX · #18 11-30-2001, 02:41 PM

John Myung of Dream theater does some really quick metal with fingers. Also i like the versitility of not having something in your hands. Seems it would be kind of hard to slap or do 2 staccato you know? BTW dont think im bashing picks. I really like the sound of a pick for some songs. Sometimes it just fits the mood.

downstairs · #19 11-30-2001, 10:55 PM

I used to play with a pick alot, but then i found out that if you double slap the bass (thumb/pinkie) you get a really neat sound. but i can play finger style pretty fast (i'm gonna start trying the 4 finger thing in a little bit).

Godcreep · #20 12-03-2001, 04:07 PM

I always play finger style .. I tried using a pick, but it's just not my 'thing' ... besides your sound is much more warmer and thicker when you play with your fingers ... but that's just a matter of taste ...

Just watch Steve Harris from Iron Maiden ... he's the reason I started playin' bass .... with my fingers ...