pick and moving please help please

BassGuitarBoss · #1 02-05-2010, 09:20 PM

i luv the sound that a pick makes, well i try using a pick but it always slips rite out of my hands wen i play. also how do u hit one string without hiting the other 3. also i wanna move around on stage, but its hard to use a pick and move around on stage beacause its hard to hit the strings. so any advice how to hold a pick and not have it slip out of my hands. also how do i hit one string without playing a note on the other 3 strings. also how do u run around on stage and use the pick cause everytime i move around and play with a pick i always mess up????!!! thanks alot

Benny4Strings · #2 02-05-2010, 09:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BassGuitarBoss

i luv the sound that a pick makes, well i try using a pick but it always slips rite out of my hands wen i play. also how do u hit one string without hiting the other 3. also i wanna move around on stage, but its hard to use a pick and move around on stage beacause its hard to hit the strings. so any advice how to hold a pick and not have it slip out of my hands. also how do i hit one string without playing a note on the other 3 strings. also how do u run around on stage and use the pick cause everytime i move around and play with a pick i always mess up????!!! thanks alot

before i answer you, how long have you been playing?

shortstack · #3 02-06-2010, 10:58 AM

Although I am deeply concerned about your grammar and punctuation (not to mention spelling), there are a few things you could do. The first of which is, don't get ahead of yourself. The easiest way to improve technique is to sit down and practice slowly, with correct form, over and over again and gradually increase the speed.

sit down with your bass and a pick, holding the pick between your thumb and index finger (and middle, if you are more comfortable). Pick out a note on a string (preferably the A or D string, to help practice not hitting the other strings) with a down stroke. Then, pick the same string with an up stroke. continue this until you get better. As for the Moving around on stage part, it comes with time. The better your technique is, the more you can explore your instrument.

JimmyM · #4 02-07-2010, 12:26 AM

practice. you've got to put the time in.

donut · #5 02-07-2010, 05:15 AM

If you find picks slip out of your hand easily, either try getting some which have a rougher surface to them, or get something like this:

bassgod0dmw · #6 02-07-2010, 07:08 AM

Practice is the only answer...

officialjlox · #7 02-07-2010, 07:08 AM

As a former guitarist, I use a modified version of my guitar picking, adapted for the the heavier/larger/further apart strings.

The basic principle is to keep your arm in (relatively) the same spot, and use your wrist and forearm to pick. On guitar I was taught to pretend the base of my hand was glued to the bridge, but on bass this needs to be adapted since that will probably not give you enough of a range of motion.

Keep your hand towards the bridge, and don't pick from your elbow or shoulder, pick from your wrist and forearm.This will give you a tighter range of motion and give you less room to flail and hit incorrect strings.

I know this style goes against an entire school of bass picking, and I'm not saying my way is correct, it's just what I use (right or wrong) and I am MUCH more proficient with a pick than with my fingers.

This style will also help your stage mobility issue, as if the majority of your arm is held still while picking, the rest of your body can do whatever it wants and not really disturb your playing

For a demonstration of my picking style, check out this vid http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KF2KBRYds6E

TortillaChip520 · #8 02-07-2010, 07:09 AM

PRACTICE

officialjlox · #9 02-07-2010, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TortillaChip520

PRACTICE

That too.

ricca · #10 02-07-2010, 07:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TortillaChip520

PRACTICE

.......and develop a good left hand muting on strings you are not playing....

donut · #11 02-07-2010, 09:50 AM

I do something similar to officialjlox - rest the back of my hand opposite the thumb on the E and A saddles of the bridge and pivot around that. I can comfortably pick roughly halfway between a P pickup and the bridge (which to my ears gets the nicest tone) across all strings.

JimmyM · #12 02-07-2010, 09:56 AM

i agree with everything said here, except playing by the bridge. by the bridge is where the most tension is, and that can lead to hand problems down the road (trust me, i never thought it could until i was 40, and then it started). closer to the neck you can go, the easier the tension is and the longer you can do it without pain. yeah, it's a deeper tone, but you can compensate with eq.

lunarpollen · #13 02-07-2010, 10:17 AM

There are picks with different surface textures... I love the stiffness/flexibility of Fender picks, but the Dunlop Tortex picks have a very slightly different surface texture which makes them easier to hold onto without slipping. The Gorilla Snot pine resin stuff helps in some instances. If perspiration makes things slippery, chalk helps (like a baseball pitcher might use).

As for moving around on stage, there isn't much of a cure for that, Newton's Laws of Motion will keep your bass and your picking arm moving in different arcs just from momentum and inertia... There are techniques to use to minimize this but if you are playing a part that requires intricate control over your picking, you shouldn't be jumping around, unless your picking hand is anchored to the bass. There are other ways to appear animated onstage besides moving your whole body around (stagewear, eye contact with audience members, facial expressions, slighter movements, etc.). When you are playing simpler patterns is the best time to move around more wildly. Or time your movements to occur while notes are sustaining. You have to approach it like a tactician!