From pick playing to fingers

klejst · #1 07-08-2011, 04:19 PM

I have been playing bass for years and 99% of the time I have used a pick...only times I have used my fingers before is one time I dropped my pick and I did a fairly decent job finishing the song with my fingers. I have recently became enthused to try to learn to play with my fingers instead of a pick. Generally speaking it is a very hard transition? I have heard you can play a lot faster with your fingers than strumming with a pick and it is easier to hit the exact strings instead of accidently hitting the others? What is everyone take on going from pick to finger playing?

WilliamSandoval · #2 07-08-2011, 04:23 PM

Finger all the way. At least that's what my girlfriend says! Ha!

But seriously, fingerstyle is the way to go.

JeffBTZ · #3 07-08-2011, 04:30 PM

For me, it felt a lot more natural from the get go. The only time I ever use a pick is during a more pop sounding song where a hard attack is beneficial.

That said, I can't vouch much for the transition being easy, because I hadn't played bass with a pick before I played fingerstyle. However, I had played guitar prior to switching to bass, so maybe there's something to be said there.

Even if it seems difficult to transition, force yourself to do it. I suggest just playing scales with both your index and middle finger to start off. (When is playing scales a bad thing anyway?) Don't start off developing the habit of only using your index finger, because that will just be another obstacle if you're aiming to play with speed.

Just play. Eventually you'll be playing and look down and realize you're doing it right.

Papa Dangerous · #4 07-08-2011, 04:40 PM

I never really thought of going from one to the other as a very difficult process. I always play finger style, but I can pick up and just play. Only time I use a pick is if I am bored and wanting to do something different. There was a thread on here talking about different ways people would use there fingers....
ie: 1-2-1-2...
2-1-2-1..
1-2-1 1-2-1 1-2-1
1-1-1-1-1-1-1
1-2-3-1-2-3-1-2-3 etc
Just try out what feels comfortable. Try triplets, staccato, legato etc. you should be able to do fine with it.

jet_king · #5 07-08-2011, 04:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WilliamSandoval

Finger all the way. At least that's what my girlfriend says! Ha!

But seriously, fingerstyle is the way to go.

I agree with both statements 1 and 2

Reaper Man · #6 07-08-2011, 05:41 PM

it's all good. If anything, I've found going from finger to pick a "hard" transition- at least in terms of hand fatigue (I most probably hold the pick way too tight)

jgroh · #7 07-08-2011, 05:46 PM

I played for close to 22 years with only a pick. Then when I got my fretless, I decided I wanted to get my fingers up to the same level. It wasnt necessarily "hard", it just took some time. I would just sit with my bass while watching TV and do the 1-2, 1-2 right hand fingering for 15 minutes per string. Then I moved on to the Bass Fitness book and that gave me a ton of exercises to use my fingers with. Now my finger technique is just as good as my pick technique.

Thrust Meatnozl · #8 07-08-2011, 05:53 PM

I learned with & used a pick for about 5 years (including a couple of years of full time road work). I started using my fingers on slower, balladier type tunes & eventually became a full convert. Now I can't use a pick worth a damn, my wrist gets tired & jumping a string is damn near impossible to do smoothly.

Rockin Mike · #9 07-08-2011, 05:59 PM

I think picks are faster. It's like anything else, the technique you use most is the one you get most proficient at. I was pick-only for 10 years, now I'm getting pretty good at fingerstyle. They both sound so different; I'll use whatever sounds the best for the song.

In my opinion it should be about what sounds best, not what's easier or faster.

Pilgrim · #10 07-08-2011, 06:04 PM

I played exclusively fingerstyle for years...but got into surf music and there are some numbers that sound more appropriate with a pick.

Learn both - you really need the variety in your technique.

Pick playing sounds VERY different from fingerstyle...and it's great to have both tools.

winstonthecat · #11 07-08-2011, 09:18 PM

I started playing with a pick when I switched from guitar. After a while I decided to try fingerstyle because a lot of the songs I was playing with my band didn't sound quite right with a pick. I didn't find the transition that hard. I just practiced the songs and after a bit it became second nature.

What was hard was when I joined a band that played more "pick" songs, I had a harder time going back to playing with a pick. I had to practice string skipping and working up some endurance.

edit: Just realized that my post almost exactly echoed Meatnozi's

GangstaBean · #12 07-09-2011, 08:48 PM

Finger style is a lot better, IMO. I can play quicker, and a lot more subtle with fingers (when I have to). And if I need a pick sound, I use my thumbnail. I let my thumbnail grow out a little longer than the rest.

Waterpilot · #13 07-09-2011, 09:46 PM

It's just practice. I've never been able to play faster with my fingers but I've never really tried either. Whatever you're most comfortable with is it what you'll be faster with IMO.

The key is to stick with it. The change, either way, can be frustrating as stuff you can easily do now will be more difficult with a new technique. Recognize that an do your best to push through it...

StKevin · #14 07-10-2011, 02:49 AM

I mostly play with a pick, but I practice finger-style every day also. I tried switching to fingers-only last year and gave up after about 6 months. Speed's easy enough with my fingers, but I've just never gotten the hang of switching strings.

klejst · #15 07-10-2011, 10:23 AM

Thanks for everyone's responses. I was just curious how easy it is/was for everyone else.

john grey · #16 07-10-2011, 01:47 PM

They produce different sounding material but there is little you can do with a pick that you can't do with your fingers. Personally I think it's good you can use a pick; the more sounds you can get from the instrument, the better. Thumb brushing, slapping, using a pinch pluck or pluck multi-strings all contribute to a greater selection of sounds.

SMILEYSIXX · #17 07-10-2011, 01:47 PM

I used to pick almost all the time, but I'm pretty much all fingers now. I still keep a pick with my bass though just in case I wanna use it.

anonymous122511 · #18 07-10-2011, 03:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by john grey

They produce different sounding material but there is little you can do with a pick that you can't do with your fingers. Personally I think it's good you can use a pick; the more sounds you can get from the instrument, the better. Thumb brushing, slapping, using a pinch pluck or pluck multi-strings all contribute to a greater selection of sounds.

And there's little you can't do with your fingers that can't be done with a pick if you want to do the work to achieve it. That really isn't the point though. The point is that there ARE differences between the sound of a pick and the sound of fingers and that you can spend a lifetime mastering either.....or both.

Rockmusician · #19 07-10-2011, 03:44 PM

I played with a pick for over 20 years. About 9 years ago, I joined a blues band and decided to try playing with fingers. I spent a couple of hours on a weekend working on playing with fingers, then went to the audition and got the gig. I almost never use a pick anymore.

EscapeNote · #20 07-10-2011, 03:58 PM

I played with pick only for the first 10 years or so. Like jgroh, I made the transition to fingers when I got into fretless bass.

It's not hard, just takes a little time.

I recently came across a TB thread where JimmyM was talking about picking technique and that same afternoon I dug my old Carol Kaye bass books out of a storage box. I'm thinking I'd like to brush up on my picking technique again!