Picking

[DANtheDINOSAUR]

I notice at some shows with picking bassists that they seem to pick in a raking fashion, just letting their whole right arm fly about, yet sounding perfect. Are they really raking or do they just have really good "aim"?

Whenever I pick, I feel most comfortable between having the heel of my hand resting on the top string when its not being strung, having my hand float for certain lines, or my non-pickholding fingers resting onto the pickguard beneath the strings.

[JimmyM]

part good aim, part raking but with good muting of strings they don't want to sound. They'll have to have surgery in 15 years, but it looks cool

[playibanez]

i can only pick really hard like that with the arm flying on the low string. when moving to the a/d/g my arm doesnt move.

i dont think the flying arm techniques is very good but yea it does look cool and when you are amped at a show it is just what happends ha.

[DANtheDINOSAUR]

This kind of brings up a second question:

is playing like that only for effect? I play without throwing my arm out and just stay on the strings with a pick and get a good sound and precise aim.

[The Golden Boy]

Think of a guitarist's strumming.

It's not deliberate- it's rhythmic.

When you figure out what you're doing and how to do it you get good at it. It's a matter of "aim" (and having a good idea of where you're going to be coming down at) and muting- for me it's my fretting hand that does most of the muting.

[calebbarton]

i just dont swing my arms about, it saves me the trouble of having to worry about how to do it right. besides most of the picking should take place from the wrist down, the rest of your arm really dosnt have much to do with it unless you want it to.

[MysticMichael]

Originally Posted by DANtheDINOSAUR

Whenever I pick, I feel most comfortable between having the heel of my hand resting on the top string when its not being strung, having my hand float for certain lines, or my non-pickholding fingers resting onto the pickguard beneath the strings.

In general, I think it's a lot healthier and more effective to allow the picking hand to float, and do most of one's picking from the elbow. This may seem counter-intuitive, or even needlessly difficult, but it's really not.

Think about it: When you've got your hand constantly anchored right on the bridge or on the strings themselves, and you get your picking motion primarily from the wrist, it's unnecessarily stressful. Could cause the hand to cramp, and you don't have as much range of motion either.

This strikes me as more of a guitar technique - not a bass guitar technique - because a guitarist can get away with it, having only very skinny strings that he doesn't have to hit very hard. If you really have to anchor to something, just lightly press the underside of your forearm to the edge of the instrument - in a way that still allows you to move it easily. Whenever I pick, I do this consistently, and I have all the range of motion and speed I could need. Just takes some practice and some patience...

MM