Picking above the neck

[Bass of Justice]

Hey everyone, i play fingerstyle and realized that my picking hand naturally wants to play over the neck as opposed to closer to the pickups. My picking hand is usually positioned over the 23rd or 24th fret.

I was wondering if this is considered bad technique or if it will either harm my tone or prohibit growth later on, so that i will know if i should fix it now.

Also, I read somewhere that Geezer Butler used to pick very close to or over the neck, and he is one of my favorite bassists, but I have also read he has bad technique in general.

Any input is appreciated. thanks

[DeluxeRed]

Where you pluck, either closer to the bridge(/nut) or nearer the center of the string (12 fret) mainly affects tone: attack, decay, how the string moves in the field, etc. So your position should be determined by that, and move as appropriate for the sound you want for a given passage.

It also affects the apparent tension of the string, with playing closer to the bridge allowing for faster playing because of quicker response.

So, it only matters as to what you want to hear out of your bass.

[unclejane]

Originally Posted by Bass of Justice

Hey everyone, i play fingerstyle and realized that my picking hand naturally wants to play over the neck as opposed to closer to the pickups. My picking hand is usually positioned over the 23rd or 24th fret.

I was wondering if this is considered bad technique or if it will either harm my tone or prohibit growth later on, so that i will know if i should fix it now.

Also, I read somewhere that Geezer Butler used to pick very close to or over the neck, and he is one of my favorite bassists, but I have also read he has bad technique in general.

Any input is appreciated. thanks

I do this on very rare occasions for grins, tho I havn't yet found a use for the sound. Also my action is too low to get a good bite on the strings.

But if you're after a super legato-like smooth sound, this is one way to do it, especially on the fretless.....

LS

[tom e smith]

Different strokes for different folks. If it feels right it is. Check out video on John Entwhistle.