Questions fot metal bassists

[B4MV]

hey all.

i'm just wondering i've watched a few vids of some bands like escape the fate and bullet for my valenitine playing live and the actual music clips. they seem to be using a pick very vigorously, similar to guitar playing. i decided to give it a try on my squire P-bass. it doesn't really work the same. i'm jsut wondering if there's a special technique to it, if my bass just isn't made for heavier picking or some other reason.

i usually play with fingers, but every so often i riff along to some metal songs.

thanks

[atheos]

Thin picks and good tehnique.

[motionkid]

Dont bother with picks. Just use your fingers, you can aquire any speed with your fingers that youd aquire with a pick... itll just take a little longer. The guys you see fumbling around with a pick like that dont really have good technique. But if your insistant on using a pick rest the underside of your right hand (assuming your a right handed player) on the bridge of the bass right on the saddle screws and pick that way. Use the muscles in your 1st finger and your thumb to control it. Thats the best way to do it. The technique you see some people using now adays to play will give them tendonidis a few years down the road...

[mr.hughes]

I've found that heavier gauge strings work better for aggressive pick playing, no matter the style of music. Also that it helps balance the perceived loss of low end from picking, where the high's seem more predominant. Heavier gauge strings can help balance that out.

As for not playing with a pick and only using your fingers - do both. Both are equally valid and produce equally valid results. Dave Ellefson sounds like Dave Ellefson and Steve Harris sounds like Steve Harris for that very reason.

[atheos]

motionkid: I play with a pick because I like the sound of it. There's more bite and attack, some like it, some don't. Everybody should play the style they like the best.

Some 15-16 year old death metal bassist once asked me if I was a lazy loser because I use a pick; I asked him if he had to compensate something between his legs with fancy difficult techniques since I'm just the kind of guy who plays the songs, no the bass.

In the end, nobody cares how you play if you're not a solo virtuoso. If your playing style gets the job done the best way possible, that's all you need.

[SpawnofHastur]

When I play I use a 2mm pick, although I'd rather move up to a 3mm pick and it lets me play a lot faster than with my fingers.

Where I picked up my pickstyle technique is actually an article by a jazz guitarists, Tuck Andress. Find it here: http://www.tuckandpatti.com/pick-finger_tech.html

I find it really useful and extraordinarily detailed; I'm sure it will help.

[René_Julien]

The pick that I like is a Dunlop Tortex Triangle 1,14mm (the purple triangles).

I love those triangles.
I hold the between my thumb and index and middlefinger.

For good grip... for one thing.
But also I can vary with pressure from my thumb how much the pick bends, thus making it stiffer.
I can go from floppy to very sharp rattling attack.

[Edgar664]

I use Clayton picks 1.00 mm, not very thick.
I'm kind of a 50/50 fingers and pick style player, one good advice is to move the pick up and down, from you wrist, not you arm, first this will feel strange but its the best way specialy if you try to play fast metal songs and once you feel comfortable playing this way there are many bass players who plays downstrokes almost all the time, to give more heavy feel, try it, practice slow and be patience, oh and try to play close to the bridge for a brighter sound

[rimtism123]

Dunlop Tortex 1.14 Jazz III's are what I use.
and I hold it with my thumb and the side of my pointer with my other 3 fingers pointed out straight.
And no...don't just try to use your fingers...your band will sound tighter with a pick player. Especially during those stocato-triplet breakdowns.

[lousybassplayer]

I never use picks anymore, but I used to exclusivly. I used Dunlop 1mm almost exclusively and I expirimented a lot. To get that tremolo picking effect it has to be flexable enough to bounce a little off of the string but ridgid enough to get the attack and cleanly strike the note. I can't say 1mm will work best for everyone, but I would expiriment around in that area for one you like. Also, I used these really small teardrop shaped dunlops for a while to practice precision. I tried to aim for using just enough of the tip of the pick to strike the string cleanly, but not I tried to minimize the amount of pick surface area on the string to gain speed. I didn't like these picks for playing all the time, just to practice my pick technique with.

And use both fingers and picks, for crying out loud. There is no one better than the other argument to be had.

[MadMan118]

Heres some good metal pick technique: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCkG0jUxdYg
A lot of guys Ive known usualy flail around for 1 of 2 reasons, 1.) they have terrets 2.) for showmanship. I'ts usualy number 2.
p.s. watch at about 1:12 in the video.