Questions on playing metal style with a pick

[dialtone]

I play in a grindcore metal band. I use a pick for more attack and to play faster and more articulate. But when I am doing open patterns I get some unwanted fret noise (I tune to C) Should I take my bass in to get adjusted? Also I tend to lightly mute the C when playing fast opens to get more control of it, what do you think of this?

[Nick Kay]

Excessive fret buzz on open strings can be a sign of a nut that's cut far too deep, but I sort of doubt that's the case here. Probably a different setup issue.

You're tuning down to C. In order for that to play anything like your bass would up in E, you're going to have to have some serious strings on your bass. If you're comfortable with filing the nut out a little, I would suggest putting on a light 5-string set (say, .060-0.125), minus the G. This will get your tension up, which will help prevent fret buzz and such, but it will also require a full setup. If you're not feeling up to the task, yes, take it to a luthier.

On muting, I use to always mute slightly when I played metal with a pick. It allows for much more control over the strings, which is important when you're ripping out 16ths at 200bpm. It also helps to control ringing open strings. After a while, I got in the habit of laying my pinky across the strings at all times. It helps to compensate for the lack of muting with most picking techniques.

[Jouni]

I play in B.
No fretbuzz here, but I carved my own nut, a tad high..
I use .130 strings mostly.

And when picking fast I tend to go a little closer to bridge, and use little less force.... I think.

[Implosion]

Originally Posted by dialtone

I play in a grindcore metal band. I use a pick for more attack and to play faster and more articulate. But when I am doing open patterns I get some unwanted fret noise (I tune to C) Should I take my bass in to get adjusted? Also I tend to lightly mute the C when playing fast opens to get more control of it, what do you think of this?

In my opinion C is the worst tuning for a bassist. I would say that convince your band to tune down a half step to B. Then string your bass to BEAD (with a fiver set like Nick Kay suggested) or get a five string bass. From the point of view of a guitar player it doesn't matter much if they are tuned to C or B, but for you a B-tuning instead of a C, can be a life-saver.

[Rickett Customs]

Yes sir,
If you're going to do "CEAD" , "BEAD", "CADG" or "BADG"etc....
You might want to try the "C" (or "B") string at bout .130-.135
Definitely get it set up for the strings too, If you have not by now.

[Oreomeister365]

Picking will iherently mean a little higher action than fingerstyle since generally, playing with a pick causes the string to move further. Then take into the fact that you're downtuning a little bit, might be a good idea to get some thicker strings. A good setup never hurts though.

[Nyarlathotep]

^ I find that playing with a pick, the strings move less distance. I really have to dig in with a pick to get fret buzz at all, and my action is really low now.

[greencow]

Playing with a pick it might be actually better to play with a lower action.

When playing fingerstyle you strike the string towards the instrument but when playing with a pick you strike it parallel with the instrument.

So a lower action can just make your left hands life easier.

[eyvindwa]

I tune to C, and use Elixir's Extra Light strings (5-string set) - works out great for me =)

[jenderfazz]

My metal/hardcore band has tuned everywhere from C to D over its lifespan, although we settled for C# in the end. I play with a pick as well. In my experience, having a heavy E string is helpful. I'd really like to try stringing a light B string from a 5-string set to see how it'd be.

However, using the standard E string (105 or 110) that I do, I've learned to pick closer to the bridge and use slightly higher action. Using a J bass, picking just in front of the bridge pickup gives me zero fretbuzz, even when I dig in quite a bit. Adjust it to the point where it buzzes just a bit on repeated picks, but not at all on single picks. Finally, muting can help a bit, but rather than palm mute (with your right hand), try muting with your left hand's index finger. Keep it above the nut, moving it a bit further over the fretboard for more muting if necessary. With this technique your other 3 left-hand fingers can be used to fully mute the string on open breakdowns, etc.