Quote:
Originally Posted by JimmyM  www.carolkaye.com, look under her player's points and look for vids of her online. Carol's pick technique saved me. You pick up near the neck where the strings are looser, use a heavy or x-heavy pick, use a back and forth motion with your wrist, and never move your thumb. Theres more to it but that's the gist of it. Most pick bassists play it more like a guitarist, and that can be very damaging to your hand. I used to have to stop after about 30 seconds and quit using a pick because of it. Now I can play all night using a pick, although I use my fingers a lot more often. |
Playing with your fingers is better than a pick anyways. But to tackle the picking problem, do this:
1. Videotape yourself playing normally so you can see your picking hand clearly. Pick as slow as you can, normal and as fast as you can.
This is very important by the way. I learned the trick of taping myself from a golf instruction I had to visually see my flaw.
2. Look on the tape specifically at your wrist. Is it bent or is it reasonably straight? A bent wrist could be causing the problem.
3. Look on the tape at your thumb. Is your thumb moving the pick back and forth? If it is prevent that.
4. Look at what's causing the pick to rotate back and forth. your forearm should rotating causing the hand to rotate as well.
After you do this practice very slowly the form and from day to day slowly raise the tempo. It's like a pain in the ass, but you have to train yourself not to continue to your old habit. Now once a week videotape yourself playing again. Doing the same benchmark, so you can see your progression and what you still need to work on.
