Why Did You Choose Plectrum ?

[pbass2]

I started playing in the 70's, and for me, it was simply that I got obsessed with Chris Squire when I was about 12 years old, and had to find a way to make THAT sound...
Of course I became adept at fingerstyle too eventually 'cause I branched out to like all kinds of players and music, and both have enabled me to work in many different genres over the years.

[SquierJazz72]

I played guitar for a number of years,

So did I, and I still play some now, so although I prefer fingers on bass most of the time, I have no trouble switching between the two.

[TBird1958]

Because nothing sounds as good, (like a big,angry,clanky piano) as a vintage Thunderbird played with a plectrum

[klejst]

Originally Posted by autodidact

I play primarily precision basses and I just love the full, bright sound you can get with a pick. Also when I started playing a lot of the punk guys I idolized used picks and I sort of just picked it up along with their playing style. Some times certain music just sounds better picked

+1, this pretty much sums it up for me as well.

[Fenwick]

I started off with a pick because it was EASIER than playing with fingers for me. I could go faster and there was more presence.
Then I got determined, practiced a lot with fingers and don't use a pick anymore. That's my experience with a pick.

[Noosh]

I started playing fingerstyle but when I started getting in bands I quickly figured out I liked a pick tone better. So I started to learn to play with one. Sometimes I use fingers, just depends on the song for me I guess.

[steve_rolfeca]

A teacher pushed me to do it in college. This was the early '70's, and Joe Osborne was killin' it on recordings for the Carpenters, and many others.

Dead La Bella flats and a pick was Joe's recipe, and at the time, it was supposedly a useful skill for an aspiring studio musician.

I didn't end up a studio cat, and these days I mostly play finger style. I still occasionally pull a pick out for tighter focused sounds though, or when I want that punky edge.

[jeffbonny]

Originally Posted by steve_rolfeca

Joe Osborne was killin' it on recordings for the Carpenters, and many others.

Absolutely! Being primarily a finger player coming out of the double bass tradition listening to people like Osborn and later Steve Swallow and Bobby Vega inspired me to acquire some chops with the pick.

When I did get down to really working at it I noticed some striking technical similarities between playing the bass guitar with the pick and playing the double bass with the bow.

[georgestrings]

Originally Posted by Stevorebob

I played guitar for a number of years, so when I picked up a bass, using a pick felt more natural to me. Now, I prefer the sharper attack of a pick and the ability to palm mute.

Pretty much covers it for me - I use fingers when the song calls for it, but prefer the pick sound for the most part...



- georgestrings

[Ric5]

I didn't choose the pick ... it chose me ...

[Sparty]

For me it was (as a covers band) play the song as it was played by the original artist, finger style, plectrum or slap. My preference is plectrum tho (hate blisters) But It is good to be adept in both as you do get different feels and tones which can only add to the bands sound and versatility.

[KunkBass]

I like finger style a lot, but sometimes a pick just gives you that extra bite. Plus it's easier to play and arpeggiate chords.

[MP87]

Allen Woody and John Paul Jones are two guys I really dig.

I play with a pick maybe 25% of the time and fingers 75%.

Sometimes I find grabbing a pick helps me change it up and discover new riffs and rhythms. This is due to the fact that I played guitar for 10 years with a pick before picking up the bass. I've come up with riffs using a pick that I then learned to play with fingers, and vice versa. This may be an indication of my (lack of) skill, but I approach finger playing different than pick playing.

Also I like to play covers with a pick if that is what was used in the original.

[BoxofRain]

Phil Lesh and graphite picks

[JackB1]

Thanks all this has been really helpful. More posts still welcome.

[JimmyM]

I do both, but pick playing attracted me because of the pick attack. For some things, it sounds excellent.

[tbplayer59]

Paul McCartney. Here's an interesting (to me anyways) bit of info. Paul plays bass with a pick, but acoustic guitar without one.

[MCS4]

I play about 50/50 pick vs. fingers in my current band (although generally I tend more toward finger style). I played guitar and bass approximately equally for a couple of years before focusing on bass, so I've always been comfortable with a pick.

I almost always prefer the sound of fingerstyle playing, even in aggressive music, so my use of pickstyle is almost entirely motivated by which technique physically lends itself better to a given song in terms of feel, groove, tightness, etc. These days I mostly find myself using a pick on songs that have a lot of precise single-string riffing, particularly if 16th notes are involved (although for triplets and string skipping I'm often better off with my fingers). I also like to do a fair amount of palm muting, exactly as one would do on electric guitar, so I use a pick on songs where I think that style is appropriate.

[gary19702]

What really did it for me was seeing the who movie " the kids are alright" the song "a quick one" from the Rolling Stones rock and roll circus. Just plain beastly tone from entwistle's p bass made me want to try using a pick, that one song encompasses the many ways a pick could be utilized to produce different tones, palm muting and his ability to pull off some real tasty runs.

[subdude67]

when i was 10 years old, the local bass hero played with a pick so naturally i did the same.

i can play much faster and more accurate using a pick and i love the "crisp" attack it creates.