John Deacon: Songs he had played with a pick.

[Music_for_life]

One of the best of rock bassists, and I like a lot how neat he is while playing wth a pick. A good bassline with a pick is Under pressure.
Can you give me some recomendations to develop his style of using the pick???
I want to make a list of songs he played with a pick, can you help me??

[electracoyote]

Unless it's really obvious like Under Pressure, I have a hard time telling which Deacon tracks are played with a pick. I was always under the impression that he was largely a finger style player, I don't think I've ever seen him use a pick on stage.

And he's so quick and bloody accurate with the staccato lines, even when played finger style it emulates picking.

The only way to get good with a pick is to just start using one. There are no hard and fast rules, but in general, thicker picks seem to work better, and you need to develop alternate picking in both down and upstrokes, with consistency and control. A good way to get started: Everything you now do with your fingers, start doing it with a pick, slowly and for accuracy first, speed second. Divide your practice sessions between fingers and pick. You'll get it.

[tangentmusic]

I've got the DVD of Queen live at the Rainbow '74.
He plays fingerstyle on all the songs except "Stone Cold Crazy" in which he used a pick.
Pretty fast riff on that one..

[jaywa]

I've been YouTubing a lot of Queen live clips lately and only on "Under Pressure" have I seen him use a pick.

It may be that some of the studio tracks were cut with a pick but live, it would appear he was almost completely a fingerstyle player.

[Bassmingo]

If memory serves, wasn't breakthru played with a pick? Or at least he's using one in the video.... It's been years ( off to YouTube)


Damn, it's fingers

[Chrisk-K]

He played with fingers in the 70's and early 80's. Later he almost always played with a pick at concerts.

[electracoyote]

Originally Posted by Chrisk-K

He played with fingers in the 70's and early 80's. Later he almost always played with a pick at concerts.

He appears to still be using mostly fingerstyle at Live Aid (1985). I thought maybe I saw him using a pick once in awhile.

After that, touring slowed and eventually stopped in what, 1988, 1989?

So if he switched to pick it must have been very near the end, strange for him to change it up so late in the game. Not that it matters, he's also a good guitar player and I'm sure pick style was a no-brainer for him.

[D.J]

During the Magic Tour he played mostly with a pick.

[Lady Kayri]

I've got some photos of him from the Magic Tour with picks stuck under the pickguard of his P bass...