Using a pick?

[TwoColorsKiller]

I'm sure this has been brought up before, but I can't find any threads. Anyways,

What is so bad about playing bass with a pick? I play with a pick, but I can use my fingers just as well as the next person, and I can slap, but very amateur-ish. I prefer pick for my style of play and I like the sound better than the rest of the ways I know how to play. My whole "career" as a bassist I have been put downand ridiculed because I use a pick and "real bassists don't use picks." I don't understand why people are so against it... it's just another playing style, and many great bassists use picks, in nearly every genre (from what I have experienced, and note I said nearly).

I know I'm going to get mixed ideas and opinions on this, but what do you guys think? And if you hate/don't like picking why is that?

[5string5fingers]

I think not learning to play a pick just limits you as a player that much more. It's a different sound, a different feel, and is more practical than slapping. Nothing wrong with using a pick, I wish I was more proficient with one.

[tdub0199]

There is nothing wrong with using a pick on bass IMO.... I use both (Pick & Finger Style)and don't care what anybody else thinks... I love the growly attack sound that a pick gives....

[tangentmusic]

Same here. I use a thumb pick on songs that require both fingerstyle & a pick.
Stays on the thumb, so no worries about dropping it during the change over.

[VanillaThundah]

The perception by some people is that the bassist that uses his pick predominantly is the "failed guitarist" or the guy who drew the short straw when everyone was being assigned instruments at band formation, etc. We have guys like Chris Squire and Justin Chancellor to say that it is most definitely not the case for everyone.

I personally don't mind people who use a pick, but it does bother me if a bassist limits themself to just one style or avoids a technique solely based on some kind of prejudice (Billy Sheehan hating pop/slap bass because it reminds him of disco). Since this isn't the case with you, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Just make sure that your techniques are the best fit for what you want to do (picking is awesome for rock and punk, might not be the BEST choice for a funk band).

My philosophy is "do what sounds best"

[TheVoiceless]

This is a dead horse around here so I doubt you will get a big response. But for what its worth, the real issue is that a bass player SHOULD be able to play finger,thumb,slap and pluck and pick style. And most "pick" players are guitar players that were either out voted or cool enough to play the bass to keep the band going.

I play all the above styles, and used to be a pick hater!! because I could play fast with my fingers. So I understand the dislike, because its mainly rooted in the idea that " he is not a bass player, but a guitar player who was forced to play the bass". And to people who chose the bass its a little insulting.

[Arthur Strand]

It depends entirely on the job that you are doing which is required. Some jobs ask for plectrum bass guitar. Others ask for finger-style but, given a free hand, I would prefer finger-style UNLESS I thought that a plectrum would be more suitable. After 45 years, I know how things have moved on. My keyboards have every style and sound effects possible so some studios can do away with all instruments anyway. My Casio cost less than £200. I admit it does inspire me.!!!!!!!

[Ursus Tyrannus]

I've never had anyone say outright to my face that playing with a pick is an inferior method (at least not at 6'2" + 310lbs ) but have gotten a lot of those back handed "why dont you play regular...you know, with fingers" kinda stuff. I started with a pick, prefer it, and aint changin for nobody...again.
I admit it got to me to the point I didn't use a pick for 2 years. I got real good at all kinds of other methods, then realized I don't care what those kind of people say. I like the pick, I play with the pick. Their expectations are not my expectations.

[fourfinger]

Although I don't even bring a pick with me anymore, I practice pickstyle at home whenever I need a major change of tone to stay inspired.

For me, it is much easier to avoid unwanted clicking sounds without a pick, and that's why I don't use one anymore.

I think young players should learn as many techniques as possible.

[deeptubes]

I've been playing for 25 years, and I've never played with pick. The bass is a much more versatile instrument when played with fingers. I am VERY rough on my strings and set my bridge pretty low, so I get tremendous action and somewhat of a "slappy" sound. I have a 6-string guitar. So, I can play with a pick. I just prefer to let my fingers go for a run or gallop, whichever the case may be. My fingers are like an airplane propellor - they look like a blur.

[HaMMerHeD]

I have a pick dispenser on my amp head, currently filled with 1.35mm Dunlop Tortex Sharp picks. I use them on about 1/4 of the songs I play with my jam group.

It's just another sound to make. Nothing more or less wrong or right about it.

[Thunderscreech]

Picks are another tool. Some people use them, others don't. It's all personal preference, there really isn't a "wrong" or "right" way to do it, so long as you get the tone you're trying to get.

I tune really low (G#, or 3 semitones down from Standard on a five string) and use lots of distortion. My strings are all rattly and skeletal sounding. I prefer big, heavy picks with lots and lots of attack. Dunlop 3.0 mm Big Stubbies and the 2.0 mm Gator Grips are my favorites. I really smack the strings, so it's less bass and more rattling-string-noises-to-accompany-more-cacophonous-noises.

But I mean it's what works best for me. Your Mileage May Vary. Not Available In All Areas, Void Where Prohibited.

[Pilgrim]

Nothing wrong with it. Learn to play proficiently with and without pick.

If "they" don't like it, screw 'em. YOU are the bass player. "They" don't get a vote.

[Lazylion]

When I used to do more recording, mostly country stuff w/my Precision, more often than not the engineers seemed to like the pick sound. That alone is a good reason to keep that skill up.

I use both pick & fingers live these days, and I always tune with a pick. It gives a nice sharp signal to the tuner.

Plus, when the guitard drops his only pick & can't find it, I can give him one of mine.

[hrodbert696]

The OP seriously couldn't find any of the vast horde of other threads on this topic?

I started fingerstyle because I don't have to buy fingers and because I thought that was how "real" bassists play. Then I realized my bass idol, Chris Squire, plays almost exclusively with a pick. So I reconciled myself to the idea and got some picks, experimented with different shapes and thicknesses, and then started to realize that some songs are really better played with a pick (and some are not). I'd guess that at this point I play about 2/3-3/4 fingerstyle and the other 1/4-1/3 of the time with a pick. It depends on the song.

[EdHunter]

Ever tried playing Motörhead with fingers? Different songs need different approaches.

[TwoColorsKiller]

Originally Posted by hrodbert696

The OP seriously couldn't find any of the vast horde of other threads on this topic?

It's not that I couldn't find it, it's that I was too lazy to search haha

[zachoff]

I can keep time better while singing if I play with a pick. If I'm not singing I prefer to use my fingers unless I'm humping 1/8 and 1/16 root notes.

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by TheVoiceless

...most "pick" players are guitar players that were either out voted or cool enough to play the bass to keep the band going.

I think I hear Phil Lesh laughing.

[MatticusMania]

I played with a pick almost exclusively for my first 8.5 years. About a year and a half ago I really got into using my fingers, feeling a better connection having them on the strings and being able to just rip them away from the pickups. Nothing wrong with using a pick at all. Use whichever way you connect with your bass more.