I started with a pick as a kid , McCartney was a bad influence . After I got serious it was fingers only and never picked up a pick for any reason . Now at a youthful 61 I'm finding that I've lost something after a few slight hand injuries over the years and just getting older . This morning I used a pick for the first time since ???? and found that much more is possible . That is a major bummer in many different ways , bottom line is that I just don't think using a pick is at all kosher , IMO , nothing else , don't want to offend any younger players . Give me a few opinions guys , thanks !
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a real problem
- Thread starter gibsonbassguy
- Start date
So you dont like the pick but your hand problems are giving you little option? Just do what ya gotta do. Im not big on picks but if it was pick or nothing id pick in a second.
I actually kinda like the sound of the pick but it feels so wrong to my hands
I actually kinda like the sound of the pick but it feels so wrong to my hands
Picking is fine. There's been so many debates about 'pick vs. fingers' that have gone nowhere, and most people now accept it as a purely personal preference and a skill that any good bass player should develop either way.
The bottom line is that if playing with a pick helps you as a player, then go for it!
The bottom line is that if playing with a pick helps you as a player, then go for it!
I fail to see why you need someone else's opinions (or why anyone would be offended) as to whether you should or should not use a pick.
After I got serious it was fingers onlyThe above also puzzles me. Are you saying that only non "serious" players use a pick. Carol Kaye !!..... are you listening ??
As "puddin tame" says, if a pick is the difference between playing the bass or not, then the answer is a no brainer. Just play the bass and enjoy making music.
bongomania
Commercial User
Don't mind what anyone else tells you is "right" or "best" or "the only way". They're full of s*** and just want to Internet bully anyone they think isn't as great as them.
If fingerstyle causes problems, use a pick. You could try a felt pick, like they use on ukulele if you don't like the hard-pick tone.
If fingerstyle causes problems, use a pick. You could try a felt pick, like they use on ukulele if you don't like the hard-pick tone.
Thanks for the posts guys , I wasn't interested in kicking the dog on the big issue , pick verses fingers just looking for opinions from older guys who might be having the same problem , I thought I qualified it a bit by stating that I didn' t want to offend any younger players . The past few years I've been fortunate to see the Sixties greatest bassists and they were laboring , no two ways about it and i'm sure either would have been more effective with a pick but it would never happen . Just struggling a bit with old age guys
I'm not quite an "older guy" (only 42), but my pinky and ring finger on my right hand are slowly seizing up due to arthritis.
If it travels any further over I'm using a pick, or a spatula duct-taped to my hand, or whatever is needed to get the job done. With no shame whatsover.
If it travels any further over I'm using a pick, or a spatula duct-taped to my hand, or whatever is needed to get the job done. With no shame whatsover.
I'm 56 and have been playing bass since age 16.
I use fingers for some songs and a pick for others. So far (knock on wood), I have not encountered any "aging" issues that would deter me from using either method.
I used to play in a YES tribute band, and I can't imagine playing my Ric 4003CS with fingers for the songs on the Close to the Edge album! Me gotsta use a pick to get that sound (just as Mr. Squire did).
I use fingers for some songs and a pick for others. So far (knock on wood), I have not encountered any "aging" issues that would deter me from using either method.
I used to play in a YES tribute band, and I can't imagine playing my Ric 4003CS with fingers for the songs on the Close to the Edge album! Me gotsta use a pick to get that sound (just as Mr. Squire did).
I am a little older than you, and find that my right hand is slowing down a little bit. I am using a pick for practice once in a while trying to get adept with both fingers and pick. I figure if it was good enough for Macca and Carole Kaye it is OK for me, too. Of course a pick is really good for certain songs such as Tom Petty's stuff like Running Down a Dream, etc.
The only issue I see for switching between pick and fingers is the sound difference.
The only issue I see for switching between pick and fingers is the sound difference.
Not kosher? Um, any idea how many hits have been recorded with a pick and some combination of flats and a foam mute?
McCartney a "bad influence?"
With all due respect sir, you need to rethink these sentiments.
McCartney a "bad influence?"
With all due respect sir, you need to rethink these sentiments.
Thought you said you had a real problem. This is just a pick vs fingers thread. Do what you want.
Thanks Bassamatic for your opinion . Man , lighten up guys , I've received a few hostile messages for whatever reasons I don't know . I was a studio musician at Sound 80 in Minneapolis 4o years ago , probably before most of you were born . I've been living in a foreign country for 8 years and don't speak the language so I can't network which is why I've enjoyed TB , and have made a few nice contacts and actually it wouldn't help anyway , Jazz mixed with German pop is the music here . So anyway , it's been nice guys . One last , you would never have seen Jaco or will never see Bruce or Casady or Wooten or Weeks or Miller with a pick , tried and true bassists don't use a pick . Clanking away playing roots on a P bass with a pick ain't what it's about guys and , for the record MCCartney didn't do anything all of the big band bassists had been doing in their sleep for years , he just was a little less dimmer bulb than other rock bassists of the period . Farvel , as they say in Denmark
Meh... I've seen better.
At least it saves bringing out the standard issue list of real bassists who use a pick.
Ric5
Inactive
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
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- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
The pick is simply a tool. It is neither good nor bad on its own. Pick playing is a good skill to have. So is fingerstyle. I play with both, sometimes even in the same song.
Pick playing in a nice way to control attack. Not all pick playing has the unpleasant treble bite. (although sometimes that is what you may want from a pick) Listen to the Yes album 90125. All the bass lines were pick played.
I like the pick because I can play faster and cleaner, and I like fingerstyle because I like the sound and feel.
Pick playing in a nice way to control attack. Not all pick playing has the unpleasant treble bite. (although sometimes that is what you may want from a pick) Listen to the Yes album 90125. All the bass lines were pick played.
I like the pick because I can play faster and cleaner, and I like fingerstyle because I like the sound and feel.
