Are finger players a dying breed

[1bassleft]

I'm surprised (possibly pleased) that plectrum-toting bassists are supposedly doing it to look cool and pose. I got a fair bit of looked-down-upon from many players in my area. Something I shared in common with Jason Newsted, as well as hard-but-handsome looks, only playing massive stadia, wallpapering my house with £50 notes etc. I didn't play rock as such, but indie-style guitar orientated music and the bass was often a hook rather than roots and runs. I preferred the attack (and the snobs were right, my fingerstyle technique is pretty poor).

I've worked on better finger playing, which is almost obligatory in some situations, but a big thanks to whoever posted a thread "This is what a Stingray played with a pick sounds like" (OSLT). Personally, I think Pedro Aznar's riff sounds miles better picked than when he (after the solo) plays it fingerstyle (5:15), but others may disagree.

 

[MDBass]

Real bass players use their fingers. Pick players are posers.

 

[whero]

I just watched 2 hours of rock videos and not one bass player used his fingers. All pick players I have nothing against pick players I think it looks cool.i play only fingers the only picking I do is my nose I did notice that all of them were under 40 years of age. I guess a new generation thing or they were guitar players at one time

I don't think that's what Jamerson meant when he said "the funk is in the gunk". Your two hours of watching rock videos sounds like two hours wasted. It would have been better to spend that time practising with a pick so you have another technique you can use when the song requires it.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

I think people that really dislike picks just never got good at it, which would require years of playing with a pick daily. Although I can do fingerstyle fine if a band contacts me to play with them and stresses wanting a fingerstyle only bass player I dont reply, really dumb request.

 

[CryingBass]

Chris Squire, Steve Swallow, Scott LaFaro...

Well, maybe not that last one

 

[Hahaha]

Dying breed? Seems counterintuitive. Fingers are much more useful than picks in the breeding process.

I need to go now. I don't like to keep a firing squad waiting.

 

[Jeff Scott]

This could have been a great poll.

Yep, this thread us pretty useless without it.

I rarely, if ever, see a jazz player using a pick.

 

[Ekulati]

In the type of "rock" no one listens to anymore, yes.

 

[mojomike001]

Who cares? You play the way you play.

 

[flatwoundjohn]

i do folk pop/acoustic for a solo project and I use a pick to get my preferred tone The reason why is just because my main influences played with pick(wark wilson-JET,Paul McCartney).But when i play for other people i switch due to genre and what tone i want.like modern pop/90's pop,jazz(moondance type stuff),Psychedelic Pop Like Asteroid Galaxy Tour I'll Use Fingers.But For 60's Psychedelic Rock,Hard Rock,Pop Rock,Indie Rock i'll Use Pick

 

[TheReceder]

I was always of the mindset that everyone is dying.

 

[AdamR]

In the type of "rock" no one listens to anymore, yes.

What type of rock would that be ?

 

[Robscott]

Anthony Jackson, Bobby Vega and Carol Kaye would disagree with your assesment entirely

Well out of those three only Carol Kaye plays exclusively with a pick as far as I know, so the other two wouldn't disagree with me at all. As far as Carol Kaye, I can't see why you couldn't play all her repertoire fingerstyle, but could you really say the converse, i.e you can match any fingerstyle player, any genre with a pick? Not trying to start an argument or anything, just saying if you only go one way, maybe pick is the best way to go. If you wanna do both do both.

 

[MDBass]

Well out of those three only Carol Kaye plays exclusively with a pick as far as I know, so the other two wouldn't disagree with me at all. As far as Carol Kaye, I can't see why you couldn't play all her repertoire fingerstyle, but could you really say the converse, i.e you can match any fingerstyle player, any genre with a pick? Not trying to start an argument or anything, just saying if you only go one way, maybe pick is the best way to go. If you wanna do both do both.

Bobby and Anthony are both known for playing pick style across multiple genres.

My only real point was that one tool isn't inherently more versatile than the other, it's entirely dependent on the player.

 

[lowfreqgeek]

No.

 

[JN8642]

I don't think it is yet, but I do think it's good to mix things up and experiment

 

[rendevouz]

Picks meh, I prefer using coins they give me a better tone and there´s no way I´m going to be losing them

 

[Smooth_bass88]

It absolutely does not matter

 

[Tommyc]

If they were why would I care? It wouldn't be the first time I've ignored fashion.

 

[bucephylus]

Limiting yourself to any single kind of right hand technique as some kind of self expression is rather uninformed.

If you want to remain employable, far better to seek to master all of the techniques, know when to apply them, and play with authority in many genres.