Beginner - pick or no pick?

[RedVee]

It can’t hurt to learn pick as well.
I’m trying to learn now and am still in the clumsy stage, but I’ll stick at it. Even though I’m actively trying to use a pick somethings are just better with fingers. eg singers want to do Morning Has Broken - fingers just seem more natural.

 

[TNCreature]

I use both. Was primarily a pick player for many years, but once I learned better technique and how to use my equipment efficiently, I enjoy both approaches equally. It's nice to switch without losing anything, it gives you more options.
Have fun!

 

[baileyboy]

Learning is never a waste. I find that the older I get requires me to change things up. My index finger is somewhat arthritic and I struggle to play songs that are primarily 8th notes using two fingers. So I've started using a pick for those tunes. It's going to take a while to develop a comfort level, but at this point in time, it has become a necessity.

 

[Ric5]

the earlier you get comfortable with different techniques the better

 

[Koshchei]

the earlier you get comfortable with different techniques the better

Totally; just don't overdo a bunch of things and get discouraged. Get confident on one thing, move on to the next, etc. When you're first starting out, everything is low hanging fruit.

 

[Scottgun]

I'm pro-pick, but suggest learning fingerstyle first.

 

[Sithian]

Hi. I'm just getting started, learning to just play some simple riffs and play along to some easy grunge and punk tunes.
At the moment I'm playing without a pick, plucking with fingers but my main interest is punk and I've noticed a lot of my favourite punk bassists (especially hardco re bassists) seem to use a pick.
If I want to play punk, should I use a pick from the start or learn to play without and then change?

Hello, welcome, and enjoy your musical adventure!
My opinion- do what sounds good and feels good and develop accordingly. You can do whatever YOU want. No hard and fast rules or approaches. Look at Bobby Vega (Swiss army knife player) and Steve Swallow, two great pick artists whose style transcends genre. Les Claypool slapping a fretless. Or others that play fingers exclusively - find what works for YOU and have a blast doing it

 

[groooooove]

explore whatever you like

i actually started with both. i was taking lessons with a great teacher. i noticed one day that i always just forgot to bring a pick to my lessons, and was learning to play with my fingers more and more.

Especially for rock, punk, metal, pick is totally fine. i'd definitely recommend being able to do both, but at the end of the day there is no right answer just do "you"

 

[SteveHeissner]

Have some fun. Start out by creating a simple riff of your own based on any scale. Call it "Punks with Picks" and then practice it with and/or without a pick. Some day when you become a famous punk musician maybe you can write a song around it. Good luck and enjoy!

 

[rashrader]

I played punk without a pick in the 80’s when it definitely wasn’t cool to do so. Lol. I guess it still isn’t cool?

 

[Ric5]

Totally; just don't overdo a bunch of things and get discouraged. Get confident on one thing, move on to the next, etc. When you're first starting out, everything is low hanging fruit.

well a beginner will naturally take to some styles more than others and this will help him begin to forge his own style

 

[Lava]

Bobby Vega gets down playing with a pick!

 

[Keger Jupit]

So...both.

EPIC!

 

[SteveXFR]

I spent a couple hours playing some Ramones tunes with a mate who plays guitar. Definitely got on better with a pick and enjoyed it more BUT when we started playing Mountain Song by Jane's Addiction I found it much easier and preferred the sound without a pick. Looks like a bit of both may be needed.

Saturday night I went out to see UK DIY punks Wonk Unit, great show and I noticed their bassist plays with a pick for some songs and without for others but always fast.

 

[JohnArnson]

A lot of accomplished and acclaimed bass players in all kind of different genres mainly use pick, there is nothing bad or lesser about playing with a pick instead of your fingers.

If your main interest is music where using a pick would suit it best start out with learning how to use a pick, and then ideally when you got your pick technique down start learning how to use your fingers as well.

Ideally you would want to be capable of as many different techniques as possible.

Some stuff is easier to play with a pick, some stuff is easier to play with your fingers, some stuff calls for the somewhat click like emphasis of your attack a pick gives you, some stuff calls for the softer and smoother tone of finger picking.

Personally I started out exclusively playing with a pick and did so for several years, then eventually decided to learn how to use my fingers instead and begun mainly to use finger picking for several years, and now finally I am back to mainly using a pick, primarily because I really like the specific tone it gives me.

 

[Turbo Sparky]

That makes a lot of sense. Can't let the energy drop in a hardcore tune.
I've watched some more DK videos this afternoon and Klaus seems to play with and without. I really want to learn some Kennedys tunes.

If I remember correctly, Klaus started out playing guitar (not sure if it was Jazz or classical) so some of his lines can be intricate. "California Uberalis" is a pretty easy song to learn by DKs. Of course, "Holiday in Cambodia" is a timeless classic also. "Bleed for me" is another.
IMO, some of the coolest lines come from some of the unsung heroes of early '80's British Oi, Ska, and punk. Even The Police kill it with "Fall Out" and "Next to You" on their debut.
Practice s l o w and the speed WILL come.
Practicing both does not mean you have to learn/practice a song with a pick and fingers; obviously play the song(s) with a pick, but use both a pick and fingers to practice arpeggios (major and minor), scales, modes etc. Plus, when you're killin' it, your picking/fingering hand will not fatigue/cramp. IMO, playing fast AND accurate comes from practicing s l o w and increasing tempos accordingly. Yeah, I still blow a note or two at a gig-when adrenaline is flowing and the 1/16 notes are kickin', that's reality, but that's part of the fun. No click tracks, gridded out piecing together of lines, no overdubs- real music real people real fun. You'll know when you have a song nailed when you can play it in 1/2 time, and articulate and play accurately.
Good luck.

 

[RichGrippo]

Hi. I'm just getting started, learning to just play some simple riffs and play along to some easy grunge and punk tunes.
At the moment I'm playing without a pick, plucking with fingers but my main interest is punk and I've noticed a lot of my favourite punk bassists (especially hardco re bassists) seem to use a pick.
If I want to play punk, should I use a pick from the start or learn to play without and then change?

I would continue with learning how to finger-pluck. Much more versative than a pick and you can get much "grungier/punkier" sounds with plucking than with a pick if your amp is set correctly. Having said that, learning to use a pick is a worthwhile talent to develop, too.

 

[BritFunk]

Learn both - don't limit yourself.

I started with fingerstyle, which I strongly suggest for new players. When (not if) you find a bass line you want to play that you don't have the speed for (yet), you'll learn the pick (in my case, "Planet Earth" - Duran Duran, and yes, John Taylor used a pick on that track for the same reason - he couldn't maintain that speed for that length of time at that moment in his playing - he mentioned it in an interview once).

You will absolutely use both as a bassist.

I used to be as anti-pick as they came, but there are some lines that just don't sound right without one. They both have their place. 95% of the stuff I do is fingerstyle, but I keep a pick handy at all times.

-----
Kurt

 

[Joe Lonsdale]

Hi. I'm just getting started, learning to just play some simple riffs and play along to some easy grunge and punk tunes.
At the moment I'm playing without a pick, plucking with fingers but my main interest is punk and I've noticed a lot of my favourite punk bassists (especially hardco re bassists) seem to use a pick.
If I want to play punk, should I use a pick from the start or learn to play without and then change?

I think whatever your style, being able to use your fingers AND a plectrum is crucial.

 

[Soltao]

20 years of playing bass, strictly fingers until last year. I've been learning so much since I began to pick, really. Check out Bobby Vega's work, Cody Wright, Carol Kaye etc... You got to know both worlds