Beginner - pick or no pick?

[Captain Comet]

I transitioned from guitar to bass and relied on a pick for the first couple years. A bass player friend convinced me that all I had to do was put the pick down and get to work. It took a couple months, but it became very natural to play without one. I think it is physically easier to play without one. Using a pick tends to involve your whole forearm up to the elbow. The tendon on the back of my right elbow was substantially larger than the left when I was using a pick. Playing with your fingers moves most of all that motion just into your hand. I feel more connected to the bass not using a pick, too.

I would start off NOT using a pick, get proficient without one, then work on using a pick for the songs you feel need one.

 

[Charlie28711]

So I guess the moral to the story is this. Opinions are like butt holes. Everybody has one.
So pick (or finger) which ever you like. ;-)

 

[Turbo Sparky]

+1 on this. I played for years with a pick. Then one day at a festival, a frisbee came out of the crowd, hit me right in the pick hand and sent my pick flying. I was about 20 feet from my mic stand where my pick sleeve was. HUGE gap in the song while I scrambled for a pic. Swore then and there I would learn to use my fingers. Never regretted the effort and now I can go either way.

Ooof!
I haven't had a frisbee hit me, or played a festival yet, but sweaty/cramping hand/adrenaline got the best of me...not once in a gig..but freakin' TWICE in one night!
We have a song that ends on F# and another that begins with F#. The stereotypical hot as fudge, zero air movement in the venue, a bazillion people in a shotgun hut and my pick kept slipping when playing...
...the immediate end of one the beginning of another...one where the bass leads in with a swelling line...
"Plumpf plumpf" 10 seconds in... I swear the stage divers, birds in the air, drinks being poured, electrical grid and the rotation of the Earth stopped mid-movement/whathevertheheck else...
Cricket cricket cricket…
Like 2 songs later...
...extended bass fill just before a guitar solo...
...pick decided to bounce off a string...wink at me...began flipping in an arc...gave me the finger...and flopped off the stage/riser...
"Plink Plumpf plumpf"...yeah, NEVER again.
Finger practicing and picks with a cut-out/texture.
Cheers!

 

[Mcr Red]

I use my fingernail as a pick. Just have always done it that way. So if I happen to need the attack and speed a pick gives, it's right there where I need it.

 

[JohnDL]

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?

In my humble opinion you absolutely must start with the pick right now. The longer you leave it, the harder it will get to switch from fingerstyle to pick. It's much easier to get that lovely clanky sound that punk requires with a pick and 16th note thrash is probably better with a pick too.

 

[cmcbass]

I use both. I always play with a pick in my current band, but I've been practicing some three finger plucking recently as well. I didn't start using a pick until I'd already been playing for almost 10 years. The more techniques you can learn the better.

 

[Buggyboy]

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?

For what it sounds like you are wanting to play a pick might be better sound wise. But don’t limit yourself to that style. It depends completely on the song you are playing.

 

[RichGrippo]

I started using fingers and gradually learned to also use a pick, especially for Yes songs to try to get that Chris Squier sound. If you develop both you will be a much more versatile bassist. Just use a pick on songs where the bassist used a pick, and your fingers on songs where the bassist used fingers. On originals, you can use whatever sounds/feels best to you.

 

[sqlb3rn]

I see no reason to work on both... you will make faster progress if you pick one and stick with it. Once you are actually proficient in one, then sure learn the other if you want to. But as someone that can play both ways, I've never had the need to switch back n forth personally and have no reason to use a pick. You can get punchy tone without one but you are limited to one tone with a pick. You could play a nylon string classical guitar with a pick too, but you're limiting yourself.

I prefer fingerstyle because it's easier to play fast, skip strings, transition to other techniques like tapping and slapping, and gives way more tonal variety than you can ever get out of a piece of stiff plastic.

But if you want the exact same consistent punchy tone all the time, a pick will get you there faster.

Cover songs make no difference to me... I don't care if the original bassist used a pick, you can play it fingerstyle regardless.

 

[FrenchBassQC]

Right so a bit of both then. Thanks for the tips

As long as the tips are happy, no problems...

 

[RichGrippo]

I see no reason to work on both... you will make faster progress if you pick one and stick with it. Once you are actually proficient in one, then sure learn the other if you want to. But as someone that can play both ways, I've never had the need to switch back n forth personally and have no reason to use a pick. You can get punchy tone without one but you are limited to one tone with a pick. You could play a nylon string classical guitar with a pick too, but you're limiting yourself.

I prefer fingerstyle because it's easier to play fast, skip strings, transition to other techniques like tapping and slapping, and gives way more tonal variety than you can ever get out of a piece of stiff plastic.

But if you want the exact same consistent punchy tone all the time, a pick will get you there faster.

Cover songs make no difference to me... I don't care if the original bassist used a pick, you can play it fingerstyle regardless.

This reply suggests you have only tried one type of pick. They are not all "a piece of stiff plastic". You can get many more different tones from different picks than you can from fingers. I have used everything from felt picks to wooden picks to metal picks to heavy nylon to light nylon to superheavy, unyielding jazz guitar picks. All very different tones. One can also do hybrid picking by simultaneously using both a pick and fingers. Some bass lines would be very difficult to play, and would sound mushy with fingers (Starship Trooper and Heart of the Sunrise by Yes come to mind) while others are literally impossible to cover with a pick, such as the bass intro to Sweet Emotion.

 

[sqlb3rn]

This reply suggests you have only tried one type of pick. They are not all "a piece of stiff plastic". You can get many more different tones from different picks than you can from fingers. I have used everything from felt picks to wooden picks to metal picks to heavy nylon to light nylon to superheavy, unyielding jazz guitar picks. All very different tones. One can also do hybrid picking by simultaneously using both a pick and fingers. Some bass lines would be very difficult to play, and would sound mushy with fingers (Starship Trooper and Heart of the Sunrise by Yes come to mind) while others are literally impossible to cover with a pick, such as the bass intro to Sweet Emotion.

I have tried thin picks and felt picks, but didn't think it was worth mentioning because no on in metal/punk uses them. That's cool that you like them tho.

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