I'm really enjoying learning songs lately by the band The Strokes but I find that it's really hard to get two fingers pumping fast enough to make a clean sound like a pick. Will I have to bread down and learn to play the bass with a pick to get a clean sound?
Somehow I doubt it. There are plenty of people who play really fast without using a pick. You may need to switch to a 3 finger technique, which lets you get a little more speed easier. There are plenty of threads here on how to get more speed using either 2 or 3 fingers. It really just takes a metronome and a lot of practice.
Ya, I figured I was going to have to learn to use the pick, I was just trying to avoid it...my fingering is pretty fast but by the fifth song they start to cramp up.
Geddy Lee to name one. There's nothing wrong with using a pick as long as it serves the song. People who think that there's only one way to play aren't thinking broadly. Not everyone plays with the same techniques, and no one way is right for everyone. As Fleetwood Mac says, you "go your own way".
There's plenty of times I'll use a pick, but it's never a speed issue...just a tone issue. Also, it's easier for a lot of styles to get the right "attitude" with a pick. You'll get more attack at the expense of low end, although you can compensate a bit by picking closer to the neck ala Chris Squire. Like bonscottvocals said, whatever serves the song. I won't hesitate to use a pick if I think it works for that tune.
The short answer is that with two fingers you can generally pump out notes about as quickly as with a pick. Keep practicing, and you'll be able to get different fingerstyle tones from your bass even at high tempo, so I wouldn't give up on fingerstyle on the basis that it isn't as clean or fast a style as picking. On the other hand, if the pick sound ends up being what you're really after, play with a pick when you're feeling it.
Using a pick is good for two things IMO. 1.Getting a certain tone - when you'll play with a pick you'll get more high frequencies when you hit the string then when you do it with your fingers, it depends on what is the atmosphere of the song and what style of bass sound you wanna' give it. 2.playing a constant roll without many rhythmic variations (like some bass rolls in metal music) is better to play with a pick because your hands will get tired slower. on the other hand i think that some basslines are hard to play with a pick and some are impossible to play with a pick (bassline that includes rake for example). Eventually it's a good think if you know to play a pick as well as playing with your fingers and then you can choose for each song what is best for you to play it easily and for the bass guitar timbre in the song.
