Change from fingerstyle to pick technique

[freeridden]

Yes I've looked through that. But didn't see any mention of the index finger or more importantly, pictures.

 

[Wasnex]

First I want to say that this is not a fingerstyle versus a pick argument. I play for fun and I play music like dream theater, the aristocrats, and stuff from Simon Phillips. Don't get me wrong, I'm not that great. But recently I hurt my middle finger and it has some permanent damage so I cannot play fingerstyle well anymore. I don't want to quit, so I'm thinking about switching to using a pick. Is a pic only good for metal where you just play the same string quickly over and over, or are their bassists out there that can play prog music and or fusion with a pick? I don't care one bit about slapping and popping, but I do some tapping which I will have to do without my right hand middle finger. Any thoughts on this? Can you play complex music on bass with a pick? Or is it pick on bass just for playing super fast on one or two strings? And do you have any examples of someone playing prog-metal or complex music with a pick?

Learning to play with a pick is a good idea. Also, try subbing in your ring finger.

 

[smeet]

Yes I've looked through that. But didn't see any mention of the index finger or more importantly, pictures.

I used to hold it like in pic #1 when playing guitar. With bass I use large heavy triangular picks, and I've developed a completely different way. I basically put index and middle on one side and thumb on the other, tips and a bit of pad touching the pick. My hand is totally relaxed, to the point that I haven't dropped a pick for several years. Works for me.
I used to be a stickler for proper technique. But these days I change my finger and pick (and left hand too) technique around a lot depending on the sound I want or my mood. I think that helps prevent repetitive stress injury. Once you have a handle on a technique you can modify it a lot without problems.

 

[Lobster11]

Here's a little trick I learned from Julie Slick: Use a tear-shaped plectrum, and pick with one of the two rounded "corners" rather than with the pointy tip. YMMV but it works great for me.