Finger as Pick

[arlindzerdja]

How can i use my fingers as a pick?
For example to play some parts like rhcp-snow chorus?

 

[Sam Evans]

Geddy Lee more or less does that.

 

[sevdog]

Quit clipping your fingernails and in a month you'll be able to pick away.

Just be careful if your picking at any of your body parts.

 

[arlindzerdja]

i saw some Geddy Lee videos but that technique doesnt work for me i need to play more than one string in the same time.
Sevdog thats what im doing right now but i wanted to learn something more specific

 

[Lowactnsatsfctn]

Sick Puppies 'Odd One' Bass Lesson.flv - YouTube

Watch it around 2:30, she tucks a pick in her middle finger.

 

[LeoSash]

Well what i do is either: hold your hand as if you're holding a pick but your index finger should be the pick. I do this for guitar playing, i don't see how it couldn't apply to bass.

Or...

You could use your Index finger to make a flicking motion on your string. (more like a "come here" motion actually)

Sorry i'm not so good at explaining this. I hope you get the gist of what i'm saying...

 

[sevdog]

Bryan Beller uses a pretty good technique for fast picking. I kind of use the same technique, it doesn't have to be for speed like he is using. He demonstrates it in this video:

FPE-TV Bryan Beller William Murderface of Metalocalypse - YouTube

 

[mynameisjack2]

Well what i do is either: hold your hand as if you're holding a pick but your index finger should be the pick. I do this for guitar playing, i don't see how it couldn't apply to bass.

I use this technique a lot, and while it does work well for what the OP is trying to do, if you care about the appearance of your fingers, I wouldn't recommend it. My index finger nail (the "pick") is pretty beat up, and doesn't grow properly. Also, you get some pretty gangly calluses.

 

[wdinc01]

I use both the Geddy Lee technique (grow your finger nails out) and the index-finger-as-pick technique. I much prefer this over a physical pick, as I never got used to holding one, and would rather not have to spend money on plastic every few weeks. Using my fingers feels very natural and tactile.

Jack has a point as well. It can beat up your index finger, so be aware of that.

 

[kb9wyz]

I use this technique a lot, and while it does work well for what the OP is trying to do, if you care about the appearance of your fingers, I wouldn't recommend it. My index finger nail (the "pick") is pretty beat up, and doesn't grow properly. Also, you get some pretty gangly calluses.

This is one heck of an argument for just using a pick.

 

[mynameisjack2]

I never got used to a pick, and when playing in my current band, changing from two handed tapping to a chord picking, there was simply no time to swap.

My camera is down, but my nail usually grows in two layers now, it's sort of fused down to the skin, and doesn't grow very far. It's not painful, it's just weird looking.

But then again, any fingerstyle player with calluses isn't exactly going to get to hold a ton of hands without getting a "that's weird" response. So your index finger isn't that big of an issue.

 

[Russell L]

I use fingernails on three fingers for plucking. Just started a thread a minute ago, ranting about how I broke one. I get a pick-like sound with them, but it's a little different because I also use them in conjunction with the meat of my fingertip. Kinda like a "fat pick" sound. Or like adding a click to a normal nail-less sound. Very versatile way to play, IMO. I usually have to roll of some high mids, or low highs (when I can get them) to control the click. No problem, but breaking a nail makes playing awkward when you're used to having nails. Just have to get by for awhile. At least I have gigs. Yay!

 

[FretlessMainly]

hold your hand as if you're holding a pick but your index finger should be the pick

This is what I do, but it really only works well for down-strokes. The thumb and index finger combination is too thick for me to develop a facile up/down technique that is analogous to what I use on guitar with a pick. So I use it more for power and attack. Of course, it can be a bit hazardous:

 

[evanatch]

I use a technique like this and posted a thread on it a while back. Here's a reply on that thread that I think explains the method I use pretty well, if it helps:

Well, its hard to explain, but the fingernail is involved on both the upstroke and downstroke. How? You pick the string using the very tip where the nail meets the flesh for both the up and down stroke. So the attack is focused on the flatest point at the tip of ur finger. so thers no alternating from the fingernail side to the flesh side, its all focused on one spot on the finger tip. Kinda like using ur finger tip as a fat pick.

Keep in mind, this is just my interpritation of this method. It works for me.

 

[maxiegrant]

This is what I do, but it really only works well for down-strokes. The thumb and index finger combination is too thick for me to develop a facile up/down technique that is analogous to what I use on guitar with a pick. So I use it more for power and attack. Of course, it can be a bit hazardous:

I do this same thing. On the upstroke, I just hit it with my thumbnail.

 

[onda'bass]

been doing this for years...

 

[hernameisrio]

Bernard Edwards kinda did this. If you look up "Bernard Edwards technique" on YouTube there's a pretty good video about it. It's not exactly what you're talking about, but it's similar and maybe worth trying out.

 

[21niko21]

^ Exactly, there's a great video of a guy playing Everybody Dance with Bernard's technique on YouTube.