Hi, my name is PollyBass, and I play with a pick.
(Saying it again in this thread for "Crispness")
(Saying it again in this thread for "Crispness")
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finger vs. pick
- Thread starter jcwillcanada
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I have no idea what songs you can download, since I don't download songs as a rule. I've given you some names and a place to start. You can do the rest yourself. This is about your education, after all.
Originally posted by Richard Lindsey
I have no idea what songs you can download, since I don't download songs as a rule. I've given you some names and a place to start. You can do the rest yourself. This is about your education, after all.
Well, what you basically are saying is "search around and maybe you will find". If you know some song that diplay his skill then just name it!
My bet is that theese songs doesn't exists since otherwise you would had mentioned some by now.
No, what I'm basically saying is, get off your butt and do a little work for yourself. That's what people do when they want to learn things. Don't demand to be spoonfed. You've already received helpful suggestions, now it's your job to act on them. If, that is, you're really willing to learn something that might upset your preconceptions. If you're not willing to spend a few minutes, or an hour or two, learning something, that's your choice.
Search on Michel Camilo. Search on Steve Swallow, Gary Burton, Al Di Meola, Eyewitness (Jackson plays with Steve Khan in this group). Jeez, how hard can that be?
And you would lose your bet.
I managed to get hold of some stuff (no thanks to you) and I guess it wasn't bad at all. His playing isn't as dynamic as say Gary Willis and he doesn't achieve an as smooth and "perfect" sound as say Jeff Berlin and his speed isn't up to par with Billy Sheehan or Chris Richards but apart from that he is surely a good player. saying the he is up there with the best fingerplayer strikes me as pretty ignorant though since that is obviously not the case judging from what I heard.
Whom were you referring to, Swallow or Jackson? For me, Swallow plays even more dynamically than Willis (yes, I've seen them both), and Jackson easily has Sheehan's speed or better (not that Sheehan is my benchmark for speed or that speed is the most important aspect of technique) and is a superior bassist.
But in any case, tastes differ, and that's cool. At least now you have a better basis for your opinion, much though I may disagree with it.
Two other pick players you could check out: Carlos Benavent (I think that's the right spelling; he's Spanish, used to play with Chick Corea in the early '80s and now does some kind of flamenco jazz stuff), and Dan Dean (has some instructional material out).
I've been messing around with the bass for around a 1-2 years...I actually find it very hard for me to use a pick I have a couple though but after only a little while I end up going back to the fingers, I have four metal picks. Wonder if it's good for the strings.... 
I couldnt read all thar posts but it symary is: Learn to use both and maybe pick is better for speed and fingers for allround. But you forget something I cant decide on my own...Its sounds better a hard or a soft pick? maybe medium? I cant decide by myself because I like a lot the soft ones but they seem to sound a little strange so I try hard ones that doesnt help to speep up...mediums own the cons of both not the pros...so...I dont know, help plz...
it's fun to use both. its louder on fast stuff with a pick and my fingers dont get tired with pick. i like playing fingers better tho
jive1
Commercial User
I can use both but mainly play with fingers. Last year I found another advantage of a pick. I played outdoors and it was colder than expected. I had to switch to pick, because my fingers were slowed down due to the cold. My fingers were also getting irritated form the cold strings as well. So, I had to borrow a pick form the guitar player. My fretting was slowed down, but I could keep the pulse with the pick.
Copyu says
"Whatever you can do with pick, you can do it better with fingers."
and
" I have yet to hear a song that was slapped or picked that wouldn't work better fingerstyle."
I'm not sure about which will count as "better", but to my mind, the principal difference between right hand techniques is tonal. I'm sure that the one thing most people can agree on is that tone is highly subjective. Extremely even 16th notes would probably have the same musical "value" (since that seems to be the kind of judgement we're casting here, though it's hard for me to comprehend how you can make such sweeping statements as the ones above), but the difference would be primarily tonal and that's a matter of taste.
Personally, I figure it's all fair game. I happen to think slapping is a pretty outdated, gimmicky way to play, but I'm all for anyone using anything they want to produce a tone. I'm pretty equally adept at pick and fingers and switch depending on what seems most aproppriate for the song. I've never been playing a song with a pick and wished I was using my fingers, anyway.
"Whatever you can do with pick, you can do it better with fingers."
and
" I have yet to hear a song that was slapped or picked that wouldn't work better fingerstyle."
I'm not sure about which will count as "better", but to my mind, the principal difference between right hand techniques is tonal. I'm sure that the one thing most people can agree on is that tone is highly subjective. Extremely even 16th notes would probably have the same musical "value" (since that seems to be the kind of judgement we're casting here, though it's hard for me to comprehend how you can make such sweeping statements as the ones above), but the difference would be primarily tonal and that's a matter of taste.
Personally, I figure it's all fair game. I happen to think slapping is a pretty outdated, gimmicky way to play, but I'm all for anyone using anything they want to produce a tone. I'm pretty equally adept at pick and fingers and switch depending on what seems most aproppriate for the song. I've never been playing a song with a pick and wished I was using my fingers, anyway.
Learn how to play with your fingers.
Learn how to play with a pick.
Learn how to slap.
Learn all three techniques, and learn to groove them well. The versatilty will make you a much more valuable bassist than your stubborn attitudes EVER will.
I guarantee. Not trying to be an ass, I'm just telling you what will benefit your usefulness (as well as self satisfaction) as a bassist for years and years.
Learn how to play with a pick.
Learn how to slap.
Learn all three techniques, and learn to groove them well. The versatilty will make you a much more valuable bassist than your stubborn attitudes EVER will.
I guarantee. Not trying to be an ass, I'm just telling you what will benefit your usefulness (as well as self satisfaction) as a bassist for years and years.
here's an idea for a way to play that i'm trying to get accustomed to:
hold the pick between your thumb and first finger, then finger pick with your middle and ring finger if the occasion ever arises
sound versatile? i dunno if getting accustomed to that would be as fast or easy as just either fingerpicking or using a pick, but whatever. i'm trying to work out a way to do that. i usually use a pick because that's worked fine by me. i don't strum and mute, i just alternate pick like it was a guitar. but that's me. i don't really need insane speed or multiple string arpeggiations.
hold the pick between your thumb and first finger, then finger pick with your middle and ring finger if the occasion ever arises
sound versatile? i dunno if getting accustomed to that would be as fast or easy as just either fingerpicking or using a pick, but whatever. i'm trying to work out a way to do that. i usually use a pick because that's worked fine by me. i don't strum and mute, i just alternate pick like it was a guitar. but that's me. i don't really need insane speed or multiple string arpeggiations.
i started and played with a pick because i am the most uncoordinated person ever........i do fine with a pick, but even fingering at half the speed i can pick at is difficult
I use my fingers always. I feel it's more natural, and I like the tone with my fingers. For me, I personally see no use for a pick because I hate the 'pick tone' and I don't need it for speed. All of my influences are fingers players as well, and that's what I prefer. I'm not trying to talk down to pick players, I just don't like 'em. (picks)
Let the guitarists use the picks
Cheers
Let the guitarists use the picks
Cheers
I mostly play with 2 fingers, Sometimes 3 for some Billy Sheehan stuff. I do use a pick on
some Guns & roses song's and a few others. I use green Tortex .88. I use a medium on my ABG'S so the Guitars dont wash my sound out.I cant remember the thickness but it's the yellow Tortex
and sometimes a pink one, depending on the song.
I used a metal pick for a while in the 80's,and I made up some 1/4 wood dowels about 3" long with a Heavy Triangle pick attached with a 1/4" sheet metal screw to play the "Electric Drill Song"
Daddy Brother.by Mr.Big, with my Makita electric Drill.I did play that live, it does work, I had to put a bar stool on the stage on my right hand side, so I could pick up and put down the drill.
Ah the good ol day's !!!!!!!!!
some Guns & roses song's and a few others. I use green Tortex .88. I use a medium on my ABG'S so the Guitars dont wash my sound out.I cant remember the thickness but it's the yellow Tortex
and sometimes a pink one, depending on the song.
I used a metal pick for a while in the 80's,and I made up some 1/4 wood dowels about 3" long with a Heavy Triangle pick attached with a 1/4" sheet metal screw to play the "Electric Drill Song"
Daddy Brother.by Mr.Big, with my Makita electric Drill.I did play that live, it does work, I had to put a bar stool on the stage on my right hand side, so I could pick up and put down the drill.
Ah the good ol day's !!!!!!!!!
The only reason why I don't play with a pick, is because I don't like the sound of a pick on bass 90% of the time.
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