Fingers or plectrum?

[Basslice]

Pretty sure Entwistle didn't use a pick...

I actually think he did at times. I've seen some clips of him using a pick, although I don't recall the numbers off the top of my head.

 

[Raman]

I actually think he did at times. I've seen some clips of him using a pick, although I don't recall the numbers off the top of my head.

I stand corrected. It says here that he did at first but switched to fingers.

John Entwistle - Who Is The Ox & Thunderfingers?

 

[Les Fret]

No.But Tony Levin and Tony Franklin did on fretless.
So.......

I was just joking

 

[Watchootognbout]

I was just joking

And my answer was tongue in cheek.........

 

[ChasBow]

Both fingers and pick. I palm my pick while fingering during a lot of play as it makes it easier to switch back and forth during sets. The song determines it. But then there was the time I had a jammed ring finger and solely was picking for a while, ugh.

 

[Fuzzbass]

Curious.

I've been a finger picker ever since I 1st picked up a bass. Nobody had to tell me how to pluck with index and middle finger: It came completely spontaneously. It's only much later that I started playing with a plectrum, in order to emulate some of the bassists (mostly post-punk) that I like. It felt at first as if I played with gloves on: Didn't like that a piece of material was in the way between my skin and the strings. I got better at it, but to this day, playing with a plectrum still feels less natural to me.

One thing I'm wondering is, when you guys and girls cover a song or other, will you also switch between finger and plectrum to get as close as possible to the original, or do you just stick to your preferred picking method?

I tend to emulate the original technique. But these days, I'm covering Carole Kaye material and I keep going back to finger-picking. Not only does it make it easier for me, but I can't quite get her tone when plectrum picking, even though that's how she played it. I feel I'm much closer with fingers.

When I first played a friend's bass I started using a pick -- first because it's what my friend used, but also because it's easier (at first). Once I decided to get my own bass, my guitarist brother said "You're playing bass, so you REALLY need to use your fingers!" I followed his recommendation, and became a fingers-only guy for decades. I'm grateful to him for encouraging me to learn fingerstyle!

That said: I have fleshy fingertips, and for rock there are certain songs that sound MUCH better with a pick. So, I've been using pick only as needed... and where I can. I'm ashamed to admit that I don't actually practice with a pick, so my pick skills still lag far behind my fingerstyle skills. I can play "Slither" by Velvet Revolver with a pick, even using all downstrokes. However I can't play "Mr. Brownstone" by Guns'n'Roses with a pick. I know, I really should practice it at home with a pick, that would improve my pick playing overall... but it seems like a big hill to climb so I just stick with fingers, which is my comfort zone. Pickstyle "Slither" was easier from the get-go, and the same is true for "Mudshovel" and a few other songs I play with a pick.



TL;DR: I believe bassists should be fluent in both fingerstyle and pickstyle, but I've been lazy about pickstyle so I'm much better at fingerstyle.

 

[jsherm]

Curious.

I've been a finger picker ever since I 1st picked up a bass. Nobody had to tell me how to pluck with index and middle finger: It came completely spontaneously. It's only much later that I started playing with a plectrum, in order to emulate some of the bassists (mostly post-punk) that I like. It felt at first as if I played with gloves on: Didn't like that a piece of material was in the way between my skin and the strings. I got better at it, but to this day, playing with a plectrum still feels less natural to me.

One thing I'm wondering is, when you guys and girls cover a song or other, will you also switch between finger and plectrum to get as close as possible to the original, or do you just stick to your preferred picking method?

I tend to emulate the original technique. But these days, I'm covering Carole Kaye material and I keep going back to finger-picking. Not only does it make it easier for me, but I can't quite get her tone when plectrum picking, even though that's how she played it. I feel I'm much closer with fingers.

For 50 years of bass playing, I have used my index fingernail as a pick. I also play finger style (having also been an upright player most of my life). Started doing it when I was 14 years old, and of course there have been times when I snagged my fingernail and had to cut it too short to pluck for several days. But it solves the problem of what to do with the pick when you want to switch back and forth. The sound is not quite as defined as using an actual pick, but you can still get a really good sound with your nail with practice. My fingernail is pretty tough from decades of doing this. Occasionally I use a real pick. For example, right before Covid I played the show Tommy by The Who. That required a real pick to get the totally correct sound. Don't know if there is anyone else out there who uses this technique. I've actually never come across anyone else who has, but you folks must be out there. Anyway, it's genius for switching back and forth at will without trying to grab a pick or get rid of one at extremely short notice.

 

[jsherm]

Curious.

I've been a finger picker ever since I 1st picked up a bass. Nobody had to tell me how to pluck with index and middle finger: It came completely spontaneously. It's only much later that I started playing with a plectrum, in order to emulate some of the bassists (mostly post-punk) that I like. It felt at first as if I played with gloves on: Didn't like that a piece of material was in the way between my skin and the strings. I got better at it, but to this day, playing with a plectrum still feels less natural to me.

One thing I'm wondering is, when you guys and girls cover a song or other, will you also switch between finger and plectrum to get as close as possible to the original, or do you just stick to your preferred picking method?

I tend to emulate the original technique. But these days, I'm covering Carole Kaye material and I keep going back to finger-picking. Not only does it make it easier for me, but I can't quite get her tone when plectrum picking, even though that's how she played it. I feel I'm much closer with fingers.

 

[DECEMBER]

Pick only. Can't get a sharp, bright sound with fingers. Can't play most of what I play with fingers. In all my music, I have just one song that switches to fingers for a part.
I use the 33mm equilateral triangle picks, 1.14mm thick. I also have a couple steel picks that my dad made me, they sound great!

 

[jsherm]

Over 50 years of bass playing, I've always used my index fingernail as a pick. Started doing that when I was 14, and it's sort of permanently toughened up. I also play finger style, having been an upright player as well for most of my life. You can get a great sound with your fingernail with a bit of practice. And the best thing about it is that you can switch back and forth at will without having to grab a pick or get rid of one. A real pick will give you a slightly more defined sound, but honestly, the fingernail is very close. I use the nail whenever I want a more hard-edged sound, particularly for rock n roll. Over all these years, I've never met another bass player who did this, but they must be out there.

 

[Mark Ellis]

Some songs need a pick, other work better with fingers. I do a lot more with fingers than pick. I use a Fender heavy pick.

 

[NZBassman]

I'm mainly a fingers guy
I started playing when I was 16/17 and just used a pick because I thought that's what bass players did.... I didn't know how to play with my fingers.
but as I got better and started playing live in a covers band a few years later I found that my hands would often get sweaty and the pick would slip out of my thumb and finger - forcing me to play with my fingers for the remainder of the song..... and I guess it just started from then.
I use a pick for some of the faster songs we play but generally use my fingers now.... I actually find my thumb / finger gets sore if I play 2-3 songs in a row with a pick

 

[limehoff]

I have a pick stuck behind the top of my pick guard for easy access. Same pick for over 20 years. Hundreds of gigs. Never used it. (sometimes I'll try using it in rehearsal but my hand will cramp after a couple minutes) Lately I can feel pain in my knuckles when playing and usually take a few ibuprofen to get through a gig. So....I'm gonna start working more on this pick thing, just in case...

 

[StringCanvas]

One of the reasons why bass players don't like picks is they use the wrong pick and they hold it wrong.

I think this is really important, too. Some people assume a bass requires a heavy pick simply because the instrument is bigger than a guitar-- like anything under 1mm isn't going to work. Fat Mike uses a .60 and gets great tone. If you're a finger player looking to try it out, try a lot of picks. Don't just assume that the you tried is "the right one" so you must be doing it wrong.

Also, just a side note, my daughter apparently prefers the pick, as you'll see in my avatar.

 

[BruceG63]

I started out playing with my fingers back in the mid 70s.I been playing for about a year when I burnt the end of my middle finger on my right hand working on a car.Went over to a friends house that night to jam and had trouble because of the burn/blister on my middle finger.There were some picks that came with my cheapo bass so i grabbed one and started using it.I found myself sounding better and learning so much faster with a pick that I stuck with it and still use a pick over 40 years later.

 

[The Hook 1988]

Started out with a pick as a beginner. i soon realized that fingerstyle was more expressive and versatile. I usually have a pick with me but not too many songs at gigs I do call for it. But just like slap/tap, sometimes you just need that sound. However, Bernard Edwards sounded like he was using a pick attack, but not with a pick!

 

[Raman]

Thanks to everybody who shared their experience in this thread!
I especially liked all the comments on different picks and picking techniques. It got me to rethink my own approach to bass playing.

 

[Eddie LeBlanc]

I threw away all picks the summer of my 9th grade when I was 15 or 16. That was well over 50 years ago. Been using fingers and thumb ever since. Works for me.

 

[Raman]

Personally, I've played with Dunlop nylon .73mm picks mostly since I picked it up. But lately, I've found the attack to be sloppy. I'm presently playing using a Dunlop Tortex .88mm. It feels better. But I'm opened to other ideas (Gypsie stone picks?)

Concerning the problem of picks slipping between one's fingers... I used to bite mine. I mean, I chewed on my picks where the thumb rests, so as to create a depression where I could control the pick's orientation. Works pretty well!

I play a modified Squier P Affinity: The pups are genuine Fender '63 Pure Vintage and all the electronics were upgraded. I strung it with flatwounds. It plays like butter and sounds like thunder. Taming this bass is why I want to achieve a great Carole Kaye pick tone.

 

[oysteivi]

Fingers only, because I need a slightly shorter strap to play comfortably with a pick, and I can't be bothered to keep adjusting it.