Fingers or plectrum?

[Kaa]

This is an interesting thread.
I started picking not for the sound but for the increased speed it gave me. My old fingers just couldn't keep up with one particular song (below) and since then I have used pick for most of the faster tempo songs I play.

I love this album.

 

[Kaa]

Used to be exclusively fingerstyle, then an arthritic right thumb began demanding I use a pick. Did that for a couple of years, using felt picks and uke picks, then, decided to go back to fingerstyle. Thumb began complaining again, so now I'm back to starting out with a pick again. I could try to adjust my technique, but, since I'm not gigging, nor in a band at all, going with the pick is the least work, and I'm a lazy boy.

 

[SoonerBill]

I only play for myself. I learn and play with my favorite old rock songs. I noticed some I just couldn't sound like the recording. On many of those I found old videos and the bass player was using a pick. So I'll learning to use one and so far I do like the sound I'm getting on those songs.

 

[DECEMBER]

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.

I use the 1.14mm Tortex Flex on bass. Those don't slip as bad as other smooth picks for some reason.
My dad made me 2 steel picks, the 33mm equilateral triangle size, probably 2mm thick, those are awesome. I ordered some 0.3mm stainless steel picks from China on eBay, so it'll be a while before I get them.
I recently tried Clayton PickTac, no good. There's one that's still on a pick a week later, but all the others fell off within 10 mins. I'm gonna try Monster Grips next.

 

[subversive1]

I started out playing with fingers(which is my main style). I started experimenting with a pick, not long after. Certain songs sound better with a pick and some with fingers. It's a good habit to learn both, if you can. I can jump back and forth between the two without any difficulty.

 

[EddiePlaysBass]

I started out fingerstyle cos I was told that's how "real" bassists do it. I also thought pickstyle was for punk bassists, and that those guys couldn't play. Hey, I was young ...

I'd try to play with a pick over the years but would always drop it in ten seconds. Then I joined a wedding band type of gig and for some songs they really wanted the pick sound. So I worked on it.

These days I am almost as good with a pick as I am fingerstyle. I switch between the two at rehearsal,bas I see fit. One day I will play a song fingerstyle and the next day with a pick.

Funny detail, when I play fingerstyle, I tend to play straight eights but when I am using a pick I will be riffing away like a madman. My guitarist prefers that I use a pick

 

[dasherf17]

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.

My answer to the question "do you use picks or fingers" is "yes"...I tend to agree that it depends on the song...whatever is more comfortable to the feel of it.

 

[Blankandson]

When I first played a bass, back in 1965, I didn't have a pick so I just used my fingers. Later when I found out where to get picks, I learned that. But what made me go back and forth was the song we were playing. Motown was fine with fingers, but Grand Funk needed a pick for some of the fast lines. Crossroads needed a pick to keep from bleeding. But then I saw the bassist for Kenny Logins playing Angry Eyes with his fingers and it looked like they weren't even moving. I guess most songs were played by what I thought the original bassist was using, but with Youtube I see that I could have played many of those songs differently. So I voted 'depends' because it does for me. AFWIW today I'm 100% fingers. I just don't play Grand Funk TNUC anymore!

 

[dasherf17]

When I first played a bass, back in 1965, I didn't have a pick so I just used my fingers. Later when I found out where to get picks, I learned that. But what made me go back and forth was the song we were playing. Motown was fine with fingers, but Grand Funk needed a pick for some of the fast lines. Crossroads needed a pick to keep from bleeding. But then I saw the bassist for Kenny Logins playing Angry Eyes with his fingers and it looked like they weren't even moving. I guess most songs were played by what I thought the original bassist was using, but with Youtube I see that I could have played many of those songs differently. So I voted 'depends' because it does for me. AFWIW today I'm 100% fingers. I just don't play Grand Funk TNUC anymore!

Aaawww, maaaaaan....
Seriously, Angry Eyes is a great groovin' song...I love that sneaky lead work...

 

[HeyBartenderman]

I’m been using my fingers, and am trying to use a pick now for the attack. I’m much faster and more accurate, and also better muting, with my fingers than with a pick, so I just end up going back to using my fingers. Any tips?

 

[Aussie Player]

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

Yep, he did and alternated quite a lot.

 

[chris_b]

Fingers. I'm not flexible enough to use both.

 

[Isaac_James]

I’m been using my fingers, and am trying to use a pick now for the attack. I’m much faster and more accurate, and also better muting, with my fingers than with a pick, so I just end up going back to using my fingers. Any tips?

Start your warmup every day with some scale runs to a metronome using a pick. Even 5-10 minutes every time you play will get your muscle memory used to pick playing in short order.

This is true of most techniques, regular practice will make you improve.

 

[NoiseNinja]

I can do both, but originally starting out on guitar I exclusively used pick when I switched to bass as my main instrument of choice.

I since learned how to use my fingers as well, using a combination of 3 finger plucking technique, acoustic classical guitar finger picking, faux index and thumb pressed together pick, as well as index and middle finger flamenco flicking technique, and actually prefer using my fingers now when playing electrical guitar, but on bass I still prefer that specific unique snappy emphasis on the attack you get from using a pick.

And as I don't really do covers but exclusively original compositions, and always have, it is entirely up to me whatever technique I want to.

That said if certain parts sounds better with the strings being finger plucked that is what I do, but 90% or so of the time I will use a pick.

My preferred pick both tone and feel wise is properly thinner and more flexible than what the average pick player would use for bass, but personally I feel that I get more control this way, as well, as said, I like the tone I get from it better, the pick being a Dunlop Tortex .60mm.

My default picking position being just behind (towards the bridge) where the 24th fret would be, of course though depending if I occasionally need a different tone, and holding the pick with a slight angle, meaning I hit the strings with a slightly rounder and slightly bigger area of the pick, which results in reducing the snap slightly, sort of ever so slightly dragging out the attack, making it slightly less sharp and tight, compared to flat picking, and adding a subtle scratching noise, which gives the tone a more raw dirtier quality, though I will frequently alternate to flat picking, that is holding the pick dead straight 90 degrees on the string, hitting the strings with the out most pointy tip of the pick, instead of slightly on the side, giving a tighter and sharper attack and a cleaner tone.

Both when using my fingers and when using a pick I only use the out most edge, sort of more so stroking the strings, rather than striking or pulling them them, which i think explains my preference for using a relatively flexible pick.

Again I feel that this way I get more control and prefer the tone I get from it, as well as it also allows me to play faster.

I do think using my fingers, especially with the fusion of different techniques that I have developed, would allow for a somewhat slightly more immediate and flexible pallet of different expressions, but I just love that somewhat aggressive specific unique snappy emphasis of the attack that only using a pick will give you too much to convert to mainly using my fingers.

 

[tvbop]

Started of with pick but realised I didnt want to look like a guitarist!...been fingers ever since.

 

[NoiseNinja]

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.

Start your warmup every day with some scale runs to a metronome using a pick. Even 5-10 minutes every time you play will get your muscle memory used to pick playing in short order.

This is true of most techniques, regular practice will make you improve.

That's what I did when I decided I should get better at using my fingers for playing bass.

Already after a couple of month like that, 5 to 10 minutes practice 1 to 3 times each day, I got it pretty good down, and that was practicing both 3 finger plucking technique and index and middle finger flamenco finger flicking technique like that and not just 1 single technique.

Also most of the time, though not all the time, when playing with a pick I will mute the strings above the one picked with the palm/side of my right picking hand and the strings bellow the one picked with the lower part of the fingers/hand of my left fretting hand, additionally, but not as often, depending on the specific situation, I will use a combination of different other muting techniques, but this is by far the main muting technique I use when playing with a pick.

Also you might find a different pick, other thickness, flexibility, material and/or shape will make it easier for you.

Also you might find the pick easier to control if you try to aim for only sort of stroking the strings with the out most edge of the pick, rather than striking them, holding the pick closer to the tip might help you with this, as may using one of the round corners instead of the tip of the pick.

Started of with pick but realised I didnt want to look like a guitarist!...been fingers ever since.

Com'on, we all know that's just a sad excuse.

Just admit you saw Bobby Vega and gave up.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

Fingers feel more natural to me but I will use a pick to get that sound sometimes when I'm not picking my nose.

 

[BlueP]

This will sound crazy, but its my reality... I love both but play fingers when live because at live gigs I mostly stand up...in recent years I have worked it out, that for me, I prefer and am better using a pick when sitting...

I am really fussy about posture and when sitting I feel that everything falls into place for me when I use a pick...but I never seem to be able to find the sweet spot when standing...

I appreciate none of that makes sense in context of using pick or fingers for a particular sound....but I am happy that way...