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From fingers to a pick

#41
Just have fun instead of trying to learn. The next thing you know you'll be jamming your a** off.

Give it a little time. Turn off the record you are so desperately trying to play to. You can even turn off your amp. Just get one on one with the pick and try to communicate with it.

Also wouldn't hurt to watch a couple bass/guitar 101 videos on how to hold a pick. The way to hold it for both guitar and bass is pretty much the same. The approach, however, is a lot different, but I'll let you figure this out yourself.

I am primarily a pick player, but playing fingerstyle and slap once in a while is quite interesting and can lead to new creative ideas.

I'd suggest you start by trying to play a very simple and basic root-5th-root 12 bar blues progression, such as G-C-G or A-D-A, all down strokes. This should familiarize you with the pick. Then you can play a simple punk rock progression at walking pace, this time alternating up and down strokes.

Also, before I developed strength and stamina, I couldn't play with heavy gauge picks. Yellow Tortex (0.73mm) are great picks for bass because they are rigid enough to have adequate attack yet flexible enough to flex and slip from top to bottom and from bottom to top of strings easily while alternate picking. I'd suggest you get something of similar thickness and start from there. Right now I use picks of thickness 0.81-0.96mm because I want more attack especially when playing metal (and because I can't afford to change my old dead strings and playing crazy hard at the bridge saddles with a fat pick at a slanted angle is the only way to get some sound out of the bass :D).

Good luck! :)
 
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#42
IMO some parts simply sound better and/or are easier to play with pick instead of fingers or vice versa. Generally speaking I go with whichever seems more natural for the song and don't try to fight it. Muting and other aspects for both are definitely different, but it's easier if you treat them as separate beasts.

One little tip: If you use one of the two rounder corners of a pick rather than the sharp tip, hit the string just slightly closer to the neck, and use a pick that isn't super thick (I use 1mm Dunlop Tortex for this), you can get a versatile tone that sits closer to halfway between typical finger style and pick tones without the need for some big fat bass pick that has other downsides. I use this technique a lot because I switch back and forth between pick and finger-style constantly and it helps even out the volume and tone somewhat between the two.
 
#43
It will take some time to adjust to pick playing. I learned the Dee Dee Ramone downstroke style last year and it took a few months to build up the stamina to play like that. Now I can switch from fingers to thumb to pick easily. One thing to be careful when playing with a pick, don't grip the pick too hard or you will get a nasty pain in your thumb joint and index finger joint. Trust me, it is very painful and takes several days to clear up. Good luck. :D
 
#44
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#46
I've been working on "Last train to London" by ELO and reached the conclusion that perhaps this song might be better attempted with a pick (for me at least). My picking is still a work in progress, but I found that going with a little thinner pick seemed to help with the quick parts. Derp was on the money in talking about the importance of what thickness pick to use.
 
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#47
mattattack187 said:
I was practicing some songs from the Punk genre last night and finger picking just wasn't cutting it so I switched to a pick. I've never played with one for more than five minutes. It feels like a whole different mind set playing that way and it exposed my poor left hand technique when it comes to muting and going up and down between strings. It almost felt harder moving from fret to fret. The good thing is, I really liked the tone. A P Bass through the VT Bass DI produced a pretty aggressive monster of a sound. I'll keep practicing but do any other players who primarily play finger style have similar issues translating over to a pick?
Click to expand...
In addition, try different gauges, thicknesses of picks. I recently tried a more heavy/thicker pick and had less control than my softer/thinner pick I used in the past.
 
#49
I know the thread is about the technique, but since so many are talking about bass players who play with a pick, I thought I'd recommend this:

Even being Wes's brother, I feel like he still hasn't the recognition he deserves as a solo/melodic bassist
 
#50
I have been working with a pick the last year or so gone from the triangular ones to the yellow .73mm ones using it the Bobby Vega sideways method. The key is to learn how to hold it in a relaxed manner so you don't develop hand issues and to practice the wrist motion slowly at first slowly working up your speed. Lots of good lessons out there to be had thsee days I like some of chris tarrys.
 
#51
This is so odd to read for me because I have the opposite problem--I play bass almost exclusively with a pick (actually a sixpence). Besides the whole guitarist-turned-bassist syndrome I'm plagued with, I actually really, really like the sound. As others have mentioned, THAT. ATTACK. It's even more noticeable with a coin instead of a plastic thing. But because I've spent so much time with that technique, playing fingerstyle has proven very difficult. That's what makes ME lose touch with the fretting hand--coordinating the movement of two fingers on the picking hand and making sure the fretting's right is hugely confusing for me. For songs that require a smoother sound, I've ended up just using my thumb with a picking motion. It works well enough...but it's not terribly flashy...
 
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#52
It's tough at first. I learned both pick and finger style when I first picked up the bass. I stopped using a pick on bass at least forty years ago. Last year I played a four hour gig on upright bass and ended up with blisters on my plucking finger tips. the next night I played electric bass and had to revert to the pick for the entire night. I was surprised at how easy it was. I had no trouble at all and even enjoyed the change. There are certain tones that you can get with a pick that are almost impossible to get finger style. I think it's wise to learn to play both finger style and pick.
 
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#54
I started wiith a pick ...still love the tone and punch of a pick...but im too aggressive when using them... i can kill a fresh set of strings in one 45min set and then break a string in the last set....so i shy away.
 
#55
Took me a very long time to get my head around using a pick. And although I can use one quite well, I still prefer not to. Like everything, the only way to get comfortable using a pick is to just keep at it. Eventually it clicks.
 
#57
Playing finger style seems like second nature to me at this point, but the new pick style is much as you described. I can tell I really like the tone and some other aspects of the tool and will keep working it. I doubt that I will use it for country, but I am hoping to add it to my rock arsenal ASAP.
 
#58
Welcome to the pick family, and be ready to be beset by "pure" players who listen with their eyes! :laugh:

I've been playing close to 30 years - pick since day one. I started seriously phasing in fingerstyle about 10 years ago after dabbling for a long time. I love both, but playing with a pick is my stronger suit. Muting is more challenging for sure.

I use a .88 mm nylon pick which gives me a slightly curved pick. My attack tends to roll off the string just a bit so it doesn't sound so harsh. I've had guys tell me at shows they couldn't believe my tone was coming from a pick.
 
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#60
Madhouse27 said:
I've been working on "Last train to London" by ELO and reached the conclusion that perhaps this song might be better attempted with a pick (for me at least). My picking is still a work in progress, but I found that going with a little thinner pick seemed to help with the quick parts. Derp was on the money in talking about the importance of what thickness pick to use.
Click to expand...
Oh man, I have been on this forum for almost four years now and this is about the first time someone made me feel knowledgeable and experienced and worthy of giving others advice. Thanks for giving me credit man :D

Maybe I could do informative blogs/videos on the stuff I love to do and am competent at
 
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