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Getting comfortable again with pick

Luckydog

Luckydog

Dec 25, 1999
3,502
3,316
#1
Nearly a week ago, I was outside in the pitch dark with my big dog on a retractable leash (with nylon rope line, not strap), when he saw a possum. His instinct kicked in, and he went from 0 to 60 in just a couple of seconds, determined to rid his yard of this intruder. It was so dark I couldn't see what he was doing (flashlight in hand but not yet turned on). Next second, the rope section of the leash wrapped around my right hand middle finger and I was violently yanked forward. I was able to get slack in the leash and dropped it. Possum got away and I retrieved my dog and leash. My middle finger was a mess and the pain was horrible. The tip of it was tilted sideways toward my index finger and I knew it was broken, dislocated or both.

After a while I could gain some composure, and my next thought was, cr*p, I have a sh*t load of gigs coming up…what am I gonna do? As a teen I played bass with a pick, but I haven’t done that in many many years. Christmas Eve Eve gig I didn't know what to expect (besides embarrasment), but I got a splint and managed to chug through it using my index and ring fingers. I certainly was not able to cross strings easily, nor play very rapidly, since my ring finger has not typically “participated much” in my gigs. All I could think about was how the h*ll could Jamerson be so nimble with just one friggn finger! I finished the night after a few clams, but nothing really bad. So now, with a bunch more gigs coming up, and my realization that it will take a few weeks more for my middle finger to even begin to get back in the game again, I thought of picking up a pick again. I always liked a picked bass tone (Peter Cetera, etc), but lacked any recent experience to make it work well for me. I probably should have been using pick style at least occasionally over the last few years in order to be more versatile….but no, my laziness and decent finger style discouraged me from venturing into pick-world again.

Well, now, with a long recovery time for my digit, and a bunch of gigs ahead, I need a backup plan. I spent a couple hours this morning woodshedding with various picks, and I think it is going to work out ok. A little rough, but I can make it work. I’m preferring a Dunlop pick with some raised dots that helps with gripping. I’m hoping my newly restarted pick-style, that I’ll see some fairly rapid incremental improvements.

Have any of you been in a similar situation, and recovered lost pick skills rapidly? I suspect I will be ok, but wondered about others’ experience. There is a chance that my middle finger joints will never fully recover, and I might not be able to regain finger flexibility or even the ability to bend that finger adequately at the first and second joints. That would result in me using picks for a large portion of my playing.

What has been your experiences with this type of situation?
 
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#2
That stinks, here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

I've never gone that long without using a pick as I also play guitar. I Play bass 95% with my fingers, though some tunes just ask for the pick tone so I usually keep one on me at gigs. I find I like a pick a touch more flexible for bass compared to guitar so I'll use orange or yellow tortex, instead of the green picks I like on guitar.
 
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#3
Reedt2000 said:
That stinks, here's hoping for a speedy recovery.

I've never gone that long without using a pick as I also play guitar. I Play bass 95% with my fingers, though some tunes just ask for the pick tone so I usually keep one on me at gigs. I find I like a pick a touch more flexible for bass compared to guitar so I'll use orange or yellow tortex, instead of the green picks I like on guitar.
Click to expand...

Good point on more flexible picks. In my case a flexible pick might allow more smooth motions (less sloppiness) and more consistent attack. Do you find a more flexible pick helps in this way?
 
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#5
Luckydog said:
Good point on more flexible picks. In my case a flexible pick might allow more smooth motions (less sloppiness) and more consistent attack. Do you find a more flexible pick helps in this way?
Click to expand...
It's the smoothness that the flexibility helps with. I can get the same attack and sustain from a thicker pick, a thinner one just helps it slide through the string a little easier. I must dig in more when playing bass with a pick. On guitar I'm only making contact with the very tip on the pick so I don't need the pick to get outta my way.
 
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#6
Reedt2000 said:
It's the smoothness that the flexibility helps with. I can get the same attack and sustain from a thicker pick, a thinner one just helps it slide through the string a little easier. I must dig in more when playing bass with a pick. On guitar I'm only making contact with the very tip on the pick so I don't need the pick to get outta my way.
Click to expand...

Thanks, got it. That makes perfect sense and pretty much what I predict.
 
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#7
Killing Floor said:
Hope you heal 100%. Never had a finger wrapped with a retractable leash but I did have “that” rope tear through the backside of my calf and needed a few stitches. LEASHSTRONG brother.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Coincidentally, I just read an account of someone who actually “de-gloved” their finger with a similar leash accident as mine. I can see how that could happen. I now have very strong “leash awareness”, and no longer will I use a leash so casually as to permit my digits to be threatened! Of course, seconds after the possum incident, my dog was back to his normal self, completely unaware of how I almost permanently sabotaged my bass playing “career”!
 
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#9
Heal up fast! My 2 cents is, for me at least, a thin more flexi pick requires more of a "death grip" on the pick. Also harder to get consistency between the up and downstrokes. I use those Dunlop Ultex 1.0, and have a very relaxed grip--no hand tension--and my up/down strokes are pretty indistinguishable. I also think the thicker pick simply sounds better, but as always, YMMV!
 
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#11
Sorry you're hurt! I think your plan to adapt with a pick sounds good and will ultimately expand your skill set, but what about your finger itself? Hands are tricky and you really only get one chance to get it right with hand and finger injuries. As a semi-retired sports medicine doc, I just wanted to check make sure you show that finger to someone who knows hands!

Hopefully, any adaptations you have to make will be short-term. Good luck and fast healing!
 
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#12
pbass2 said:
Heal up fast! My 2 cents is, for me at least, a thin more flexi pick requires more of a "death grip" on the pick. Also harder to get consistency between the up and downstrokes. I use those Dunlop Ultex 1.0, and have a very relaxed grip--no hand tension--and my up/down strokes are pretty indistinguishable. I also think the thicker pick simply sounds better, but as always, YMMV!
Click to expand...
I would agree with this.

Except I use the Dunlop Big Stubby 2mm. I like the indent for helping with holding the pick and 2mm just works for me.
 
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#17
As my Norwegian-American people say: uff da. I wish you all the best in your recovery.

For the first several years I played bass, I only ever used a pick if a part absolutely required it. I never thought any less of pick users; I just figured I wasn’t one myself. But when I returned to playing daily after a few years of playing only occasionally, I found myself reaching for a pick almost exclusively. No decision made on my part; it just happened. I found I got thoroughly proficient very quickly. I’ve since re-incorporated fingerstyle and even started slapping a bit as I found it made the most sense for new parts as I’ve written them. I can’t say for certain whether playing with a pick will come as easily for you, but it can happen, and I hope it does :thumbsup:
 
#18
I hope you’re recovering!

I play with fingers 90% of the time, but whenever I play a rock gig, I use my V-Picks Mummy. If you’re not familiar with them V-Picks are made of plexiglass which doesn’t flex. This produces a sound that’s louder and has more bass than you typically get from a pick. On some gigs in certain acoustic settings using a pick helps me cut through the mix better too. I don’t do it very often but there’s no problem with using a pick
 
#20
Spent my first 30 years of playing, playing only with a pick. Decided one day that I was going to really learn to play with my fingers. Now 15 years later, I probably play 85% with my fingers, but I will use whatever works best for the song. Over the years I have tried every type of pick out there, but I always end up back with the standard shape Fender mediums that I stared with. But, a few years ago I experimented with using the more rounded corners rather than the pointed end. I found that it made my playing much more smooth and there is less attack than with the pointed end, which is a good thing to me. Been playing that way ever since.
 
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