Pick or Fingers?

picks are evil darkness. I use my fingers for playing and I like the sound of it better than the sound of using a pick, plus I always lost them back when I started and used picks instead. whatever works best for you I guess.

 

I remember reading an ad for some type of gear or another, and the endorsing artist (Pomeroy comes to mind), had the quote "Playing bass with a pick is like putting high-heels on an elephant to help it walk." Or something to that effect.

Me personally, I don't like using them, but to each their own. I think the clicky sort of sound can be accomplished with fingers + EQ if you really want it, and still give you more control over dynamics. And you don't have to worry about dropping a finger in the middle of a song.

Or, you could not trim your fingernails? Not sure how that would work.

 

Golly Gee Willikers!


...This has been done a lot.

 

Yes

 

Fingers, i find that a. it gives me more control, b. it's easier to string-skip, slap, tap, and pop, and c. i can actually play faster with my fingers than a pick. That said, i do use a pick about 75% of the time when i'm playing songs with chording, rather than doing double-stops.

 

The calluses on my fingers say I play fingerstyle.

I like the sound of a pick on a P-bass though. If I had a P-bass, I imagine I'd play it with a pick most of the time.

 

I use whatever the song requires...

 

Fingers!

I have ten digital controls and I play with at least six of them.

George

 

Fingers are more versatile. They can do 99% of whatever a pick can do plus more, picks are almost useless.

 

Fingers are to pick as hammer is to wrench.

 

It was Dan Glenn. People might care about his opinion if anyone knew who he was.

If you can't play both ways, you might as well forget about getting any studio work. If that even exists anymore.

 

Cliff Burton would be ashamed...

I probably shouldnt have posted, since this is gonna be closed soon based on what i saw with that other thread (even had the same title) but i felt that needed to be said

 

Obviously spoken by someone who...

1) plays fingerstyle..... or 2) has never heard a great bassist (carol kaye, joe osborn, bobby vega) who uses a pick...or 3) CANT PLAY WITH ONE...SO FIGURES THEY MUST BE USELESS!!! (my money's on No. 3).

BTW I play fingerstyle almost exclusively

 

This topic has been posted like 9880792867 times already. It all depends on your style, some people like the sound of a pick, and some like the sound of fingers. For me, I use both,but I actually use my index finger as a pick(I dont know if that counts as a pick or not), I cant use a pick, it always falls and stuff, but with picks you get more attack and treble, with fingers you get a smooth bassy tone. It depends on the song sometimes.

 

We've had these threads before, and they always end up ugly.

In my current band I play 75% fingerstyle, 25% pick, and slap on one song. I believe a well rounded bass player uses every technique available. If you only play one way or the other you are cheating yourself, IMO.

Why should we limit ourselves? I say pick and fingers.

 

fingers all the way, i dont care when a song requires a pick, i like playing with my fingers, thats my tone

 

I use whatever the song calls for. I play fingerstyke 95% of the time but on some songs I use the pick to help get a song that blends in better. Love the sound of my Dirnt P bass when its played with a pick.

 

Ninety percent fingers ten percent pick. On guitar about fifty fifty.

 

Neither, I recommend this.