Pick or No pick "that is the question"

[Les Fret]

LedZepII ("greatest bass album of all time"?)

John Paul Jones lotta incredible fingerstyle, but several songs just amazing with pick



omg!!!

btw Leslie (boss gt1-b does a fair rotary sim and overdrive a tube/sim) with 62 Fender Jazz

sorry P Purists, the man himself uses the J almost exclusively live and studio LZ till '75 (when it breaks and he gets an Alembic)

Happy Belated Birthday JPJ
(hbbidjpj?)

That’s a raunchy bass sound. Love it!

 

[LadyLoveStingRay5]

Pics are for bass players who couldn't cut it as a guitar player, but they still use a pic because they think people will think they're cool because they're really a guitar player.

Carol Kaye and anybody with common sense would disagree with this .

 

[Infra]

I would also include Doug Pinnick as a great example of someone who seems to think of the bass guitar in terms of counterpoint, rather than as a "full-range" instrument as the 'standard' guitar is usually played. I used to think as this guy does, but I've learned a few things about "conventional roles" in general since then, and I'd suggest that what you're doing with your picking/plucking/slapping/tapping hand isn't at all what actually defines you as a bass player. Check out some of DP's lines for an exemplary lesson on the finer points of how using a pick can really augment your playing. I certainly learned quite a bit from that guy. Chris Squire is another notable player who didn't want to sound like everyone else and seems to have chosen the pick for that reason.

 

[TheMadBassist88]

Carol Kaye and anybody with common sense would disagree with this .

Lol right!! Some people are walking brain farts IMO!

 

[Seth DuSith]

For me it depends on the song. Anything with acoustic guitars, piano, or any soft electronica, I typically use my thumb. I could do finger style, but I can't clip my nails very short, so I might as well be playing with a cr*ppy pick when I do that. I usually don't need speed for such songs, but I can accomplish most songs that require the sound of a meaty finger thump just using my thumb, plus it's easy to transition to slapping if need be

But on anything heavy, fast, or anything requiring clarity, I use a pick. On metal songs I like to keep my pick slightly sideways to get that scrape, but on clean sounds where I want clarity I play it parallel to the strings