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Pick players- why?

#183
I use a pick just to piss off the elitist bass players who think that only "real" bass players use only their fingers.

It depends on my mood. If I feel like picking I pick, if I want to finger, I finger(<--that's not supposed to sound dirty :D)
 
#184
I don't understand why bassists, more so than any other group of musicians, have to come down so rigidly on one side or another of these issues that basically amount to personal preference and tonal variations. I use my fingers, my thumb, my palm and 2 types of picks (felt and plastic) to get "my sound". I have basses strung with rounds, and basses strung with flats. Hollow bodies and solid, acoustic and electric. If I had the cash I'd get an upright, I love the way those sound too. Sometimes a song just grooves differently if you play it with a pick VS your fingers (maybe due to using your wrist more?), sometimes it's just an attack and clarity issue. Nothing wrong with being a well rounded craftsman and using lots of tools. Now go jam!
 
#185
Freez said:
I don't understand why bassists, more so than any other group of musicians, have to come down so rigidly on one side or another of these issues that basically amount to personal preference and tonal variations. I use my fingers, my thumb, my palm and 2 types of picks (felt and plastic) to get "my sound". I have basses strung with rounds, and basses strung with flats. Hollow bodies and solid, acoustic and electric. If I had the cash I'd get an upright, I love the way those sound too. Sometimes a song just grooves differently if you play it with a pick VS your fingers (maybe due to using your wrist more?), sometimes it's just an attack and clarity issue. Nothing wrong with being a well rounded craftsman and using lots of tools. Now go jam!
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[/thread]

When you have a hammer, every problem looks like a nail.

Why be the only mechanic to show up with one tool?

Good night, Irene.
 
#188
Hopkins said:
I use both, but mostly fingers. I'm faster and less sloppy playing finger style, but you can not replicate the sound of playing with a pick using your fingers. Its got a completely different attack that sounds better in some situations. Also I find that when using any kind of dirt pedal a pick is head and shoulders above finger style.
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Agreed to all. And IME it's a bit more challenging. I just can't seem to play as fast or as technically with a pick until I work at it. For punk work I simply refuse to play with fingers, but I also refuse to play simple bass lines since punk basslines to me are supposed to be over the top, needlessly busy, clanky and annoying. In order to get the last two I need the pick.
 
#190
A lot of it has to do with tone. A pick has more attack, so there are times when that just sounds right. My personal preference is to use a pick if I'm using heavy overdrive or fuzz so I don't loose all the definition between notes, or if I'm playing something fast that tends to stay on the same string. I prefer the sound of quick 16th notes in rapid succession with a pick, but if the piece jumps between strings a lot, I find that is easier for me to play with my fingers.
Like everything else in music, it is subjective personal taste.
 
#191
While I play mostly fingerstyle, any band I've ever been in has at least a couple songs that just call for a pick. More due to the rhythm than the tone. So I always have one in my pocket and bust it out occasionally.

Its those songs that call for a "punk" style chugging rhythm section, or the Yes-Roundabout style. It just doesnt sound right with fingers.
 

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