• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Pick players- why?

#69
El-Bob said:
Start working on every style now. You will find that they all have their place.
Click to expand...

I agree. I play both guitar and bass and find that both instruments involve several pick hand techniques. On guitar I can use a pick or not, but that decision is just the beginning of the techniques choices.

I have less experience on the bass, and started out with a pick since that was the preferred way for picking one string at the time. It is still the fastest way for me, I think, and I still use the pick for speed. The two finger picking is now my favourite, and the reason, I think, is the control it gives when damping strings. Palm muting does not provide the same control. I also use slap and pop, and I as powerful sound goes, I think that is often more powerful than the pick. Of course tonal qualities count, and selecting a technique for a tune involves several factors. But using a pick is always an option.
 
#71
spector_boogie said:
Why not just search for and read through the hundreds of threads already available on this beat to death topic? I mean not doing so makes about as much sense as you starting this thread in the first place............ :hiding::hiding:
Click to expand...

Search is good for research, but not for creating an interactive dialogue.


I've never played with a pick. Wait a minute... one jam session I had with some guys about 22 years ago, a girl who was there walked up to me and handed me a pick as we were about to get started. Used it the entire session. The guys thought we sounded pretty good. I was indifferent. They were shocked to find out that was the first (and last) time I had ever picked my bass. It just feels awkward to me, even when I was young. Playing with my fingers is just second nature.
 
#72
Waster said:
.........................I've been playing for less than a year so perhaps I shall pick one up as I mature as a player.
Click to expand...

And there you have your answer!

After 40+ years of playing, I've seen this discussion come and go more times than I can count. Always seems to be a controversial topic.

Honestly, learn both and you won't have to justify yourself to anybody. Neither is "right" or "wrong". They're tools and, like in any craft, it takes time to develop and acquire the tools needed to fill your toolbox.

Just play! :bassist:
 
#73
First post here: just signed up!

That being said I use the three finger technique for most of my playing; however, the band I'm currently in loves to tune down out of standard. I personally hate that but I had to get thicker strings to prevent muddled sound. Then we've been recording and our stuff is in the "tech death" genre and requires a lot of quick plucking. Live it's fine but when I'm trying to record it added A LOT of the pickup "clicking" since the strings are so wobbly. I tried playing softer but it would just zap the tone and attack away...In this case I did record with a pick. Much more clarity and no percussive clicks
 
#74
I play with my fingers 99% of the time, but with my surf band, I play with a pick 99% of the time. Using a pick on the front PU just sounds right for most of the songs (Sleepwalk is the only song I play with fingers in that band).

The only other time I use a pick is if I'm asked to play aggressive punk-style 8th notes at a really fast tempo. That's not a style I normally seek out. But again, it just sounds right to me in that context.

I don't know why I just thought of this, but this "controversy" reminds me of a similar situation with guitarists and capos, i.e., "real guitarists don't use capos - they're cheaters." Really? Go see David Wilcox some time and see if you still feel the same way.

Tools are tools. Debating the metaphysical "rightness" or "wrongness" of certain tools is just silly. If you don't like a certain tool, then don't use it.
 
#75
I first picked up the bass in 1990, and began with a pick. It was the only way I could play music I liked because my fingers just weren't up for it yet. Besides, I heard McCartney's bass line to Helter Skelter when I was 14-15 which to me is the standard for pick playing.

Today I play primarily fingerstyle...and arco :).

Can we start an pick vs. bow thread? :)
 
#76
Most pick playing detractors are bass players who are not very good at playing with a pick.

The pick is a good tool and skill to have.

I can play some songs cleaner and faster with pick playing. I can nail the original tone of some cover songs better with a pick. Plus I like pick playing some of the time.
 
#79
Tampabass said:
For those of you who do use picks, did you migrate to bass from guitar? Just curious.
Click to expand...

I actually migrated from classical guitar (playing PIMA fingerstyle) and yet I play bass with a pick most of the time. I like the attack I get and it feels/sounds more consistent to me.

I also play with a pick because it is easier on my hands due to some medical issues I have.

All in all, it just works better for me.
 
#80
Slammyapple said:
AFAIK nobody but Steve Swallow actually plays serious creative music on electric bass using a pick. And Carlos Benavent.

Banging out 8th note roots with a pick on a sweet P-bass with 1000 watts of juice behind you doesn't make you a musician -- it makes you a construction worker. At best.
Click to expand...

Uh-huh. I guess when McCartney allegedly died, it was in a construction accident. :rollno:
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back