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Pick vs Fingers Question

B

bassistofdoom

Sep 1, 2012
63
1
#1
I do not mean to offend anyone who plays with a pick!

I am confused. I mainly play with my fingers, and have gotten very, very good at doing fast runs for a long period of time. But I sometimes also play with a pick because I'm writing a bass and guitar song that requires the bass to have good attack and let the note ring out. This is where the, "I mean no offense to pick playing guys out there," part comes in. When I play with a pick, I kinda feel dumb and self-conscious about my playing. If I can avoid playing with a pick outside my living room, then I avoid playing with a pick.

Don't get me wrong, there are certain times and places for picks. One of my all time favorite bassists is Jason Newsted and my second is Roger Glover from Deep Purple.

My question is, is there anything to be feeling dumb about? I've done that on stage, I see guys walking in and I'm playing with a pick and the next song, whether it needs a pick or not, I just shred with my fingers. I don't get the feeling of needing to 'prove myself' in other areas of life, just bass playing.

Once again, I mean no offense. :bassist:
 
#2
bassistofdoom said:
I do not mean to offend anyone who plays with a pick!

I am confused. I mainly play with my fingers, and have gotten very, very good at doing fast runs for a long period of time. But I sometimes also play with a pick because I'm writing a bass and guitar song that requires the bass to have good attack and let the note ring out. This is where the, "I mean no offense to pick playing guys out there," part comes in. When I play with a pick, I kinda feel dumb and self-conscious about my playing. If I can avoid playing with a pick outside my living room, then I avoid playing with a pick.

Don't get me wrong, there are certain times and places for picks. One of my all time favorite bassists is Jason Newsted and my second is Roger Glover from Deep Purple.

My question is, is there anything to be feeling dumb about? I've done that on stage, I see guys walking in and I'm playing with a pick and the next song, whether it needs a pick or not, I just shred with my fingers. I don't get the feeling of needing to 'prove myself' in other areas of life, just bass playing.

Once again, I mean no offense. :bassist:
Click to expand...

Nah I think you´ve just been a bit brain-washed by the snobs who think that bass was invented for fingers. I only use a pick because I like to there is no right or wrong way to do it...just good playing or bad playing...there have been equally good bassists of both styles.
 
#3
rymiraflores said:
Nah I think you´ve just been a bit brain-washed by the snobs who think that bass was invented for fingers. I only use a pick because I like to there is no right or wrong way to do it...just good playing or bad playing...there have been equally good bassists of both styles.
Click to expand...

Funny thing is, many would argue that (historically speaking) it was designed for a pick.

To the OP. Just do what feels good to you. My only advice is to stay open minded to many styles, techniques, and genres. By doing so I have continued to work steady through good times and bad. Although I have semi-retired from "pro" work, my phone rings off the hook.

The short version is don't "pick" one style. Get better with a pick and take one or two with you to the gig. If you need one, grab one. If you don't feel like it, don't.
 
#5
I use a pick for the really fast stuff. (lazy, I know). I guess I just grew up playing fingerstyle. Plus I play guitar with a pick or fingerstyle. There have been monents in my playing career that i wished i would have learned to play the bass with a thumb pick and finger picks.
 
#6
I like to think of it this way, using the double bass analogy: You can play a double bass finger style or with a bow. Thus, a bass guitar can be played finger style or with a plectrum (pick). A DB played with a bow yields a different (or modified) sound, akin to how a BG has its "attack" when played using a plectrum.
 
#9
I view pick technique as being equal to fingerstyle and slapping. They all produce different tones, and I try to use what the song calls for. I use picking the least of the three, but I definitely use it. Recently I was recording a part through auto-wah, and wasn't getting the wah to "bite" the way I wanted. A pick was just what the doctor ordered.
 
#10
You're playing a *bass GUITAR*, right? Picks are allowed.

Pick. Fingers. Which tool is best for the job?
 
#11
When I was a kid I lived down the street from Roger Monk who was the chief engineer at little Mountain Sound and who's engineered everything from Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and dozens of other bands to feature films to radio jingles. He'd see me walking with my bass and give me a ride and we'd talk. One piece of advice he gave me and was really adamant about was to learn to play well with a pick. I think a lot of bass players seriously underestimate how much other people like the way a pick records.
 
#13
rollin$tone said:
Probably mostly depends on the bass. I play Hofners. Meant to be played with a pick. I never noticed Sir Paul looking stupid!
Click to expand...
Who decided they were meant to be played with a pick? Robbie Shakespeare and Family Man played theirs with fingers. I play my violin basses with fingers as well. The bass just sits there waiting for you to do something with it, and doesn't care what you use to play it.
 
#14
jeffbonny said:
When I was a kid I lived down the street from Roger Monk who was the chief engineer at little Mountain Sound and who's engineered everything from Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Van Halen, and dozens of other bands to feature films to radio jingles. He'd see me walking with my bass and give me a ride and we'd talk. One piece of advice he gave me and was really adamant about was to learn to play well with a pick. I think a lot of bass players seriously underestimate how much other people like the way a pick records.
Click to expand...
This is true. Back in the day, I would hang with Molly Hatchet, and Tom Werman was their producer, and Banner Thomas said that he was always a fingers player and Tom suggested it would be a good idea if he played with a pick. So he did, and he played on 3 platinum albums with them.
 
#17
In my current main gig I switch between fingerstyle and pickstyle but it is mostly pickstyle. I really like playing pickstyle and with this band it definetely works better. Fun fact: When I switch to fingerstyle from pickstyle, I throw my pick at the audience. I thought this would get them excited but it hasn't worked so far :( Cool thing about it is that I have managed to find my picks on the floor every time!:hyper:
 

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