Picking 16ths. Starting with an upstroke?

[monsterthompson]

When you're picking, is your index finger pointed towards the string, slightly back towards the palm or fully back towards the palm?

Towards the string. I also find that gripping the pick with the index and middle fingers opposing the thumb can help keep the up and down strokes sounding more consistent. My grip doesn’t need to be as firm in order to hold the pick and keep it angled consistently.

 

[dfp]

subjectively, I prefer to use down strokes on downbeats. A lot of amazing pick players I know of swear by it, and from practicing it, that’s what I find most comfortable. Plus I like the mental continuity of aligning down with down… it just seems to make sense to me. YMMV

 

[Eilif]

Towards the string. I also find that gripping the pick with the index and middle fingers opposing the thumb can help keep the up and down strokes sounding more consistent. My grip doesn’t need to be as firm in order to hold the pick and keep it angled consistently.

Thanks!! I'm using 2 fingers now pointed towards the strings and it's helping. I'm not quite where I want to be, but I've got 7 days to get there ...

 

[steve_ss]

Thanks!! I'm using 2 fingers now pointed towards the strings and it's helping. I'm not quite where I want to be, but I've got 7 days to get there ...

Sending good wishes your way. I can't wait to hear how it goes.

 

[monsterthompson]

Thanks!! I'm using 2 fingers now pointed towards the strings and it's helping. I'm not quite where I want to be, but I've got 7 days to get there ...

Glad that helped.
Did you say what kind of pick you are using? Thickness and width can change technique a lot.

I use a custom graphic pick and I think it’s a Clayton like this at around 0.7 or 0.8 mm. I find 1.0 or larger too rigid for my technique.

 

[Eilif]

Glad that helped.
Did you say what kind of pick you are using? Thickness and width can change technique a lot.

I use a custom graphic pick and I think it’s a Clayton like this at around 0.7 or 0.8 mm. I find 1.0 or larger too rigid for my technique.

I have a sack full of various picked I've collected off stages and such over 25 years. For the first time in digging into them for myself.

Currently I'm using a Tortex .60. might even go buy some .50s .

I was using Fender Thin and they worked really well but I was breaking them every day.

Maybe it will change as I get better but at this point I need something thin and flexible to get the speed I need.

 

[Eilif]

Picked up some Tortex.50 picks and they're perfect.

I'm still at the absolute ragged edge of my ability and not where I need to be but with 6 days left, but I've got hope.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

I'm still at the absolute ragged edge of my ability and not where I need to be but with 6 days left, but I've got hope.

The bass-line from "Where the Streets have no Name" is not just monotonous 16th notes.
It has different lengths notes even in one bar.
Here is a snapshot of that bassline from "Songster."

I wonder how other bass players are dealing with up and down strokes when you have quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes in one bar/measure. With that kind of variety of notes, it's difficult to preserve the constant "up and down" pick movement.

 

[Deleted member 394181]

I have a sack full of various picked I've collected off stages and such over 25 years. For the first time in digging into them for myself.

Currently I'm using a Tortex .60. might even go buy some .50s .

I was using Fender Thin and they worked really well but I was breaking them every day.

Maybe it will change as I get better but at this point I need something thin and flexible to get the speed I need.

I can play pretty fast with these. .46

 

[Eilif]

The bass-line from "Where the Streets have no Name" is not just monotonous 16th notes.
It has different lengths notes even in one bar.
Here is a snapshot of that bassline from "Songster."

I wonder how other bass players are dealing with up and down strokes when you have quarter notes, eighth notes, and sixteenth notes in one bar/measure. With that kind of variety of notes, it's difficult to preserve the constant "up and down" pick movement.


View attachment 7354632

Thanks for that. HOLY CRAP youre right! I'm giving it a second listen now without me playing along and I'm hearing alot more variation. MIght be tough to decipher what they're doing on the Slane Castle version I'm supposed to be learning, but if I don't have to pump 16ths all the way through there might be hope for me yet!

I can play pretty fast with these. .46

Thanks, I'll keep those in mind. The .50 Tortex I picked up on Sunday are working pretty good.

Unfortunately, I took my playing out of the headphones (Had bass and music mixed together) and started playing through my amp with the song through a different speaker and my playing is ALOT rougher than I thought. It's going to be down to the wire getting this together but now that I'm not having to do straight 16ths...

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Thanks for that. HOLY CRAP youre right! I'm giving it a second listen now without me playing along and I'm hearing alot more variation. MIght be tough to decipher what they're doing on the Slane Castle version I'm supposed to be learning, but if I don't have to pump 16ths all the way through there might be hope for me yet!


Thanks, I'll keep those in mind. The .50 Tortex I picked up on Sunday are working pretty good.

Unfortunately, I took my playing out of the headphones (Had bass and music mixed together) and started playing through my amp with the song through a different speaker and my playing is ALOT rougher than I thought. It's going to be down to the wire getting this together but now that I'm not having to do straight 16ths...

Here is the extracted bassline from the Slane Castle version with just a touch of the Metronome.
The riff starts at 0:52.
The first cut is at 100% tempo.
The second (the same version) cut is at 70% tempo for you to practice.

 

[Eilif]

Here is the extracted bassline from the Slane Castle version with just a touch of the Metronome.
The riff starts at 0:52.
The first cut is at 100% tempo.
The second (the same version) cut is at 70% tempo for you to practice.

View attachment 7355457

View attachment 7355458

Thanks so much! Fantastic! I'm going to play this on repeat today...

How did you do this? I'm working on "Bad" from Live Aid and this would be super helpful.

I'm suddenly feeling technologically out-of-my-depth...

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Thanks so much! Fantastic! I'm going to play this on repeat today...

How did you do this? I'm working on "Bad" from Live Aid and this would be super helpful.

I'm suddenly feeling technologically out-of-my-depth...

At first, you need separate the tracks - you can use various sources (I've used Moises), then, use Audacity and make a mix per your requirements.

Here is the extracted bass line from "Bad" - Live at Live Aid.
The bass starts around 1:58.
The track also has a vocal track in the very background as some points of orientation.
In order to post the track, I needed to cut some from Intro.

 

[Eilif]

At first, you need separate the tracks - you can use various sources (I've used Moises), then, use Audacity and make a mix per your requirements.

Here is the extracted bass line from "Bad" - Live at Live Aid.
The bass starts around 1:58.
The track also has a vocal track in the very background as some points of orientation.
In order to post the track, I needed to cut some from Intro.

View attachment 7358579

Thanks for this. Audition is tomorrow evening but I'm going to give this a listen tomorrow morning. Anything to give me a leg up.
Again, much appreciated.

 

[Eilif]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed here.

Had the audition yesterday and I didn't get the U2 tribute gig, but I did learn how to play with a pick!

The Journey Continues....

 

[Whousedtoplay]

Thanks again to everyone who contributed here.

Had the audition yesterday and I didn't get the U2 tribute gig, but I did learn how to play with a pick!

The Journey Continues....

How do you hold your pick?
With your thumb and index or you use three fingers - thumb, index and middle.

 

[M-Mittlesteadt]

Due to a pinched nerve and resulting tendonitis, using my fingers is unreliable as sometimes my fingertips go numb and I can't feel how I'm playing when using fingers. But that also means I have a VERY difficult time holding a pick tight enough to keep it from turning or even dropping it.

So I resorted to thin Black Mountain Thumbpicks.

They come in different thicknesses and you can order a variety pack to find what works for you. They are spring loaded and one of the best investments I've made to be able to continue playing. I don't even have to actually "hold" the pick between my thumb and fingers as it stays on and in place on my thumb alone, which means I can easily play in a very relaxed way.

I don't necessarily play starting with up or downstrokes. I use more of a rhythmic strumming motion (ala Bobby Vega) utilizing ghost notes, muting, etc. which means if I hit a note on the upswing of the strumming that note naturally will be plucked with an upstroke first. But if it is coming down on it, the note will start with a down stroke. Using more of a strumming motion keeps me rhythmically tied to the groove and requires less thought as to which direction is best.

 

[Eilif]

Just a small Update,
Though I didn't get the U2 Gig, I did join an Oasis cover band. I may end up using a pick as that's what Guigsy used, but I found that fingers actually got a tone closer to the albums.

We shall see how things develop, but thanks again to everyone for their advice. I think I've got a pick and a technique that work pretty well for me. I do think that in the future I'll be actively looking for opportunity to use a pick in situations where that tone is preferable.