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Picks or Fingers? Which do you prefer?

#41
My first instrument was guitar, and I originally found the transition to bass to be much easier with a pick in my hand, however, I always admired the skill of finger style bass players and made it an effort to try and use my fingers primarily.

At this point, I haven't used a pick on a bass in years (with the exception of once in the studio where the artist requested it).

Interestingly, the tones that I've often been inspired by are the percussive, bright tones of pick players, so my technique has often involved a fairly heavy right hand and a good amount of higher eq boost to achieve something comparable.
 
#42
Unrepresented said:
My first instrument was guitar, and I originally found the transition to bass to be much easier with a pick in my hand, however, I always admired the skill of finger style bass players and made it an effort to try and use my fingers primarily.
Click to expand...

Lol, so was mine... I find I cannot play guitar without a pick to save my life, yet playing bass with my fingers is so effortless :ninja:

--Silvie
 
#43
Silver Blues said:
Lol, so was mine... I find I cannot play guitar without a pick to save my life, yet playing bass with my fingers is so effortless :ninja:

--Silvie
Click to expand...

I tend to agree. The tight string spacing and thin gauge of the guitar strings makes bass style of finger playing much less easy to convert to guitar than pick playing is to convert to bass.
 
#45
For me, it's 75/25 - pick/fingers, respectively... I *could* flip that ratio around quite easily, but prefer the tone I get with a pick more than with fingers... I use Fender medium triangle picks...


- georgestrings
 
#49
My favourite response to this is "Do you eat with a spoon or a fork?"

I prefer my fingers, but if the song warrants it, I'll use a pick. Really a situational thing. I think you should be comfortable with both. Some agree, some don't. It's an ongoing struggle. Like most of the things on this site. :P
 
#51
different tones for different styles. Pick style has less attack then finger style, and usually longer sustain. I think pick style will lay in the background better, because of the reduced initial attack, but not so much for funk or R&B. Bands like the Nighthawks have a picking bass player, and it works for them, but it, to me, sounds more like a guitar one octave down. But an attempt to play James Brown with a pick is a lesson in fail..
 
#52
Both. Pick more than fingers. With a pick, I think basses sound much more alive. I started playing at around 13 and using a pick was so much easier for me. Now, four years later, I have been playing fingerstyle for only 5 months or so. I Iike it. It goes well with 70's rock. Montrose, Rush, Mott the Hoople, Cheap Trick, you know all that good stuff! But, when I play Anthrax or GN'R tunes, I always use a pick.
 
#56
I love both, but like slap or heavy muting (like palm muting) pick works best some of the time IMO. They are complementary to fingerstyle but not able to cop the feels of it. Which is far from a shame. Imagine how boring it would be if we all had to play with nothing but our thumbs... or nothing but a pick. It'd stifle a lot expressiveness. Unlike most electric guitars with strings on top of each other... our instruments generally have, like classical guitars, enough space to get 'around' the string and make the instrument jump around :hyper: OK not literally.

I'm not hatin' just saying that variety is a central element of music, and musicians should relish it. Like DB. Which I can't afford yet but when I can... :D

IMO, and I seem to not be alone on this, the bassist should, for best effect, use the technique that works best with the music and enriches the whole thing. Not their favourite technique no matter what because it's their favourite... YMMV.

EDIT: I should answer the OP's Q: Picks or Fingers? A: nope. Both.
Q: Which do you prefer? A: I'm better with fingerstyle but try to let the music choose it. Some times a pick is too tame... then I try to go into 'super clank' mode... heavy fingerstyle with low action, playing around the 17th fret... fret clank, oh how I love you in the morning :D
 
#57
Diesel Kilgore said:
So I went out and bought a couple picks today. Very nice Fender tort shell medium and a heavy, haha, had to get the tort shell. :D It was a first for me, i've never put a pick to a bass string ever.

But I will tell you....I had a frickin blast! It was really a good get down time on the bass with a pick! I didn't think I would enjoy it so much. Kinda had to re-adjust a little bit, but I enjoyed the tone and the ability to jam a little faster then when I normally finger pluck.

I used to hold my nose up to bassists who picked, but I think i'm converted. Not totally, but I need to stock up on more picks if you catch my drift. :cool:
Click to expand...

Try Dunlop ultex or tortex....you'll find the classic fender celluloids wear pretty freakin fast.
 
#58
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