I like it when British players from the 60s call it a plectrum. Also funny when they call a bass “Fender bass.”
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
Picks: yes or no poll
- Thread starter Rib 13
- Start date
As a social scientist by trade, I’d strongly encourage you not to use language like “accurate data” when your premise relies on your own personal experience and observations. Farming clicks on YouTube? Sure, have fun. But let’s not pretend we’re doing data collection here.
There are some sounds you just can’t get without a pick, same with fingerstyle, though it’s harder to get that attack with fingers, while a felt pick can emulate fingerstyle pretty well. I have advancing arthritis in my right thumb that makes fingerstyle increasingly painful, but pick still works for me. Any decent bassist should master both.
Since I can't sweep pick on a bass like I can on a guitar, I hardly use picks on bass - you can get all those fast runs with fingers and the sharp attack can be had by playing nearer to the bridge. I also have been playing guitar with fingers only as well. Plus I lose them easily.
I answered no, which reflects what I do and my bias as well. I do not dig most picked bass sounds except for Steve Swallow and Anthony Jackson.
I do pick my nose a lot.
I answered no, which reflects what I do and my bias as well. I do not dig most picked bass sounds except for Steve Swallow and Anthony Jackson.
I do pick my nose a lot.
I have picks in my bag that I take to gigs, and I practice using one - sometimes, but I haven’t used a pick on a gig in decades - don’t seem to need that sound. Oddly, I find the “real bassists don’t use picks” theme to be stronger in other musicians than it is in bassists. Not sure why…
And to those that say I oppose playing with a pick on a bass because I can't play with a pick, I can play guitar with a pick and I think pretty decent. But also decided to just play without. But if you insist - how about this. I might just do an etude recording today on a bass playing a pick- to dispel doubts and judgement.
Deer Dance
Deer Dance
I don't hold to the 'real bassists etc' ideology. For me it's about the sound - I don't like the clicky pick tone. I started out as a guitar player and logically used a pick when I switched to bass. Pretty soon I began using my fingers. Out of curiosity I tried a pick a while back when I tried new strings and found I didn't have the accuracy or smoothness that I have with fingers. So for me the pick is gone except when I play guitar.
Last edited:
Your poll lacks a 'both' choice. Many members here do in fact play both fingerstyle and with a pick depending on the situation.
By excluding the middle ground you've introduced the logical fallacy called The Excluded Middle into your poll and increased the likelihood of presenting a skewed result.
By excluding the middle ground you've introduced the logical fallacy called The Excluded Middle into your poll and increased the likelihood of presenting a skewed result.
"The fallacy of the excluded middle, also known as a "false dilemma" or "false dichotomy", is what happens when two options are presented as being the only possibilities when, in fact, there may be other options that exist. This fallacy operates on the principle that if one option is deemed false or impossible, then the other option must be true by default.
For example, in a debate on the topic This House Would Legalize All Drugs, the Government team(s) might try to persuade the judge that in order to win the debate, the Opposition are required to argue for all drugs to be illegal, with harsh criminal penalties for possession or use. But this isn't the case. The Opp have to argue for drugs not to be legalized - but beyond that, it's up to them how to frame their case and what they will choose to defend.
This sort of "burden pushing" is a common tactic in debates, and isn't necessarily illegitimate - it is in your interests to persuade the judge that the other side have to work as hard as possible to win the round! But it often rests on a logical fallacy that the only way to oppose a point of view is at the other extreme. Often, that isn't true."
For example, in a debate on the topic This House Would Legalize All Drugs, the Government team(s) might try to persuade the judge that in order to win the debate, the Opposition are required to argue for all drugs to be illegal, with harsh criminal penalties for possession or use. But this isn't the case. The Opp have to argue for drugs not to be legalized - but beyond that, it's up to them how to frame their case and what they will choose to defend.
This sort of "burden pushing" is a common tactic in debates, and isn't necessarily illegitimate - it is in your interests to persuade the judge that the other side have to work as hard as possible to win the round! But it often rests on a logical fallacy that the only way to oppose a point of view is at the other extreme. Often, that isn't true."
Thanks.....its not the intent of the poll. Was just trying to gather content for an upcoming video focused on picks themselves, and to dispel the rumors/memes about them. A screenshot of the poll was enough to get what I needed from this thread...I may ask some folks for quote permission
Last edited:
Fair enough. But you did say "research." So a yes/no poll like that really ends up being more about player preferences rather than just the picks, don't you think?
