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PICKS

#21
I use the 1.00mm triangular Claytons, but purple or blue Dunlop tortex is good also. Anything much thinner and you'll just be flapping it around on your strings.

I hold the pick between my thumb and index/middle finger (sometimes both) and use a combination of pick strokes and finger plucks. I sometimes wrap my pinky around the lower strings for leverage and to dampen strings. It's hard to describe and even harder to explain. I taught myself by trial and error over the course of many years and never took a lesson to learn proper technique. It looks awful, but it does the trick. :-)

I've been at it for about 25 years and I'm pretty darn quick, if I do say so myself. Played along with a lot of Motorhead in my youth and cut my teeth on speed metal & punk before moving into the exciting world of classic rock covers and wedding gigs. Gotta pay the bills, y'know!

Cheers!
 
#22
Didn't realise people moved to the more rigid side of picks. I've used some thick ones (3mm dunlops etc etc), I've used most incriments in size, and 0.88mm tortex picks for the most part (wish I could just buy a big tub of them or something for the amount I go through/loose etc). Sometimes use the 1mm ones, but they are generally too thick for me. The 0.88 are great for both guitar and bass :)
 
#24
I have always been a pick player since i was 13 now i am 19 and use fingers but perfer pick:bassist:

anyways use a medium pick ppl think basses need a heavy pick

dunlop .73 tortex are very good for pick bass playing

use your index finger and side of your thumb , and well play;)

do pick with you arm let it rest on the bass give your wrsit slop and pick with that your arm should nto move just your wrist

practice basically and you'll develop your own style if i knew how to upload a video i would post one of my pick style i really dig it
 
#25
I learned to use a pick after never touching one. Sometimes its perfect for a track.
+1 on the Dunlop Jazz 3 i like these and especially the Ultex version.
It took me FOREVER to find the right pick! Finally done with that battle.

About resting your hand. Try to float above the strings and learn to use the edge of your hand as a mute on the lowest strings to keep things clean. It will take time to get used to it.
I highly suggest practicing your picking attack until your up and down strokes are identical in tone. start very slow and practice daily speeding up gradually.
Play simple string crossing exercises to train your right hand where the strings are without the need for anchoring the palm on the bridge.
as always thats just my worthless suggestions 8)
 
#27
Sufenta said:
You gotta just get a pick and find out what's comfortable for you. I always have my hand anchored to the bridge when I pick, but some use more of a floating hand style. Some pick way up towards the neck. As far as picks go, I use heavy ones. Used to just go for Fender Heavies, but years ago I switched to the small Dunlops shown here.
1153431100_NYLON_JAZZ_47R_GRP_463X3.jpg
Click to expand...

that's a guitar pick bro. not a bass pick
 
#33
Sufenta said:
You gotta just get a pick and find out what's comfortable for you. I always have my hand anchored to the bridge when I pick, but some use more of a floating hand style. Some pick way up towards the neck. As far as picks go, I use heavy ones. Used to just go for Fender Heavies, but years ago I switched to the small Dunlops shown here.
1153431100_NYLON_JAZZ_47R_GRP_463X3.jpg
Click to expand...

I play these when I play electric guitar, and have for YEARS. The jazz picks are much faster and more articulate than full sized picks. I take a knife and make a tic-tac-toe like slice in both sides of them so they don't fly out of my sweaty hands. They are very thick, and I don't wear them down that fast. I could easily play a whole gig with the same pick.

I play Fender celluloid mediums with acoustic guitar, I cut the tic-tac-toe shape into both sides of them too, for the same reason... it sucks to lose your pic. The standard flat picks are even slipperier than the Dunlop Jazz picks. That said, a medium usually makes it through 1 or 2 songs, then it's junk... they get a bend in them and the "pointy" end of the pic is starting to wear. No biggy, picks are cheap, I toss em.

I play bass with a pick about 50 percent of the time... I like the Dunlop Big Stubbies... I just haven't decided what thickness. It seem that a lot of people like the 3mm. I'm torn between the 2mm and 3mm.

They are made of Lexan, and have a grippy indent in them so I don't have to slice a pattern into them to hang on to them when my hand is sweaty :bassist:
 
#34
And speaking of bends, after 20 plus years of playing guitar my right index finger has a permanent bend in it where my thumb presses the pick into my finger. Anybody else?

I am HARD CORE!

Oddly enough though, I don't callous anymore. I used to, and I cut them off. After about 10 years the ends of my fingers stopped callousing, they are just sort of rough and REALLY hard now... like my fingertips are cement lol! I know another guy that plays a LOT and he has the same thing going, but most other people I know that play as much as we do have some gnarly fingers! Anybody else?
 
#39
BassHue92 said:
Don't use picks. Learn how to play right. Play with your fingers.
Click to expand...

Ignore junk like this. Play with your fingers if it sounds better, play with a pick if it sounds better.

The basic thing that you want to learn is alternate picking, down up down up down up down up ad nauseum. That is "correct" pick technique.

That said, some things only really sound right with down strokes only. Play some Metallica rythym on guitar and you'll see what I mean.

After that maybe try economy picking. You alternate pick but when you change strings you "sweep" either up or down depending on the string you are changing to. I'm fortunate, this came naturally to me. Most of the time when I play, I'm playing economy, not alternate. It just came naturally to me to "sweep" the string changes. It probably will for you too.

You might want to look at circular picking after you get economy picking down. Again, I'm fortunate, I was doing this with sweep arpeggios on guitar before I ever heard the term. It just happened.

I suppose there really isn't a wrong way... if the song needs it... use that pick :bassist: I've honestly never focused on right hand technique, but keep in mind I'm whats called a "guitardist" here, I'm technically completely ignorant and nobody has ever taught me anything. My right hand has always hit the right string at the right time from day one, I just naturally economy and circle picked. My fretting hand... god that's a different story. If it could keep up with my right hand I'd morph into Yngwie Malmsteen ;)
 

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