Playing with a pick: why so unpopular?

[chris_b]

Pick, thumb or fingers are all part of the bass players tool box. Use the one that feels more comfortable.

Don't worry what the other guy did, he's not you so focus on playing in your style.

 

[danbones]

i’m surprised tempo hasn’t come up in this conversation yet. those of you that don’t play with a pick, are you ever playing songs that go above 200bpm? i think that’s what ultimately got me to switch, was playing in a band that had a ton of alternate picking, triplets and 16th note runs all well above 220, where my fingers just weren’t efficient enough, even with a 3 finger technique.

there’s pros to playing the same stuff with a pick even if it was at a lower tempo, but i think i would have stuck with playing with my fingers if that was the case.

 

[BlueTalon]

i’m surprised tempo hasn’t come up in this conversation yet. those of you that don’t play with a pick, are you ever playing songs that go above 200bpm? i think that’s what ultimately got me to switch, was playing in a band that had a ton of alternate picking, triplets and 16th note runs all well above 220, where my fingers just weren’t efficient enough, even with a 3 finger technique.

there’s pros to playing the same stuff with a pick even if it was at a lower tempo, but i think i would have stuck with playing with my fingers if that was the case.

Fast tempo is no problem for me to play with fingers, mainly because I use my fingers like a pick in that case. Rather than alternate fingers and plucking with both (or three) fingers in one direction, I'll use multiple fingertips together to hit the strings in both directions.

 

[danbones]

oh yeah, that Bryan Beller method. Very cool you’ve figured out how to make that work, it’s never made sense to me.

there’s a handful of bassists that are the exception to the rule with tempo that make me want to get faster playing with my fingers. now i wanna go through some of my own songs and see how well i can play finger style.

 

[Outshined91]

The funniest thing happened after my gig this past Sunday evening that made me think of this thread. We played a short one hour set, and this was the first time I've used a pick for an entire show. I'm fluent in both pick and fingers, and have been recently starting to favor pick because the tone I get with my new amp rig is KILLER and because it just feels better (and cooler...) to me.

However, the funniest thing happened on the gig. I was a little nervous on the first song, just like any other guy, especially since the song opens with a bass lick – I felt vaguely uncomfortable playing consistently/with stability with a pick then. While I thankfully did not ever drop the pick, it just felt that, when under a bit of pressure, I felt slightly uneasy with the pick – enough so that I didn't take as many risks/harder fills as I would on the gig with fingers. This is strange to me as I'm often more comfortable with a pick when playing in low-stakes situations (rehearsal, informal jams, etc.).

THEN, my semi-professional-guitarist-bassist friend who had come to the show told me afterwards that, while I should do what I feel comfortable with, he thought I should use my fingers when on the gig. He says as someone who has played with me when I use my fingers, he thought I would sound cleaner and fingers would give me the "immediacy" I would benefit from. So it wasn't just me! I guess my slight uneasiness was evident to the discerning listener...

Make what you will of this long-winded story, but it seems that the audience can have something to say about pick vs. fingers. I want to stick with my pick on the gigs because my tone is so good, but now I'm wavering a little.

 

[SemiDriven]

The funniest thing happened after my gig this past Sunday evening that made me think of this thread. We played a short one hour set, and this was the first time I've used a pick for an entire show. I'm fluent in both pick and fingers, and have been recently starting to favor pick because the tone I get with my new amp rig is KILLER and because it just feels better (and cooler...) to me.

However, the funniest thing happened on the gig. I was a little nervous on the first song, just like any other guy, especially since the song opens with a bass lick – I felt vaguely uncomfortable playing consistently/with stability with a pick then. While I thankfully did not ever drop the pick, it just felt that, when under a bit of pressure, I felt slightly uneasy with the pick – enough so that I didn't take as many risks/harder fills as I would on the gig with fingers. This is strange to me as I'm often more comfortable with a pick when playing in low-stakes situations (rehearsal, informal jams, etc.).

THEN, my semi-professional-guitarist-bassist friend who had come to the show told me afterwards that, while I should do what I feel comfortable with, he thought I should use my fingers when on the gig. He says as someone who has played with me when I use my fingers, he thought I would sound cleaner and fingers would give me the "immediacy" I would benefit from. So it wasn't just me! I guess my slight uneasiness was evident to the discerning listener...

Make what you will of this long-winded story, but it seems that the audience can have something to say about pick vs. fingers. I want to stick with my pick on the gigs because my tone is so good, but now I'm wavering a little.

Yeah...but keep in mind, how many semi-professional-bassist" (guitarists, etc.) were in the audience? Probably not many.

In other words, the vast majority of any given audience ain't gonna notice the difference between us using a pick or using fingers.

Pick your style (no pun intended) and play away!

 

[OldSchoolFlats]

The funniest thing happened after my gig this past Sunday evening that made me think of this thread. We played a short one hour set, and this was the first time I've used a pick for an entire show. I'm fluent in both pick and fingers, and have been recently starting to favor pick because the tone I get with my new amp rig is KILLER and because it just feels better (and cooler...) to me.

However, the funniest thing happened on the gig. I was a little nervous on the first song, just like any other guy, especially since the song opens with a bass lick – I felt vaguely uncomfortable playing consistently/with stability with a pick then. While I thankfully did not ever drop the pick, it just felt that, when under a bit of pressure, I felt slightly uneasy with the pick – enough so that I didn't take as many risks/harder fills as I would on the gig with fingers. This is strange to me as I'm often more comfortable with a pick when playing in low-stakes situations (rehearsal, informal jams, etc.).

THEN, my semi-professional-guitarist-bassist friend who had come to the show told me afterwards that, while I should do what I feel comfortable with, he thought I should use my fingers when on the gig. He says as someone who has played with me when I use my fingers, he thought I would sound cleaner and fingers would give me the "immediacy" I would benefit from. So it wasn't just me! I guess my slight uneasiness was evident to the discerning listener...

Make what you will of this long-winded story, but it seems that the audience can have something to say about pick vs. fingers. I want to stick with my pick on the gigs because my tone is so good, but now I'm wavering a little.

One aspect may be the attack/envelope. With a pick, it is very clear exactly when a note begins. Fingers have a more lengthy attack, so - within reason - you don't have to be QUITE as precise where a note begins. Sort-of like sticks vs. brushes on drums.

Note: I realize some people use their fingernail or a hard pluck to get a sharper attack, finger-style.

 

[Dave TB Killer]

I can use a pick if need be. But I have just never found a pick that felt quite right in my hand. I get on a pick binge every few years but eventually drop it after a short time. I'm currently tinkering with medium gauge Fender picks and well, eh.

 

[BlueTalon]

oh yeah, that Bryan Beller method. Very cool you’ve figured out how to make that work, it’s never made sense to me.

there’s a handful of bassists that are the exception to the rule with tempo that make me want to get faster playing with my fingers. now i wanna go through some of my own songs and see how well i can play finger style.

Actually, I've seen Geddy Lee use it, but it's something I developed on my own.

 

[JimmyM]

Try as I might, there are some songs I just can't get the tone I am looking for with pedals and EQ, so I have actually recently started practicing with a pick/plectrum (it's almost like learning a new instrument so far ).

I used an insane amount of my Musician's Friends points to order an insane amount of picks to try out.
For me, what I find most comfortable right now are the Orange Dunlop .60 gauge picks, but I do like the 'feel' of the 1mm Big Stubby. The 3mm seems waaay to thick, IDK.

Am I doing myself a disservice using thinner plectrums? Like is there any repetitive motion injury I may not be thinking about when playing with a thin pick? I play sunbeam .100 -.40 on all my basses, which are light gauged strings obviously.


This statement blows my mind, because when it is time to play something difficult (for me), I drop that pick on the ground! Like an example: Rolling Stones - Sympathy for the Devil (not overly difficult for most people I guess, but it's the tempo that gets me). I can play it fairly well fingerstyle (if I do so so myself); but stumbling all over the place trying to play that with a pick.

Obviously it's all down to practice, and since I have played exclusively with my fingers for 10+ years .... Well I guess it's going to take me a little while to get where I want to be.

Megadeth lines are what honestly finally motivated me to devote practice time with a plectrum, I can play a bunch of songs, but there is just no way to do that palm muting like Ellefson does so well with my fingers. At least, I haven't discovered a way yet.

Yes, my hand cramps up good when I use anything thinner than a Fender heavy. Within seconds. But hey, different strokes and all that.

 

[SteveC]

I’m a finger style player, have been for years, but lately I find myself using a pick. I find myself doing lots of things I would have never thought even a couple years ago…like playing a P with flats.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Pick is definitely the way to go for the upright. For the bass guitar, a nicely bowed solo can be amazing.

You think you're so smart? Check this out!

 

[g-dude]

You think you're so smart? Check this out!

I actually tried a proper pick on my upright a few times. Was actually pretty amusing.

 

[HelpImaRock]

Playing with a pick is the way to achieve my sonic goals. The sounds I'm most attracted to were played with a pick and I'm most consistent with it on the instrument. So, pick it is. I don't play in cover bands and I'm not looking to be versatile or all things to all people.

 

[DavidEdenAria]

I love recording with a pick. Any time I record takes fingerstyle, I'll try to do the same lines with a pick as a just-in-case. 90% of the time I end up with the pick. There's something about the transient, especially on flats or tapes with a little saturation and compression, that sounds so much better to my ears. The sound pops and it's easier to sculpt later on with an EQ, and the instrument doesn't lose too much character if I low-pass a kick drum in the sidechain. Obviously this isn't always the case and the final determinant is how it serves the song, but I'm definitely biased towards a crunchy, picked recorded bass tone.

I also think that picking a bass is a much more difficult technique than converted guitarists and fingerstyle dogmatists* give it credit for. Strumming chords or picking solo notes on a guitar is not the same thing as mastering the nuanced difference between, and difficulty of, alternating upstrokes and downstrokes on fatter, widely distanced, less resonant strings. It's rare that a player new to picking will be able to immediately lay down mutes and ghost notes in a rhythmically interesting, or even useful way, without some practice.

On the other hand, I didn't have as much fun picking until I started using felt ukulele picks. Plastic action never felt good to me, but Mick's Picks have a nice flex that feels satisfying, just as much as fingerstyle does.

*Do these people actually exist?

I really like Micks Picks! I have several of the thicker 'felt types' and i sand the edges to be smooth.....i do come from guitar background and had no issues with string spacing or palm muting as you pointed out with some folks.

 

[Ric5]

A pick and a bass with 12 strings and a song in 11/8

Allman Brothers Band - Whipping Post - Live at Great Woods 9-6-91 - YouTube

 

[jschulman]

I really like Micks Picks! I have several of the thicker 'felt types' and i sand the edges to be smooth.....i do come from guitar background and had no issues with string spacing or palm muting as you pointed out with some folks.

Yeah those Uke-2s are really something special. The first time I used them I knew they were exactly what I was looking for.