ive been playing almost a year now & ive always played with my fingers. im in a band that plays very fast & my fingers cant keep up with the speed or keep the volume up. but i suck with a pick cuz i never played with one. is there anything that can help me play with a pick??
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playing with a pick
- Thread starter SiReZ
- Start date
If you're comfortable with your fingers moreso than with a pick, why not work on your finger speed?
Pick skill is good to have, don't get me wrong, but there are plenty of fast bass players that never even touch a pick. It's really all about your comfort zone.
Pick skill is good to have, don't get me wrong, but there are plenty of fast bass players that never even touch a pick. It's really all about your comfort zone.
Playing uptempo songs takes practice, whether you use your fingers or pick. Practice, practice, practice . . .
Picks typically don't play well with others.. They either have to be socialized from an early age, or beat into submission (ala Matt Freeman).
I had a problem switching over to picks for certain songs, so I bought some 3.1 mm rubber picks I had seen another guy use. They feel very natural, and help promote faster picking.
Geeez! haha... i feel like my pick is bulky at like 1.2 mm...
To the OP, there are some neat instructional Youtube videos about finger bass playing with the whole tech-death thing. Just search, they should be fairly easy to find.
The only way to improve your finger speed is to keep practicing. Teaching yourself how to use three fingers (index, middle, ring) would also be worth while.
My advice would be to listen and play along to lots of Iron Maiden. Steve Harris is a rock solid bass player, and playing along to these songs will definitely build your finger-style power, speed, and dexterity.
My advice would be to listen and play along to lots of Iron Maiden. Steve Harris is a rock solid bass player, and playing along to these songs will definitely build your finger-style power, speed, and dexterity.
Was anyone else caught off guard by the title of this thread? I saw it from the corner of my eye, and I thought it said "Playing With A Prick". I immediately thought "Lead Singer Problems". 
Posting this in the technique section wouldn't be inappropriate, either.. After all, every bassist know how to properly bitch-slap a vocalist.
Posting this in the technique section wouldn't be inappropriate, either.. After all, every bassist know how to properly bitch-slap a vocalist.
well im like u. i have been playing the bass for almost a year now and cant play very good with the pick.i prefer the fingers cause the sound is more original.so im trying to improve my spped on my 2 fingers (index middle).u should try it too.following some excercises like i am doing the last week can do miracles.in 1 week i have reached playing 16ths in 160bpm.all u have to do is use ur metronome and start by puting it at 100bpm.play 16ths in that beat and when u are comfortable in that speed put the metronome faster and faster.with only half an our daily trainings it does miracles!good luck dude!
Yep. No shortcuts. Not that you're necessarily looking for one, but there aren't any. Just keep at the material.
Most importantly, STAY RELAXED!!!! If you tighten up, it will slow you down. From your back, to your shoulders, right down to your fingertips- keep loose.
Turn your amp up loud, and play with the lightest touch you can manage- this takes less effort, and will allow you to play faster/cleaner, with practice.
+1
That's how I built up my speed! I'd recommend The Trooper, Iron Maiden (the song), and Hallowed Be Thy Name to start out with. Once your speed is built up a bit, try Run to the Hills, Ghengis Khan, Invaders, Phantom of the Opera, or other such insanely fast Steve Harris parts.
Good Luck!
ok what you do is you put your hand the way you would if you were playing on a bass. then what you do is you hit your thumb with your picking fingers in the pattern that you pick wether its 2, 3 or 4 fingers start slow then increase speed. youll see very good results 
I recently had the same problem as you. I've been playing about two years, always with my fingers. The cover band I play with does Running Down A Dream which has a really simple bass part so I rarely spend time on it when practicing on my own. After our last practice our guitarist told me that I needed to get more of a steady pulse into the bass line and suggested using a pick.
It was so awkward at first but after an entire Saturday of plugging away it kicked in and I am finding it fairly easy to use a pick in general now. Like others say in this thread, it's all about practicing and persistence. It's amazing how the hard work pays off.
It was so awkward at first but after an entire Saturday of plugging away it kicked in and I am finding it fairly easy to use a pick in general now. Like others say in this thread, it's all about practicing and persistence. It's amazing how the hard work pays off.
To gain speed, practice painfully slow until you master it at that tempo, then gradually increase the tempo and master it at that tempo, and so on until you're up to tempo. A metronome or drum machine will help keep you on point. But it's really the only way to get good at playing fast.
Picking guys only get hated on when they *can't* play with their fingers. If you've been playing with your fingers for a while, I would just ad a pick for the songs when you can't keep up, but try to play the majority of stuff with your finger-because as been said, it just takes more practice.
Playing with the ring finger will be a big plus here, like somebody mentioned (that is, if you're not already using it). I really think if you do that, you'll be coming close to the speed you gain with a pick in no time.
Playing with the ring finger will be a big plus here, like somebody mentioned (that is, if you're not already using it). I really think if you do that, you'll be coming close to the speed you gain with a pick in no time.
Turn up the volume so that you can pluck the string lighter and play faster. It's just an efficient way to not only work on training your finger speed, but trains you to relax your fingers regardless of the speed of the song and build up stamina as you're doing so.
I recently started playing with a pick, and I adopted the same idea of plucking your strings lightly but fast. It's been working well too.
I recently started playing with a pick, and I adopted the same idea of plucking your strings lightly but fast. It's been working well too.
You're very fortunate. I've been at it for 2 years and still haven't got it where I want it.
:scowl: Why should they get hated on at all? I don't see anyone hating Paul McCartney or Chris Squire or Carles Benavent or Steve Swallow or Carol Kaye..ok, I see people hating on her, but for other reasons
