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Poll:Pick or Fingers?
- Thread starter Dragonlord
- Start date
I don't see how anyone can choose their fingers over a pick. Maybe it's just because I used to play guitar before I got into this lovely little twindler called the bass. With picks, you can go alot faster, and I feel like I have more control. And its louder. I like to be heard.
you can easily go just as fast without a pick, it just takes practice. i personaly do no use a pick, just not the sound im looking for.
I sometimes practice using a pick, but I've only ever played live or recorded using fingers.
I find I can play continuous 16ths faster with a pick, but triplets faster fingerstyle (w.three fingers) and generally play faster accross the neck with fingers.
plus I always tend to drop picks
I find I can play continuous 16ths faster with a pick, but triplets faster fingerstyle (w.three fingers) and generally play faster accross the neck with fingers.
plus I always tend to drop picks
I'd have to say, using a pick is the only way to go. It gives a way better sound then fingers, and its easier to go A-wall and make a phat riff. Plus, some of the best bass players ever use picks(Blink 182, Nirvana, Green Day) and you dont gotta get damn blisters on both your hands. Not that they hurt, but its a pain in the ass. Its also a lot faster (for me anyway) than fingers.
I use a pick all the time,
the stuff my band plays would be virtually impossible to play without a pick.
i think playing with fingers does sound good sometimes though, depending on what kinda song it is, some times you need the clear punch so u can hear the bass line better, and sometime u want a smoother sound, it just all depends, but most of the time i want that clear punchy springy sound,
but thats me,
the stuff my band plays would be virtually impossible to play without a pick.
i think playing with fingers does sound good sometimes though, depending on what kinda song it is, some times you need the clear punch so u can hear the bass line better, and sometime u want a smoother sound, it just all depends, but most of the time i want that clear punchy springy sound,
but thats me,
by the way the bassist of greenday and blink aren't all that great, i think hoppus sucks, but mike is pretty good, but i'll have to agree with you, Krist Novoselic is truely great, he has the best tone i've ever heard. Nirvana will live forever.
I use whatever's needed in a particular situation. But it's 95% fingers and only 5% pick. I started out playing fingerstyle, so I'm more proficient with that particular technique. But I'm also able to shred if the need arises (sometimes it actually does 
)
)
Fingers, 100% of the time.
Picks are only faster if you have no control or finesse with your hands. If thats the case, why are you worrying about playing fast?
Using your hands is much more versatile, and thats NOT an opinion! You could play with your fingertip, fingernails, sides, or just the skin on the front (sorry, didnt have a better word for it,
). Not to mention then you can tap, slap, strum, etc, and you dont have to palm the pick while doing it.
And its much easier to get faster speed with fingers. At most, on a pick, you can go up and down, similiar to playing with two fingers, but with hands, you can play with 2, 3, 4 or even 5 fingers. Thats like playing with 2 or 2½ picks simultaneously.
And this doesnt even get into range of dynamics, triplets (a bitch with a pick), etc.
Green Day, Nirvana, Blink 182...all have the best bass players? Wow, gosh, what was I thinking. Id like to see ANY of them play fretless like Steve Bailey, or make an interesting solo! But wait, theyre the best, and they play picks (therefore, picks _ARE_ the only option, right?)! VERY few of the highly regarded players play with picks, proportionally. Yeah, of course theres Jackon, Kaye, Squire, Osborne, Vega, etc, but they are a minority. Mark Hoppus...bass god? I think ill puke.
Picks are only faster if you have no control or finesse with your hands. If thats the case, why are you worrying about playing fast?
Using your hands is much more versatile, and thats NOT an opinion! You could play with your fingertip, fingernails, sides, or just the skin on the front (sorry, didnt have a better word for it,
). Not to mention then you can tap, slap, strum, etc, and you dont have to palm the pick while doing it. And its much easier to get faster speed with fingers. At most, on a pick, you can go up and down, similiar to playing with two fingers, but with hands, you can play with 2, 3, 4 or even 5 fingers. Thats like playing with 2 or 2½ picks simultaneously.
And this doesnt even get into range of dynamics, triplets (a bitch with a pick), etc.
Green Day, Nirvana, Blink 182...all have the best bass players? Wow, gosh, what was I thinking. Id like to see ANY of them play fretless like Steve Bailey, or make an interesting solo! But wait, theyre the best, and they play picks (therefore, picks _ARE_ the only option, right?)! VERY few of the highly regarded players play with picks, proportionally. Yeah, of course theres Jackon, Kaye, Squire, Osborne, Vega, etc, but they are a minority. Mark Hoppus...bass god? I think ill puke.
I had to learn to play with fingers since i started on guitar with a pick. My right index finger was smashed in bevel gears at age 4 (farm accident) and is a 1/2 " short so i use my middle and ring finger for bass and fingerpicked guitar, and i have got " good " at both only in the last year. I've played lead guitar for almost 20 yrs so i'm much faster/cleaner with a pick.My friend says " real " bass players use fingers only.....guess he never listened to Sir Paul or Mr Osborn!!
Both both both... Definitely both. Why would you want to limit yourself to one or the other? If you can do both, you wont have to worry about which one do use, because either is accessable. Both, always both...
(BTW...green day's bassist is alright, but the other two...well...lets just say they suck ass
did i say that? )
(BTW...green day's bassist is alright, but the other two...well...lets just say they suck ass
did i say that? )I prefer my Fingers, I play Faster and better with my fingers, use a pick if the song calls for it, or if my hands are a little dry, I'll use the pick until they sweat a little bit, so I can use my hands and fly all over the fretboard, wich I cant seem to do with a pick.
There is obvious advantages to using a pick, like better tone but I prefer to use my fingers because using a pick put a barrier between me and my bass. I'm a hands on kind of guy so I much prefer to play with my finger although I do use both.
