Slash vs Fingerstyle, Which Do You Prefer for Live Gigs & Why?

[Kaa]

Bobby Vega uses the yellow Dunlop Tortex .73mm pick.

And I recently found my personal new favorite pick in the Gravity .77mm acrylic pick.

Got about the same flexibility as similar gauged Dunlop Tortex pick (tested this with the Gravity .60mm acrylic pick and .60mm Dunlop Tortex one), though still flexes and bahves in slightly different way being a different material, it also got slightly brighter, almost somewhat glassy attack to it, and is much less prone to making scraching noises than the Tortex ones.

The Gravity picks also got a really effective grip, but while at the same time being extremely easy to manipulate between your fingers, say, if you would want to swap between using the tip and the less flexible, rounder, corner of the pick instead of the tip, mid song, both thanks to how it is designed, with a raised grid circle in the middle of the pick.

I use a .63 Nylon Dunlop. I like the softer attack of the thinner picks. When I hold the pick during playing I have it deep in the finger thumb grip so only a smidge sticks out. (The top edge of the pick is in the second knuckle groove of my right index finger.

 

[Aussie Player]

100% Fingers. Can't hold a pick. Feels very unnatural.

 

[Docduval]

I use whatever I feel like. Sometimes that’s fingers, other times that’s pick. There’s no rules.

 

[pepj]

Slash v Fingerstyle etc..?? assume a typo..
But if you do mean Slap V... do yourself a favour. No one wants to hear slap because the bass player doesn't have an alternative usable style or can't play it. Unless you are a niche tribute, slap is typically a heavily practised skill... be honest, how long do you set aside when practising...as opposed to how long you really need to use it in a song.
Most songs..you only need 1 measure fills and it is a waaay overused technique, often without taste, subtlety or musicality, ime.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

This is finger-style, but I preferred to slap it.

Bonnie Raitt - Something to talk about - as Slap Bass?
The "meaty" bass notes in that breathing/pulsating groove as Slap?

 

[iqi616]

Have you ever switched mid‑song because one method wasn’t cutting it?

I've never switched mid-song unless it's part of the arrangement or because I wanted to change the tone as an artistic decision. The only non-artistic reason would be an injury or blister.

 

[Wasnex]

Bonnie Raitt - Something to talk about - as Slap Bass?
The "meaty" bass notes in that breathing/pulsating groove as Slap?

We used to play an arrangement of My Funny Valentine where I slapped as well. We called it my Funky Valentine. It had a hip hop beat.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

We used to play an arrangement of My Funny Valentine where I slapped as well. We called it my Funky Valentine. It had a hip hop beat.

"Something to talk about" is in my "Top 20 Most Grooving Songs Overall" list.
It's slightly sad that during live performances, Bonnie Raitt plays it faster than the original recorded song tempo.
It's changes the "breathing groove" of the song.

 

[Wasnex]

"Something to talk about" is in my "Top 20 Most Grooving Songs Overall" list.
It's slightly sad that during live performances, Bonnie Raitt plays it faster than the original recorded song tempo.
It's changes the "breathing groove" of the song.

This sounds sort of hockey to me, but it's not just the faster tempo IMHO. BR's (added) jangly rhythm guitar seems out of place--she playing a totally different groove from the original.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

This sounds sort of hockey to me, but it's not just the faster tempo IMHO. BR's (added) jangly rhythm guitar seems out of place--she playing a totally different groove from the original.

And that's what I'm talking about.

 

[iqi616]

"Something to talk about" is in my "Top 20 Most Grooving Songs Overall" list.
It's slightly sad that during live performances, Bonnie Raitt plays it faster than the original recorded song tempo.
It's changes the "breathing groove" of the song.

I hate it when they do that. Green Onions lost its cool groove when they played it too fast and the live versions of Hocus Pocus are just a mess (probably due to that silly 70s "who is the fastest guitar soloist" fad that thankfully EVH and the other tappers rendered moot).

 

[bass12]

And that's what I'm talking about.

And that was the point of the song.

 

[Whousedtoplay]

The master of pick-playing - note how relaxed his right hand is and how he cupped the pick at one point and used his fingers & thumb

I'm listening to Grand Pick Master's track, Xs.
I truly believe that from 1:58 until 2:19, Bobby Vega plays Slap.

 

[pepj]

Bobby Vega is one of THE funkiest players...never plays out of turn, even though he can kill it. And a complete master of all his styles.
He just has 'it'