For many years I used a pick then I switched to fingers and never looked back. But either way is good if it works for you.
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Carl
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Carl
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So how many people use a pick?
- Thread starter Andy Daventry
- Start date
I've tried to use a pick off and on for years, but keep using my fingers. It's only interesting because I can't play with my fingers for cr@p on guitar!
-GM
-GM
I started playing the bass when my friends and I started putting a band together. I got the bass from my aunt, which was the only instrument I could get a hold of. Our guitarist used to yell at me for using my fingers and made me use a pick. Now, I prefer to play with my fingers because it gives you more of a unique voice. When my guitarist yells at me now, I just tell him to shut up.
B
bernalga
Guest
First of all, Id like to introduce myself since im new to this forum. I've been playing the bass for 7 years now, and i recently bought a Fireglo Rickenbacker 4003 bass, so i tought since i made the investment, why not go all the way and become serious about bassplaying
Anyway, for as long an i have been playing, i have never used a pick. Well of course maybe occasionally to try it out, but i mean, it just doesn't feel right. IMO, just the thickness of the bass' strings (as opposed to guitar) is a great obstacle for using a pick (and provides WAY better feeling when using fingers).
Besides, i love playing chords (that's right, chords with the bass) and with the pick it sounds terrible, it sounds much better when doing a downstroke with 3 or 4 fingers of my right hand.
Anyway, take it easy
Anyway, for as long an i have been playing, i have never used a pick. Well of course maybe occasionally to try it out, but i mean, it just doesn't feel right. IMO, just the thickness of the bass' strings (as opposed to guitar) is a great obstacle for using a pick (and provides WAY better feeling when using fingers).
Besides, i love playing chords (that's right, chords with the bass) and with the pick it sounds terrible, it sounds much better when doing a downstroke with 3 or 4 fingers of my right hand.
Anyway, take it easy
I am a converted guitarist referenced above and I am using a pick. I am struggling trying to find "my sound" and use a pick with flatwounds on a MIA Fender P. Paul used a pick on his 4001 so I say picks are OK.
I started learning bass with pick because I was playing punk and I needed it to get the speed and sound. I started using fingers for other types of music, and I found, after some practice, that I can do the same with fingers. I still like to use both depending on the music. 1st post
I wouldn't agree with some of the comments that suggest the the most pick players are either converted guitarists or beginners. After all, some of the best bass players (in my opinion) have been pick players, such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. I think some people just might prefer the feel, or the tone, that they get from a pick, and I don't think that this should devalue their ability in any way.
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
I use a pick for probably 50% of the stuff I play......I can play way faster with a pick. I use it almost as an eq device....when I thump the strings with the 3mm Dunlop Stubby, they stay hit! I'll often use fingers for the bulk of a song, and use the pick (that I've stashed in the palm of my hand) for sections I wish to emphasise or "bring out" in the mix.
Cheers
John
Cheers
John
i use my fingers. Much cooler. You dont have to go around searching for a pick, you can just pick up your bass and play.
A little while ago (February sometime) I posted a reply that I used a pick and saw no reason to stop. A few weeks ago I started taking lessons and was shown how to play with my fingers. I was shocked at how much better it sounds - there are still some things that I think sound better when played with a pick, but they are few and far between (and someone who is good at playing with their fingers may not even need a pick for those). I'm converted.
I always keep a pick in my wallet in case my fingers get really tired in the middle of a gig, then i take out the pick until my fingers are rested.
I use my fingers as long as i can though, i like the feel much better.
The funny part is that i when i started with bass, i used my fingers all the time because Jason Newsted (Metallica) used a pick and I hated the dude. (i think he uses fingers now, i dont know.. i just know he sucks)
I have tried changing to pick a few times, but i keep coming back to fingers.. it's just the way that it feels natural for me.
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I use my fingers as long as i can though, i like the feel much better.
The funny part is that i when i started with bass, i used my fingers all the time because Jason Newsted (Metallica) used a pick and I hated the dude. (i think he uses fingers now, i dont know.. i just know he sucks)
I have tried changing to pick a few times, but i keep coming back to fingers.. it's just the way that it feels natural for me.
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<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Hobbes:
I wouldn't agree with some of the comments that suggest the the most pick players are either converted guitarists or beginners. After all, some of the best bass players (in my opinion) have been pick players, such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. I think some people just might prefer the feel, or the tone, that they get from a pick, and I don't think that this should devalue their ability in any way.
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
McCartney started out as a guitarist.
I wouldn't agree with some of the comments that suggest the the most pick players are either converted guitarists or beginners. After all, some of the best bass players (in my opinion) have been pick players, such as Paul McCartney and Bruce Foxton from The Jam. I think some people just might prefer the feel, or the tone, that they get from a pick, and I don't think that this should devalue their ability in any way.
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]
[This message has been edited by Hobbes (edited April 03, 2000).]<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
McCartney started out as a guitarist.
If you only use fingers, there are many sounds and songs you can't truely reproduce. The same can be said of a pick.
If you can't use both effectively you are limiting yourself.
Here is a trick I learned. I learn every song with a pick and with fingers, then select whichever sounds best. For me it is usually 70% fingers & 30% pick and sometimes I actually use both on the same song.
If you can't use both effectively you are limiting yourself.
Here is a trick I learned. I learn every song with a pick and with fingers, then select whichever sounds best. For me it is usually 70% fingers & 30% pick and sometimes I actually use both on the same song.
Although I can use my fingers fairly well (alright, I'm no Flea, but I can do the job), I prefer to use a plec. However, our drummer, who goes to music college and spends a lot of time with musos who've been playing for years, despairs at this.
"You can't use a plec!!!! Nobody in our college uses a plec!". To be honest, this is quite annoying, as it's like telling him he HAS to play with two mounted toms, or whatever silly terminology he uses. I respect that you can do a great deal more with your fingers, and I'll probably end up shouting at anyone who uses a plec like him, but I just prefer a plec.
"You can't use a plec!!!! Nobody in our college uses a plec!". To be honest, this is quite annoying, as it's like telling him he HAS to play with two mounted toms, or whatever silly terminology he uses. I respect that you can do a great deal more with your fingers, and I'll probably end up shouting at anyone who uses a plec like him, but I just prefer a plec.
I started this thread over three months ago. In that time I realise I have not used a pick ONCE on bass. I don't think I qualify as a pick player any longer.
Andy
Andy
I use a pick 99.999% of the time. I've tried using my fingers, but simply cannot get the same attack, brightness, or general tone that I cn with a pick. Nothing against fingers, but it just doesn't sound right for the sound I'm going for. The music store thing is true. It seems like every time I go into a store to try a new bass, someone comes up and asks if I can play any Marcus Miller or Vic Wooten. Once again, nothing against that, but I have no desire at all to learn how to play that way.
Just my two cents.
Just my two cents.
I like to go in between picking and playing with fingers but it all really depends on what song im playing, the speed of the songs, what kind of sound i want, etc.
for example, if i want something brutal and driving, i go with the pick. but if i want a clicky, deep groove i play with fingers. so really all it is is what kind of sound you want.
for example, if i want something brutal and driving, i go with the pick. but if i want a clicky, deep groove i play with fingers. so really all it is is what kind of sound you want.
i don't use a pick, it's much easier and you can go a whole lot faster when your playing Punk rock music. but that;s just my opinion.
I can't say for sure that I'm the first person to do this, but I've never seen anyone else do it. When I was going to college, I drilled a hole through an extra heavy pick and tied it to my bridge with fishing line. It looked ridiculous, and I was probably the butt of many jokes.
At the time, I played mostly with fingers, but found that pick was good if I wanted to sing at the same time, or for playing really fast stuff. With my pick dangling around my volume pot, it was never far away.
Since then, I have played almost exclusively with my fingers, and pick-on-a-string is long gone. I am still the butt of many jokes, but that is a story for another day.
At the time, I played mostly with fingers, but found that pick was good if I wanted to sing at the same time, or for playing really fast stuff. With my pick dangling around my volume pot, it was never far away.
Since then, I have played almost exclusively with my fingers, and pick-on-a-string is long gone. I am still the butt of many jokes, but that is a story for another day.
