Technical question re: “pick emulation”

[thedudeonbass]

Hello Michael,

I was at your recent show at the Monkey House with Teja Gerken. I’m also a bass player and it’s always super inspiring to hear you play. I may never be able to ape all of your techniques (which is okay!) but I was curious about one in particular.

When you hold your thumb and index finger as if you’re holding a pick, are you striking with the thumb or index finger, or perhaps a secret third thing?

Reason I ask, is I’ve been trying to learn these Chic songs, and as I’m sure you’re aware of, involve a lot of “pick emulation” (i.e. shucking). It’s such a cool, unique, rhythmic sound, that a lot of people don’t do, but I feel adding it to my tool kit is going to really unlock a lot of possibilities for my approach to the instrument. However, it is quite difficult to get right.

Thank you so much for your time, your presence at these shows, and for taking the bass to the stratosphere and beyond.

 

[sunbeast]

Michael's last post on here was at the end of 2022, so I suspect you may not get a reply or at least not anytime soon. I was curious about the technique you mention as don't think I'd seen him do something like that (I've never seen him live but watched many videos over the years). I did find footage from his show with Teja on Youtube which was really beautiful stuff but didn't see that technique used while playing in the duo.
I also found this recent clinic-looking video where he does a picking/strumming thing in a Beatles medley kinda in the style of Stanley Clarke's School Days:


To me it looks like the pointer finger is doing most of the strumming hitting across the top of the nail for some edge but with other fingers joining in as well at times in a sort of flamenco strum approach. I do some "finger pick" approach usually favoring more thumb, but I grow the nail out on my thumb so am able to utilize the nail for a sort of pick timbre (I also grow the edges of my other fingernails out, but if I used my pointer-finger nail like this I would likely break it or wear it down too fast while my thumbnail is more hearty and a bit longer)