To Pick or Not To Pick?

[Dgl44]

I play with a pick. I mostly use the .71 dunlop tortexes since they give that punk/hard rock sound I'm aiming for. I started playing bass without having played any stringed instruments before, and I learned to play with a pick and to play with fingers. Whatever sounds right, that's how I play.
Although I mostly use a pick, being influenced big time by Duff McKagan, Matt Freeman and a few other punk bassists.

 

[BastardCthulhu]

My fingers brought me to the dance, but the pick kept me there. I employ both methods to get different tones, also, it's important to have that pick in the holster in case the hands give out. Which happens to me. A lot. I use Dunlop Gator Grip 1.5's.

 

[Bassnomer]

I just began using a pick again recently, due to the fact that I play both bass and classical guitar in my trio when I need to, so I grew out my RH fingernails a bit. I learned fingerstyle in the beginning, and that is what I've used almost all of the time throughout my 8 years of playing. I did play with a pick on and off in the first few years, so it was easy to pick back up. I also started on the acoustic steel string about 2 years ago, which also helps. I use the Carol Kaye picks on a Squier VM Jazz with Fender flats and a bit of muting at the bridge. I think the sound is nice and warm, with a bit of extra punch from the pick.

To the point that someone made about "looking like an ex guitarist", I wonder how insecure you must be in your playing to have that be such a concern. Why would it even matter if someone thought such a thing about you? God forbid you could play TWO instruments, right?

 

[FretNoMore]

...
To the point that someone made about "looking like an ex guitarist", I wonder how insecure you must be in your playing to have that be such a concern. Why would it even matter if someone thought such a thing about you? God forbid you could play TWO instruments, right?

Even more so if you plan to ever perform live; people will look at you, some of them will have opinions about anything and everything, and some drunk boneheads might even tell you to your face. If you worry too much about this then the stage is maybe not for you.

 

[stratovani]

This is the pick I use. I play with one of the two rounded edges at the top, it gives me better control over the pick. I don't play it on every song, sometimes I'll use it for just a couple of measures to accentuate a line, then I'll quickly palm it and play fingerstyle.

 

[Jesse 5string]

I play with a pick (see my profile picture there is the kind I use in it.) It is a V-pick tradition 2.75mm.

I use a pick most of the time. For more complex lines I use my fingers. But 80% is done with a pick.

 

[Higherground]

I still don't understand about that, SO CALLED, issue - "To-pick-or-not-to-pick.

To me, it's a STRANGELY - BIASED and full of cr...y inferiority complexes/mental blocks discussion ON BOTH SIDES of this discussion.

As I've repeated numerous times, I wish I could play the bass with my big nose.
At least, I would be known for SOMETHING.

Now.
Here are two beautiful bass-lines from Incognito's Colibri (studio version)
"...The bass comes from the Bob Clearmountain Percussion & Bass Library, (a 5 string Music Man bass) specifically, the D.I. samples but only 5 of the available set; F1, C2, F2, C3 & F3. They were sampled into an Akai S950, and at the time, I was using Steinberg's Cubase on an Atari Falcon computer. The bass was not 'performed' via Midi keyboard but programmed manually by mouse. Unlike today's bass libraries, trills weren't available, so they had to be mimicked using Pitch bend!
Richard Bull"
Incognito- new to me! | Page 2 | TalkBass.com



Incognito "The Way You Love" - Album Surreal (studio version)
Incognito- new to me! | Page 2 | TalkBass.com (tracks: 13 -"The Way You Love" )
Incognito contributor Richard Bull, and as can be expected, his drum grooves and his (programmed -WUTP) bass lines dominate the proceedings, creating a muscular platform for the unison vocals to dance on."



MY QUESTIONS.

Were those bass-lines that, I LOVE, played with a pick or fingerstyle?

What is the moral of my story?

The bass libraries I used for these two tracks were both finger style. The bass for "Colibri" is described in detail above. The bass on "The Way You Love" is the Scarbee M-Bass; a MusicMan with flat wound strings.

Richard