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Using a pick

S

SteveXFR

Jun 2, 2019
71
95
Somerset
#1
I know using a pick for bass is illegal but for some songs I find it just works better for me than using fingers.
Anyway, to the point. I've been experimenting with different thickness picks and had settled on a 3mm Dunlop pick but recently watched this video

Is this a normal pick technique for bass? It sounds amazing but I'm finding it really tricky to be accurate with this aggression.
 
#7
SteveXFR said:
I know using a pick for bass is illegal but for some songs I find it just works better for me than using fingers.
Anyway, to the point. I've been experimenting with different thickness picks and had settled on a 3mm Dunlop pick but recently watched this video

Is this a normal pick technique for bass? It sounds amazing but I'm finding it really tricky to be accurate with this aggression.
Click to expand...

I watched the video and found it really interesting. I'd like to try that technique myself but don't have a band in which it would be appropriate/useful. Anyway....

First, playing with a pick is perfectly cool. Don't listen to anyone who says otherwise. There are lots of great players who play pickstyle exclusively, and even more who switch between fingers and pick.

Second, no, this is not "normal" technique for bass -- although that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it. This is an extremely aggressive style for playing extremely aggressive music, but probably not a good choice for other genres.
 
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#8
My Preferred Pick.
It is thick enough to attack, but also flexible.
The heat from my fingers causes it to mold slightly to my grip. (not actual size)
81nnfBiNqbL._AC_SL1500_.jpg
 
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#9
SteveXFR said:
I know using a pick for bass is illegal but for some songs I find it just works better for me than using fingers.
Anyway, to the point. I've been experimenting with different thickness picks and had settled on a 3mm Dunlop pick but recently watched this video

Is this a normal pick technique for bass? It sounds amazing but I'm finding it really tricky to be accurate with this aggression.
Click to expand...

Kind of sounds like somebody playing the Seinfeld theme keyboard patch in a metal band.

But, to each their own. Music would be boring if everybody had the same tone.
 
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#14
SteveXFR said:
I know using a pick for bass is illegal but for some songs I find it just works better for me than using fingers.
Anyway, to the point. I've been experimenting with different thickness picks and had settled on a 3mm Dunlop pick but recently watched this video

Is this a normal pick technique for bass? It sounds amazing but I'm finding it really tricky to be accurate with this aggression.
Click to expand...

Bro, I use a 1mm pick, and I hit it hard. Hard. Sounds killer.
 
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#15
2tonic said:
NOTHING is WRONG!!!
If it works for you, it works. Period.
Click to expand...
I agree with this in spirit, but think there are at least two important exceptions: First, what works for you now -- especially if you're a beginner -- might interfere with your ability to improve later. Second, what works for you now might risk injury in the long term, such as fretting or plucking with severely bent wrists. So I agree with you that is no single "right way" -- but I think there really are some "wrong" ways.

That said, I don't see anything about this particular picking technique that makes it "wrong" (i.e., potentially harmful in the long run). It's not typical or standard, but it seems to work well for that particular kind of sound.
 
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#17
I think it's very useful to experiment with pick thickness, materials and picking techniques. I've been using .60mm Tortex and picking "through the string" when I want an aggressive and bright sound, something I learned from watching Mark Hoppus from Blink 182. For a more punchy and heavy sound, I use 1.14mm Tortex, which is perfect for Metallica, Black Sabbath etc (I think Jason Newsted used those). I use 1.9mm Clayton Acetal and a softer "plucking" technique when I want a more mellow motown sound without the typical pick attack, making it sound almost like fingers, just more defined. Also, where you pick the strings (close to the bridge, neck, right over pickups etc) makes a big impact on the sound.
 
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#18
F3483120-E427-4264-9B57-DEC6260F64A4.jpeg
5CD79738-FE78-49C6-B699-068B178EFFEC.jpeg


Picking techniques vary between different players.
Check out the differences between Carol Kaye, Mark Hoppus and Bobby Vega.
Different players, different techniques, all get the message across in their music.

As seen above, I like Dunlop 1mm and felt picks. Two very different pick sounds.
 
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#19
I like really thick Gravity picks when I use a pick. I can’t play surf music well with fingers. Also power pop just sounds more right with a pick. The major issue I have with a pick is muting adjacent strings. It’s something I just do naturally finger style. I have to work at it more with a pick.
 

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