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when someone asks you to try playing with a pick....

#122
jeffbonny said:
Fair enough but if I were looking for a sub I wouldn't call anyone who just said what you did. My fundamental opinion is you're either serving the music as best you can or you're not and whether or not the gig pays has very little to do with that.

For all you guys who think getting paid makes a difference I'm wondering when you think you're going to get experience going with what the composer wants even when it's not your first inclination? Settling into something that doesn't feel natural and doing it quickly in a solidly musical way isn't something that you can do without a certain mindset....and the "I'M CALLING THE SHOTS" attitude ain't it.

I get it that there are bossy no talent leader/writers out there...I've played with more than one of them. But if you don't respect the composer enough to go with what he wants why are you wasting your time playing with him? Don't bitch about it, just walk away.
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That is way cool.
I will NOT lose any sleep at the realization that I have passed up on such a lucrative opportunity as doing everything YOUR way for zilch.
 
#123
jeffbonny said:
When exactly do you expect to get offered to be "well paid" to play with a pick when you won't demonstrate willingness or ability to actually play with a pick? My first thought here was if you can play extremely well with a pick then what's the problem? This whole "I'm not getting paid so I call the shots" attitude is not really how it works if you're trying to move into better paying gigs. Demonstrating the ability to give the composer what he's hearing is.

I recently got asked not to use a pick for a thus far non-paying gig and I complied without argument. The leader knows what he wants to hear for the songs he wrote and I respect that. His last three bands have toured as support for arena acts and one even made a few bucks. Just because you're not getting paid right now doesn't mean it isn't a wise investment in the future to respect and serve the composer's vision of his music. The more versatile and easy to work with you are the more paying gigs you'll get.
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Right here is the attitude of a professional. OP if this is so tough for you DON'T DO IT! You are the kind of person who approaches everything from an emotional angle and you take little things as personal insults.

Your options:
1:Try what they want
2:Leave

It's that simple.
 
#124
I originally began playing bass with a pick except it was a fat felt ukulele pick. I filed it down to the size of a guitar pick. Since I was a converted (and lousy) guitar player it came natural to me and gave me the fingerish sound. Won't help you because I assume they want the plastic attack. Then converted to fingers and haven't looked back.

Agree with Dr Improbable on your options
 
#125
My Artistic Creativity can beat up your Artistic Vision.:D

IMO if the BL is looking for a certain style of playing,
then the bassist should say "Sure , no prob"
or "let me practice on it for a few days to see if I can get it to work,"
or "sorry, I think your project needs a specialist in that style. Here's a couple numbers of some folks who may be a good fit."

I can do some slapping, but if someone approached me for a show doing a full night's worth, I'd have to back out gracefully.
 
#127
I say go for it, only for the reason of getting better at playing with a pick. Since, that other guy is the one putting all the input and not paying anything, you can simply walk away guilt-free whenever you feel like it. So, at the end of the day, you'll have more experience.

By the way, I like how the Fender medium picks sound on bass. They give you a crystal clear tone and they fit nicely between the pickguard and the body of the bass when you're not using them.
 
#128
I've been working on it and gave myself "bass homework" involving bassists I like, who play with a pick. I emailed the guitarist and said that I could see it working for some of the songs and that I'll try switching things up a bit at the next rehearsal and see what happens. I think I just have to be patient with myself and flexible and not get thrown into this panic that I'm in another controlling band situation...because maybe this is just another opportunity and not as scary as it seems.
 
#130
Dr Improbable said:
Right here is the attitude of a professional. OP if this is so tough for you DON'T DO IT! You are the kind of person who approaches everything from an emotional angle and you take little things as personal insults.

Your options:
1:Try what they want
2:Leave

It's that simple.
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You've left out "convince them to let me play with my fingers" which is what i probably would've done. Everything is negotiable :)
I am not against pick playing, and i totally see wanting to nail the composers vision, but i simply think people that want a "pick sound" usually don't even know what they are talking about and couldn't tell the difference if i turned my back to them. It's such a nit picky little ******** thing.
 
#131
hernameisrio said:
I've been working on it and gave myself "bass homework" involving bassists I like, who play with a pick. I emailed the guitarist and said that I could see it working for some of the songs and that I'll try switching things up a bit at the next rehearsal and see what happens. I think I just have to be patient with myself and flexible and not get thrown into this panic that I'm in another controlling band situation...because maybe this is just another opportunity and not as scary as it seems.
Click to expand...

Now that's the professional attitude we like to see.

I usually take an assortment of picks to use.
Plenty of 'pick tricks' to choose from.
 
#135
There's an absolutely huge assortment of picks on the market, different shapes, sizes, and materials.
I used to use sharkfin picks, they're a bit hard to get around here,
but the scalloped edge allowed me to pull secondary harmonics with ease.
Brass picks, wood and horn, stainless steel and acrylic ones, rubber and felt, finger & thumb picks.
when I was a kid, even read about a pick with a little mic in it.
(I usually use the rounded triangular ones, at around 1.5mm)
 
#137
I usually use the yellow Dunlop Tortex picks. I began using them because that is what I use to play guitar. I have found them to work well for my bass style, because I can get a sound similar to finger style if I play somewhat lightly. If I dig in a little I can get a nice click sound from my attack. I can get a pretty nice variety of tones from my rig without touching any knobs just by adjusting my attack.
 
#140
I've gone through a ridiculous number of picks. For while I settled on the Dunlop Tortex picks in yellow. More recently? When I got more seriously back into pick playing about 5 or 6 years ago, I picked up some Fender Mediums. Those were okay. But I found that I needed something a little thicker, because I felt a little too much give with the Mediums . So I upgraded to the Fender Heavy picks. They're cheap. They're plentiful. And for me, they work.
 

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