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Would picking effect your decision?

B

Bathead

Mar 14, 2008
57
0
#1
Say that you were in a band with you as the guitarist theres a drummer and a vocalist or whatever ... so your looking for a bassist you find one and have them play for you just to check em out.... *you look closely while he/she is playin* EGAD! He's using a pick OMG......

anyway...... if you were NOT a bassist and you were looking for one if she was using a pick would you not let her in the band? This is just a weird question I have because I always see people bashing people who use picks......:hmm:
 
#4
Well, I don't what I would do, but some guitards have ask me to pay in their bands and they have always asked if I use pick or fingers, because if I'd pick they wouldn't let me in.
I think one should master fingerstyle and pick as two techniques that will broaden your overall playing.
 
#6
If pickstyle fits the music and someone STILL has a problem because you're using a pick, they are an idiot and you should move on and not waste your time with them. If the music calls for the sound of fingerstyle, then by all means use your fingers. You SHOULD know how to do both. But yeah, the fact that there's still anybody out there in this day and age that thinks pickstyle on bass is "wrong" is just absurd--they've clearly been living under a rock somewhere for the last 30 years.
 
#8
I auditioned for a band once....they sort of raised their eyebrows and said "you use a pick". I then exsplained to them that on the 10 songs or so they had me learn for audition the bassist was using a pick. Never came up again.

I played guitar for 25 years before joining a band on bass......and that was a KISS Trib....so I never really learned fingerstyle.

I have tried....in fact when I play at home I rarely use a pick. However when playing live I cannot get through a whole song with my fingers. I think it is all mental but that pick must be like Linus's Blanket to me.

Besides:

Gene Simmons
Mel Schacher
Cliff Williams
Paul McCartney
Leon Wilkeson
Phil Lynott
Roger Glover
Ian Hill
Pete Agnew
Felix Pappalardi
Nikki Sixx
Jason Newstead
Roger Waters
Lemmy
Chris Squire
Duff
Mike Dirnt
Tom Peterson

All use a pick and are fairly succesful. I can add more if that is not enough.
 
#10
Bathead said:
anyway...... if you were NOT a bassist and you were looking for one if she was using a pick would you not let her in the band? This is just a weird question I have because I always see people bashing people who use picks......:hmm:
Click to expand...
I would not discriminate against pickstyle and fingerstyle bassist.

But if the basslines for my project require fingerstyle elements like slapping, popping and 2 finger tapping and the auditionee can not reproduce the sounds I want using his chosen method (ie, a pick) then yes, I need to find a fingerstyle player.
 
#12
Tone can always be adjusted so you can't hear the pick out in the mix.

I've always used a pick and sounded fine wherever we played. I could always hear myself better on stage.

I've been practicing a bit of pop/slap/tap and obviously can't do that with a pick.

Whatever fits the music.
 
#13
If they could only play pick, yes. The people on that list aren't exclusive pick players. Picks can sound awesome, but when I hear it I think punk/pop/modern rock.

If the guitarist could only play with a pick I would also be disappointed. It just takes practice, why not learn to do both and expand your abilities?
 
#15
Bathead said:
Say that you were in a band with you as the guitarist theres a drummer and a vocalist or whatever ... so your looking for a bassist you find one and have them play for you just to check em out.... *you look closely while he/she is playin* EGAD! He's using a pick OMG......

anyway...... if you were NOT a bassist and you were looking for one if she was using a pick would you not let her in the band? This is just a weird question I have because I always see people bashing people who use picks......:hmm:
Click to expand...

Why does this continue to come up - over and over again, ad nauseam? :hmm:

It's almost a complete non-issue. The issue is whether the bassist can really play - not how the bassist plays. If she/he can really groove - trust me: no one is going to be staring at the bassist's fingers, and no one is going to care how she/he gets that magic sound. And anyone who does is a complete dillweed... :eyebrow:

MM
 
#16
Bass Instincts is why many producers prefer fingerstyle UNLESS the tonality calls for a pick. Best suggestion I've read hear is to learn finger, pick,slap and thumb plucking...

As my mother taught me: "There's a place for everything and everything in it's place!"
 
#17
It's important to practice as many techniques as are required to play the genres of music the player desires to play. I wouldn't hire a pick player if that's all he could do. That said, a fingerstyle player who can't pick, slap, and thumbstyle muted has no place in my band either. Basically I wouldn't hire anybody who couldn't do everything I can do and probably a lot more.
 
#19
i think its probably other musicians that feel that bass players must use fingerstlye. anyone who actually pays any attention to bassists will know that picking has its merits.

if it were a reggae band then picking probably wouldnt be apropriate, but if you can get the right sound it shouldnt matter (maybe flatwounds and a pick could work for reggae). i agree that a bassist should be able to use both. picking isnt usually used for some styles (reggae, funk ect) and fingerstyle isnt that common in some punk and more agressive styles.
slap can get alot more presence and attack than fingerstyle and be similar to picking (probably more attack than picking) , but it doesnt work to play some styles/bass lines.
 

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