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Would you have caved in & used a pick?

#141
Butch Bobcat said:
I'd like to hear some opinions from fellow bassists on whether it matters to you that a bassist uses a pick in a cover band when the original bassist recorded with a pick.

To start at the end, I've washed my hands of the mainly 90's cover band I played bass in. The reason stemmed from me not wanting to use a pick because I found the tone that I, like all of us, have sought after.

Okay, so I was in a cover, not tribute band. I feel that gives me more liberties to not have the exact tone as the original bands.

The guitarist & singer argued that we don't play songs that we used to like In Bloom, Killing in the Name, or Song 2 because me picking with my fingers makes the songs "sound like s#&t" even though they take liberties of their own in the music. When I tell them that they & the 2 purist musicians in the audience are the only people that will care that the tone isn't exactly like the original recording.

Ultimately, I decided to leave the band after hanging out the other night for the first time since the lockdown started because of things like being told that my knowledge is inferior to the guitarist because of his master's degree in music. Also that I'm ignorant to what the music needs to be & sound like. There's plenty more drunkardly trash talking & belittling of my abilities that I won't get into. I will however say that for over an hour of this argument, I was literally not able to finish a single point I was trying to make before getting interrupted.

I know this was long winded, but with all the BS aside, what are your opinions on using a pick or fingers in a situation like this?
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I would have used a pick, but then again I try to get close to the original tone/style of the song so I use a pick a lot anyway. You do what the song calls for. If you were in a funk band would you not slap because you don’t like the tone?

You’re right that maybe 2 people in the audience would notice, so I think both parties made a bigger deal out of it than it needed to be.
 
#143
I didn’t read 7 pages of opinions, so this has probably already been said: the problem wasn’t pick vs. fingers, it was their attitude towards you. That was reason enough to quit.

I personally don’t have strong feelings re: pick vs fingers, and probably would’ve tried using a pick (or take other suggestions), as long as these suggestions were respectful and there was no drama for me rejecting the suggestions. I believe in serving the song/music, not anyone’s ego (including my own). There are also fingerstyle alternatives to using picks (nails) that could work just fine.
 
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#145
the audience won't know the difference between pick and finger picking...it's all just low boom to them. If it were me, I'd tell the singer and guitarist to tend their own musical garden and leave it at that. They'll eventually pipe down. And if they are just whiny little bitches then it might be time for you to take your show on the road.
 
#146
Biggbass said:
the audience won't know the difference between pick and finger picking...it's all just low boom to them. If it were me, I'd tell the singer and guitarist to tend their own musical garden and leave it at that. They'll eventually pipe down. And if they are just whiny little bitches then it might be time for you to take your show on the road.
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Consciously they may not know, but subconsciously they will know it feels different. Frankly, I wouldn't whine about being asked to use a pick for a few songs. But in my world, if I don't do it, there's another guy who will and 3 more who look just like him.
 
#149
I don't use a pick and wouldn't be in a band with people who demanded it. "Joe public" won't notice the difference when playing out. Also, I don't use pedals to color my sound...which I've been asked to do in the past Once again, my preference.
 
#152
Butch Bobcat said:
being told that my knowledge is inferior to the guitarist because of his master's degree in music.
Click to expand...
I left a band last year that the guitarist had a masters in music from a prestigious college. She drove us all batpoopie crazy cause she couldn't play Mustang Sally without written music. She refused to buy an ipad, and spent half of each rehearsal finding music. She also couldn't 'stretch out' and just flow with the music. Music has rules, you know, you don't just enter into it out of sheer folly!
 
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#159
Butch Bobcat said:
I'd like to hear some opinions from fellow bassists on whether it matters to you that a bassist uses a pick in a cover band when the original bassist recorded with a pick.

To start at the end, I've washed my hands of the mainly 90's cover band I played bass in. The reason stemmed from me not wanting to use a pick because I found the tone that I, like all of us, have sought after.

Okay, so I was in a cover, not tribute band. I feel that gives me more liberties to not have the exact tone as the original bands.

The guitarist & singer argued that we don't play songs that we used to like In Bloom, Killing in the Name, or Song 2 because me picking with my fingers makes the songs "sound like s#&t" even though they take liberties of their own in the music. When I tell them that they & the 2 purist musicians in the audience are the only people that will care that the tone isn't exactly like the original recording.

Ultimately, I decided to leave the band after hanging out the other night for the first time since the lockdown started because of things like being told that my knowledge is inferior to the guitarist because of his master's degree in music. Also that I'm ignorant to what the music needs to be & sound like. There's plenty more drunkardly trash talking & belittling of my abilities that I won't get into. I will however say that for over an hour of this argument, I was literally not able to finish a single point I was trying to make before getting interrupted.

I know this was long winded, but with all the BS aside, what are your opinions on using a pick or fingers in a situation like this?
Click to expand...

Been there and was fired. Here's the deal, there's something else up if they are concentrating on your fingers vs pick. Maybe they are compensating for their own playing by focusing on yours? Maybe your technique in general needs some more refinement? Maybe they are just jerks?

Like I said, I've been in your shoes and was fired for refusing to use a pick. Now, I'm in a much more successful band, that plays the same exact genre you mentioned and I still play 95% with fingers. Yes, I do use a pick on occasion, but only for chord songs (Sabotage by Beastie Boys) or to save the fingers on a straight 8th note 5-minute endurance run (Rebel Yell - Billy Idol). Blur, Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Smashing Pumpkins, etc. are all fingers. I often get compliments from the audience on my aggressive, driving playing. No audience member has ever said, "You should have used a pick on that tune."

One more thought: Are you playing clean or fuzz/overdriven? In order to help cut through the mix (which is essentially what a pick helps with) I use a light touch on the overdrive and keep the pickups 50/50 between bridge and neck. A brighter, clean tone is often counter-intuitive to rock bassists, but essential for being heard distinctly. What works alone in the woodshed or even in the studio doesn't always work at high volume live.
 
#160
Butch Bobcat said:
I'd like to hear some opinions from fellow bassists on whether it matters to you that a bassist uses a pick in a cover band when the original bassist recorded with a pick.

To start at the end, I've washed my hands of the mainly 90's cover band I played bass in. The reason stemmed from me not wanting to use a pick because I found the tone that I, like all of us, have sought after.

Okay, so I was in a cover, not tribute band. I feel that gives me more liberties to not have the exact tone as the original bands.

The guitarist & singer argued that we don't play songs that we used to like In Bloom, Killing in the Name, or Song 2 because me picking with my fingers makes the songs "sound like s#&t" even though they take liberties of their own in the music. When I tell them that they & the 2 purist musicians in the audience are the only people that will care that the tone isn't exactly like the original recording.

Ultimately, I decided to leave the band after hanging out the other night for the first time since the lockdown started because of things like being told that my knowledge is inferior to the guitarist because of his master's degree in music. Also that I'm ignorant to what the music needs to be & sound like. There's plenty more drunkardly trash talking & belittling of my abilities that I won't get into. I will however say that for over an hour of this argument, I was literally not able to finish a single point I was trying to make before getting interrupted.

I know this was long winded, but with all the BS aside, what are your opinions on using a pick or fingers in a situation like this?
Click to expand...

If it's something I can play with a pick, sure. If it's something like the tail end of Release Release, my string-crossing abilities with a pick aren't up to that challenge and I'll use fingers (and still screw it up). It's good to have both pick skills and finger skills, and, I reckon, some thumb skills and some competency with Entwistle's typewriter hammering. Having options never hurts. I'll add that there is a magical length of finger nail that sounds like I'm using a pick anyway, so unless they're facing me it can be a challenge to tell what I'm using.

John
 

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