Fingers versus picks...

[SubsonicAssault]

I know that http://www.talkbass.com has probably beaten this topic to death, but I'd like to know from this pre-dominantly left handed bass community how they prefer to play their basses...and why. (intentionally left broad/vague to promote spontaniety in your responses).

SPEAK UP SOUTHPAWS!

I prefer to play with fingers...for some odd reason I feel WAY more locked into the groove of a song (be it playing along to a cd or playing with a band) when I play with my fingers, though I do prefer the tone of using a pick more...I'm still trying to find a pickup that can allow me to convey a "pick" tone using my fingers...I am satisfied so far with what my Traben can do as far as that is concerned. I also tend to be more inspired by fingerstyle players (can we say Steve Harris?!?!?!) than pick players, though I have pretty much equal respect for either type of player. What do you all think?

[andrew]

I'm a pick player. I started with fingers and played that way for a few years but ultimately the style of music and bass sound I gravitated to most tended to be pick players, so I took the plunge and became a dedicated pick user.

I'm a real sucker for the sound of a pick on a passive bass with a slightly gnarly amp tone. Bands like Shellac, Jesus Lizard, Jawbox, and Jane's Addiction all have that style of tone (though each in different ways) that I like.

[pjmuck]

I am predominantly a finger player, though I do play with a pick on certain songs. There are things that are simply easier to do with a pick (like staccato palm muting), and producers and engineers love how the attack and evenness of a picked bass line records. But I agree, playing fingerstyle for4 me just makes me feel more connected to my instrument. More organic.

I really don't understand why this topic is worthy of such debate on other forums, as if it's a terrible thing to play with a pick. Tell that to McCartney, Chris Squire, or Steve Swallow. The bottom line should be that the ultimate goal is to make music, and there are many roads to lead to that end result. Why should anyone care, let alone look down upon, someone's preferred playing style. To quote a now out-of-date catch phrase: just get 'er done!

[SubsonicAssault]

...actually...in one of my first band's songs, I played my guitar with a screwdriver, but only for ONE part... (and yes, I know Tom Morello has used an assortment of items on his guitar during his performances)

[AustinLeftyBass]

In 30+ years of bass playing I've never played a song without a pick.
Why? Because I like the sound.

[MysticBoo]

I mix it up. I'm primarily a pickstyle player, but I still love playing with my fingers.

I've grown up with a fondness for both styles, but the biggest influences on my sound (and inspirations for playing bass) are pickstyle punk and metal bassists: Justin Chancellor, David Ellefson, Klaus Flouride, Matt Freeman, etc.

So far, I've played all the songs in my current band with a pick, but I've been experimenting with a fingerstyle approach for a few songs during my own practice sessions. I'll be messing with it further when we record my basslines soon ,although I suspect only one or two songs might see some fingerstyle action.

[Lefty007]

I do about 75% fingers, 25% pick. But somedays I might do a whole show with just pick, or viceversa.

I think because I started on guitar, I have really good timing playing with a pick, and I also like the sound when playing palm-muted.

Bobby Vega is one of my favorites, so I really try to emulate him. I often get bass players come to me after the gig commenting, "man, I've never seen such funky playing on bass with a pick. How do you do that?"

I'm very proud of being a pick player.

[Lefty Jack]

I play finger style 100%. It may sound stupid but I feel more "connected" to my bass that way.

[SubsonicAssault]

I agree 110%.

[southpaw]

75% finger. . . 25% pick. Somes songs sound better played with a pick.

[Assumer]

95% fingers 5% pick. Love the sound of the pick on certain songs.

[amos]

75% finger. . . 25% pick. Somes songs sound better played with a pick.

+1

I switch between songs between finger and pick; I like Nate Mendel of Foo Fighters idea of using a bass EQ pedal to cut some lows when you switch to finger style.

[andrew]

Nate Mendel is predominately a pick player. If you want to hear just how good Nate's bass playing really is check out the first two records by his pre-Foo band Sunny Day Real Estate. I find he's very reserved in his playing in the Foos but in SDRE he wrote great basslines that balanced melody and rhythm and he had great tone too.

[amos]

Nate Mendel is predominately a pick player. If you want to hear just how good Nate's bass playing really is check out the first two records by his pre-Foo band Sunny Day Real Estate. I find he's very reserved in his playing in the Foos but in SDRE he wrote great basslines that balanced melody and rhythm and he had great tone too.

+1 Nate Mendel is pretty uninteresting in the Foo Fighters context but I totally agree about SDRE.

[mcnaughty]

I just started using a pick about 6 months ago and I am starting to become comfortable with it. I was always partial to finger style I think mainly because I couldn't get a pick to work right for me for the longest time. But I've been really working hard at it lately and I do love it for some things. There are just certain sounds you can only get with a pick. It has a unique attack. Sometimes I find I can kind of scrape the strings right before it pops across and it gives a sort of "SHHHHJJJIHHHHIIINNNG" sound like you hear in a Tool bassline for example.

[Vandelay]

I'm pretty comfortable with both, and I'll play whichever seems to give me the right "feel" for a given song. I was a guitar player for many years before switching to bass, so I started on bass as 100% pick. I later made the switch to about 90% fingerstyle because my current band plays R&B/funk/smooth jazz, but I occasionally switch back to pick for a song that gives me trouble with fingerstyle.

[odysseios]

I am a J. Jamerson fan and i use the fingers (index and middle, sometimes the thumb) on my P with Labella flat 52-110 with nearly always the tone off.
I play the 99% of the tracks in my U2 cover band in fingerstyle, even all those in wich Adam Clayton uses the pick, i.e. "Sunday bloody sunday".
When i try to play this song holding the pick, my hand is taken by cramps!

[Basshappi]

At this point (30 years of playing bass) I am 100% fingerstyle. I'm still wrestling with pickstyle. This is due mostly to the structure of my left hand which has always made grasping a pick very uncomfortable, but I keep trying.

Fingers, thumbs, picks, funk fingers, IMHO it's all good. Playing an instrument is about self expression. Whatever technique a musician uses to convey that is a-okay in my book!

[baalroo]

I play about 50/50 and often switch between the two mid-song (I play post-rock with some very extreme dynamic and style changes within single songs). When I play with a pick I use extremely thick, big "triangle" style picks (basically each corner comes to the point that you pick with). I also fluctuate between VERY tight grip and a loose grip on the pick to get even more variation. When I'm not playing with the pick I either A) hold it between my teeth B) curl it up in my left pinky C) slip it between the pickguard and body.

[pjmuck]

Hey, anybody remember felt picks? before I learned to play fingerstyle, I started out as a pick player and wanted a sound closer to fingerstyle so I used felt picks. What a mess they were. By the end of a set, you'd have felt fuzz particles all over your pickguard, strings, etc. And they'd wear down to nothing pretty quickly too.

As for you 100% fingerstyle players, does anyone employ their fingernails to add more attack and bite to your attack like a pick? I've always wanted to be that kind of player, but my nails have never been strong enough and I prefer to keep my nails short because they sometimes accidentally snag on the strings. But the nice thing about being a fingerstyle player with strong nails is you can get the best of both worlds depending on how you pluck the string without having to use a pick.