Fingerstyle or Plec? Or both?

[The Funk]

[quote name='Russ' post='37252' date='Jul 26 2007, 11:39 AM']Having good pick technique is just another tool in your arsenal, another set of tones with another set of possibilities.[/quote]

I think most of us fingerstyle snobs are coming to realise this now. There was a time when I equated pick-players to sloppy root-note players with bad rhythm whose hairstyles and posture were more interesting than their bass lines.

[jase00]

I'm all fingers and thumbs

[Rich]

Fingers for the vast majority, a wee bit of slap and one song with a pick

[Buzz]

Started with picks, moved to fingerstyle, now do a bit of both.

Same for guitar as well.

[lukeward2004]

Fingers and Thumbs for me - I like to feel a "connection" to my instrument!

[SJA]

both, depending on the tone needed. mostly fingerstyle.

I can get a cutting rock tone fingerstyle, but a pick gives a cleaner tone- less string-fret contact.

when practicing I like to try a bassline I usually play fingerstyle with a pick instead, and vice versa, which improves cross-picking and precision, er, preciseness of picking.

[losendos]

97% Fingers............ 3% for a couple of Marillion tracks I play which dictate the sound.

[thedontcarebear]

I played in a very varied band, so both, fingers when I can though.

[funkysimon]

Fingerstyle on bass, mainly pick on guitar with occasional fingerstyle there too. I love the sound of pick 'n' bass though, and keep having the urge to buy a plectrum and a rickenbacker bass and join a rock band.

[Adee]

[quote name='funkysimon' post='37884' date='Jul 27 2007, 04:13 PM']keep having the urge to buy a plectrum and a rickenbacker bass and join a rock band.[/quote]

Funnily enough I use a pick (Jim Dunlop 2mm Fat Stubby) and a Rickenbacker 4003 !


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[Tait]

all depends on what song i'm playing

[tempo]

When I first took up bass (about 14 months ago) I felt comfortable with fingers straight away, even though I'd been playing guitar (electric & classical) for 15 years. And although I can still play guitar both ways, I can't get used to a pick on bass. Probably 'cos I moved onto 6&7 strings, and have developed the "floating thumb" technique.

[Rayman]

Well I've got to take my vote back. I've ended up using a plec for the first time in about 10 years on a new song in the set. It sounds so much better with a plec, and to be honest, I've enjoyed the feel of it again, so I guess I'm now "pluck and plec" guy too.

[bnt]

Almost all fingers, though I do keep a few plecs around to play with. I find that I can get a plec-ish tone if I hammer on the strings a bit, especially when I've forgotten to trim my nails.

[BigRedX]

Finger or plectrum depending on what feels/sounds best for the song. It's fingers only on the fretless and mainly plectrum on the fretted. I've done songs in the past where I've used both in the same song - my Overwater's Schaller bridge is excellent for holding the plectrum in place while I'm using my fingers.

Also from my guitar playing I've learned that the type of pick used is just as important as whether or not I use one. For live use I tend to stick with Herco Flex 75s as they give me the right sound in that situation. However when recording I'll try some of my thinner and harder guitar picks to see if they work better.

[King of Loss]

95% of the time I use my fingers. If I need a picky sound for certain parts of songs I just use my nails, but if I need that sound throughout say, 3 or 4 songs worth of stuff, I use a pick. Wouldn't want to break a nail!

[Marcus]

I do get that for some songs a pick is going to sound right and drive the band along, however.... I just can't bring myself to use one....... I've just got this thing in my head that says... Guitar = Pick Bass = Fingers and I can't shake it !!

[rhino]

Fingerstyle all the time - varying which finger(s) to use and where to pluck the string.


Plectrum players usually sound like Joe Loss's Band, Arthur Greenslade & The G Men, or any Mecca hous eband.

Notable exceptions? Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne, John Paul Jones and Jim Rodford.



Rhino.