Fingers and or pick ( that old chestnut )

[dmccombe7]

Today i finally managed to nail the one song that i struggled with using a pick. Reasonablly happy with it but it will never replace the feel of using my fingers.

I did take on board the Bobby Vega clip above where he explains his use of the pick and keeping the wrist flexible and use a light touch. Also not to think too much about the technique and just go with it. That worked out to be so true for me. When i just went for it the song fell into place.

Just wish i had a rehearsal to play it with the band 😂 

Dave

[Cuzzie]

Good man

 

the world of pick welcomes you!

[4000]

I play mostly pick and naturally play sooooooo much lighter than most (all?) of the players posted, except when I’m purposefully hitting harder. Speed is absolutely the easiest thing to achieve if you play lightly. Look at most shred guitarists; they’re no different physically, so you should absolutely be able to achieve that level of picking technique and control - allowing for heavier strings and greater distances to travel - if you practice. 

[P-Belly Evans]

On 04/03/2021 at 19:05, Cuzzie said:

Good man

 

the world of pick welcomes you!

Indeed it does 😁😁😁. Apologies for the tapping😂😂

 

 

[dmccombe7]

11 hours ago, P-Belly Evans said:

Indeed it does 😁😁😁. Apologies for the tapping😂😂

 

 

Aye he's no too bad that young fella.😂

He did some of the Mesa Subway cab demos too.

Dave

Edited March 7, 2021 by dmccombe7

[Cuzzie]

Just think how good he could be if he used Dava picks like us 

[P-Belly Evans]

27 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Just think how good he could be if he used Dava picks like us 

😂😂

The thickness of those bad boys, you may as well use the corner of a tile 😂😂😂. I will stick to my .73 nylon Dunlops. What's good for Mr Vega.......... 

[steve-bbb]

[Cuzzie]

15 minutes ago, P-Belly Evans said:

😂😂

The thickness of those bad boys, you may as well use the corner of a tile 😂😂😂. I will stick to my .73 nylon Dunlops. What's good for Mr Vega.......... 

 

what these ones? They do a range 😉

[P-Belly Evans]

15 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

 

what these ones? They do a range 😉

Ha ha. Should have known that. I just saw the picture of that really fat one earlier in the thread. My bad 😎. 

[stonevibe]

I'm a guitar player and so after 35 years of playing with a pick, I the play bass with one as well. I'd suggest that the Dunlop John Petrucci picks are very good on a bass.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dunlop-Petrucci-Signature-1-50mm-Plectrums/dp/B00FFZ5F14/ref=sr_1_5?crid=3IYKANNPVFTPU&dchild=1&keywords=dunlop+john+petrucci+picks&qid=1615650228&sprefix=dunlop+John+%2Caps%2C172&sr=8-5

Also, for me all the muting comes from the palm and the fretting hand on both instruments, so I have no issues with muting. You have to mute one guitar when playing at gig volumes and so you learn the technique pretty quickly and it translates to bass very well.

Another tip I have found useful and a few of my bass player mates have now benefited from, is the 'upward pick slant' technique, which if you Google Troy Grady or do a YouTube search, you will find plenty of useful videos on. It just helps with consistency and stops your picking hand getting caught up one strings when you string skip or if you want to play fast.

Anyway, hope that helps any player that find plectrums awkward.

 

[Munurmunuh]

When I played the guitar, I had the ridge of my palm planted on the bridge, able to mute all six strings at once. When attempted to transfer this technique to bass, my hand simply wasn't big enough. Also, on the guitar, I could pick the six strings individually without moving the wrist, but on the bass to get from the top string to the bottom string I have to move my whole hand/wrist/forearm. Finally, even if I had been able transfer this technique, it was all about opening / closing / partially closing the resonance of all the strings at once - no good on bass, where I want one string totally open and the rest totally muted. So despite experience on guitar, once I used a pick on bass, I had to work out a totally fresh technique. Which meant a while of sounding *awful*

[stonevibe]

I find my picking hand mutes the lower strings, as the side of my palm rests across them and my fretting hand mutes the upper string naturally. Though, I'm pretty tall and my hands are fairly large, but I'm not sure if that makes all that much difference.

 

 

[BassAdder60]

Just got some  Dava picks and I’m really impressed with them 

Will use them for now me thinks 👍

[4000]

10 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

When I played the guitar, I had the ridge of my palm planted on the bridge, able to mute all six strings at once. When attempted to transfer this technique to bass, my hand simply wasn't big enough. Also, on the guitar, I could pick the six strings individually without moving the wrist, but on the bass to get from the top string to the bottom string I have to move my whole hand/wrist/forearm. Finally, even if I had been able transfer this technique, it was all about opening / closing / partially closing the resonance of all the strings at once - no good on bass, where I want one string totally open and the rest totally muted. So despite experience on guitar, once I used a pick on bass, I had to work out a totally fresh technique. Which meant a while of sounding *awful*

This is one of the reasons I prefer narrow string spacing, even on 4s (16.5 mm). But as for ‘a while of sounding awful’, isn’t this pretty much the case learning any new technique or instrument? 

FWIW I think many bassists seem to approach pick playing with the wrong mindset, thinking they’re going to struggle in some way before they’ve even started. Give it time and practice, and relax. 😉

[Munurmunuh]

Because my hand is not large (except my thumbs - my saviour on piano but totally useless on bass) I have to shift my hand to a new position every time I move string. For example, when playing the D string, the bottom knuckle of little finger gently nestles between the E and A string.

Getting this second nature is slooow process, but the lack of easy flexibility means that I'm evolving a totally different style when playing with a pick rather than fingers, which is turning out to be an enjoyable thing: no unnecessary bouncing around the strings, not so many notes, but a more consistent tone. A bit more regal 👑

[Cuzzie]

So for muting all strings I don’t have a closed hand, my little finger stays pretty straight, becomes an extension of the palm and spits a very long palm/finger bridge 

Thats just me

[stonevibe]

You guys all have some really interesting insights into this and it's nice to hear what you all do/struggle with. I'm just a luddite guitarist, that needs to record and play bass and so good to find out from 'real' bass players what they are doing.

I found that having a slightly loose grip with plectrums also helped me as a guitarist and that seems to translate well to the bass as well. So don't be too rigid and relax into it.

[Munurmunuh]

3 minutes ago, 4000 said:

This is one of the reasons I prefer narrow string spacing, even on 4s (16.5 mm).

I would love more narrow spacing options for a 4 string, but I understand why manufacturers shy away from offering them - different size bridges and pickups cost £££.

I found that when playing fingers, placing my right hand any closer to the bridge than the neck pickup requires too much stretching to be comfortable, so the nice thing about the picking technique I've settled on is that I can do it right down by the bridge. Nice to get that variety back.

[Cuzzie]

3 minutes ago, stonevibe said:

You guys all have some really interesting insights into this and it's nice to hear what you all do/struggle with. I'm just a luddite guitarist, that needs to record and play bass and so good to find out from 'real' bass players what they are doing.

I found that having a slightly loose grip with plectrums also helped me as a guitarist and that seems to translate well to the bass as well. So don't be too rigid and relax into it.

Yep - I have a loose pinch as well tips of thumb and index not against the side of the index finger.

Part of it is born from how I play standing which is low slung, straighter arm as if I bend my elbow my nerve gets pressured and my little finger goes numb

 

 

[dmccombe7]

Oddly enough i find my little finger and edge of my palm muting the strings automatically as and when required. Also finding that i use that "slanted pick" thing without thinking about it and i haven't used a pick since 78.

I do occassionally use my index finger as a pick so maybe its all just rubbing off from that.

Even tho i bought the picks i'm not really happy with the sound they give me so i need to adjust my EQ to accomodate plus i'm getting an awful lot of fret noise with a pick but i keep my string height quite low but i wont be adjusting the height and will try and lighten my pick strength.

Dave

[Cuzzie]

1 minute ago, dmccombe7 said:

Oddly enough i find my little finger and edge of my palm muting the strings automatically as and when required. Also finding that i use that "slanted pick" thing without thinking about it and i haven't used a pick since 78.

I do occassionally use my index finger as a pick so maybe its all just rubbing off from that.

Even tho i bought the picks i'm not really happy with the sound they give me so i need to adjust my EQ to accomodate plus i'm getting an awful lot of fret noise with a pick but i keep my string height quite low but i wont be adjusting the height and will try and lighten my pick strength.

Dave

That happens - I don’t worry too much snout fret noise, when U r back playing with the band it may make no difference or add to the sound!

[BoomTing]

On 27/02/2021 at 15:47, Cuzzie said:

Not necessarily - there are some things you can’t quite get with a pick that fingers do, but also the same the other way round too - it’s just a different technique

Check out Bobby Vega, Cody Wright, Glenn Hughes, Dave Ellefson to name a few - they play super clean and complicated bass lines

Might be nice to add Colin Hodgkinson, John Gustafson, Carles Benavent & Joe Osbourn to the list

[StickyDBRmf]

Yes. By all means. I've even tried finger-picks, thumb-picks, and the Tony Levin Funk Fingers (how has no one mentioned that?) But mostly fingers 'cause in real-life situations the pick flys out of my hand and I'm stuck with my fingers again anyway. Plus you can't pick your nose with a pick in it. 

[4000]

1 hour ago, dmccombe7 said:

Oddly enough i find my little finger and edge of my palm muting the strings automatically as and when required. Also finding that i use that "slanted pick" thing without thinking about it and i haven't used a pick since 78.

I do occassionally use my index finger as a pick so maybe its all just rubbing off from that.

Even tho i bought the picks i'm not really happy with the sound they give me so i need to adjust my EQ to accomodate plus i'm getting an awful lot of fret noise with a pick but i keep my string height quite low but i wont be adjusting the height and will try and lighten my pick strength.

Dave

You may also wish to experiment with more different picks as they all sound different and there are thousands out there. But yes, you may have to eq differently.

Also a lighter touch may work wonders. I don’t hold typically hold my pick between my thumb and first finger with the first finger tucked up like many do, although I do occasionally. I hold mine more like I hold a pen or pencil, kind of with my thumb and first two fingers and then my fingers/thumb kind of pivot. It’s a very light technique, pretty much like writing with a pen.