Bass players! Rock bass; fingers or pick?

[Jay Kahrs]

I play bass with my fingers until it's 16th note stuff, I can't pull that off with my fingers. I'd love to know how Steve Harris does it.

[Sharp11]

It's worth noting many of the great LA sessions from the 60's and into the early 70's were played by "pick" players: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne, Max Bennet.

Carol used to say she could imitate the sound of fingers by turning up her bass control (however, I can always tell it's a pick).

Carol played a Precision, but Max and Joe played Jazz basses. All three used mutes.

At the same time, in Memphis Tommy Cogbill was a finger guy, as was David Hood in Muscle Shoals, James Jamerson in Detriot and Jerry Jermott and Chuck Rainey in NYC.

Ed

[Methlab]

I played fingerstyle (3 finger, and thump slapping) for 10 years..Got in a band that insisted that I stay with that..they liked it. next band was old school thrash metal. I hated the tone of ingers for that. I went to a pick. The thing is, with a pick i can shred as fast as the guitarists, so I really liked cranking out 32nd notes and triplets...with fingers it sounds bad..i know some guys in tech death metal bands that use their fingers..i have never liked the tone..they get buried by guitars too much....for funk, rock, and anything else, i always use fingers.....so basically i love both. I have used a lot of basses, and I would gladly go back to my fender jazz 4...passive rules.

[elninojesus]

Alex Webster from Canibal Corpse does a pretty damn good job with his fingers. I've never really heard anyone else do metal well without a pick.



Mark

[cdog]

Unless your coming from guitar, or simply playing a guitar riff on bass (128th notes etc. see Metallica) I can't see any reason to use a pick.

Obviously to each their own but in my experience moving from guitar to bass - I never became a "Bass Player" until I dropped the pick and really learned fingerstyle.

As an engineer, if I had to choose between a pick or fingerstyle player of equal caliber, it would be the fingerstyle player 90% of the time - just based on sonics.

I find the attack to be unnatural sounding and abrasive in a mix, unless there's so much guitar distortion, kick drum click, and vocal grit in the way the only way to hear the damn thing is to crank the "picky" 1-4K range all the way.

Bass is called bass because its bassy.

Ditto with the Bass drum.

In my mixes, the upper midrange is NOT reserved for bass instruments. Nifty "old school" concept, that.

[heinz]

Originally posted by cdog
Bass is called bass because its bassy.

...

In my mixes, the upper midrange is NOT reserved for bass instruments. Nifty "old school" concept, that.

Wow!

So.. all of your bass players are Klaus Voorman?

[DeadPoet]

Wooten says on some video: "It's just a way to hit the strings" ..

He's referring to his way of slapping and tapping and whatever he does to his instrument (also that you shouldn't be just slapping in the key of E, but that you should practice scales, arpeggios,.. with this technique)

Bottom line is: fingerstyle, slap, pick, tap, using your toes, ... are just techniques that help you get the sound YOU want. There is no good or bad. Some techniques will sound better in some tunes than others, ditto with basses/di's/amps/AC chords.


That said, I've lost gigs because I can't play with a pick, but then again, I've lost gigs because I don't sing as well as play. Doesn't bother me.



Herwig

[dntknowsht]

I've played bass for many years and have recorded a fair number of albums. I've had long runs (years at a time) of exclusively using one or the other technique for live playing. But, every time I've been in the studio I always revert to a pick. Usually a Tortex .73mm (yellow), if I am getting to much top or clicking, I'll move down to a .60mm (orange). I find that it's much easier to control the tone and especially the attack of my playing while using a pick.

Like everyone has mentioned it's all about listening to what your doing, concentrating on the tone you want and then being consistant... Pick or fingers.

That said, one of my all time favorite bass players, Karl Alverez of the Decendents uses his fingers and has one of the best steady driving bass tones I've ever heard. So, it's really more the person rather than the picking style.

[seriousfun]

Originally posted by Sharp11
It's worth noting many of the great LA sessions from the 60's and into the early 70's were played by "pick" players: Carol Kaye, Joe Osborne, Max Bennet.

...
Ed

Remember that Joe Osborne never changed his strings.

[Gordon]

Originally Posted by Jay Kahrs

I play bass with my fingers until it's 16th note stuff, I can't pull that off with my fingers. I'd love to know how Steve Harris does it.

Practice

Sorry to dig up an ancient thread, was searching for something else and came across this.

[CrankyRayHanky]

Originally Posted by Ted Nightshade

Depends on the SONG!

I'll go one step farther and say it depends on the riff--Sometimes I switch within the song itself

[bigos]

I used to be all about using my fingers until I finaly decided to try a pick on a session and couldnt believe how much tighter it sounded. It depends on the music but also on the pick and strings. there are nice picks here in europe made from cocunut and hardwood trees. they are about 15 euros each but they sound great. Im an upright player also so I really love the deep sound you get with flesh on strings. I find my self going for a wooden pick on flatwound strings as a nice middle road between accuracy and sound. If the song is slower or requires less playing I often use my thumb to strok(not slap) the string. The attack is usualy more defined sounding with a pick

[hrn]

It is all about what you as a bass player can do best. When I need to play very fast licks I have to use the pick in a guitar playing style. But then it's often hard rock or metal anyway, so the pick is nice soundwise and suitable.

If you can and is allowed to arrange your playing, choose the way you think will sound best for the song. I tend to play more with fingers because I don't feel that I need to be heard so much showing my bass technique anymore. I just want to get the job done making some heavy sexy bass tones. Think of it as playing for the bodyparts under the belt as Keith R once said.

H

[Gordon]

I've been playing bass as my exclusive in strument for amost 20 years, I never learned Guitar first so I never learned to play with a pick. As a result, I SUCK when I try to use a pick. I'm much faster and more fluid with finger, even when tremelo picking 16th notes. I've always done funkish prog-rock so I've not needed the balls-to-the-wall constant thrash speed that the metal guys need.

You can make a pick sound like fingers or fingers sound like a pick, it's all personal preference and practice.

[hrn]

"You can make a pick sound like fingers or fingers sound like a pick"

I agree.

[Blast9]

I'm certain I didn't start this thread in the Remote Possibilities forum... mind you it is from the remote past

[Remoteness]

Originally Posted by Blast9

I'm certain I didn't start this thread in the Remote Possibilities forum... mind you it is from the remote past

This thread came from Jay Kahrs' old forum that does not exist any longer.
I move it to this forum over a year ago to date...

Are we not worthy of this thread?

We talk a lot about bass and I thought adding the electric bass thingy would be a nice addition.

Do you want me to move it somewhere else?

[Blast9]

You are most welcomme to keep it here Steve - this forum has tons of valuable info in it!

In any case if peeps do a search about bass gtr they'll find it thumbsup

[CrankyRayHanky]

I heard that midnight oil tune on the radio today "The time has come to pay the rent..."

There's no way that song works without the bass player using a pick; nothing to do with speed, rather tone/sound appropriateness

[Sounds Great]

Suppose to it depends how you learned. I was taught with a pick and how to use the proper arm action (not the wrist). I started taking lessons on electic bass when I was 7. That was a while ago.

I can play with my fingers, but I really rock with the pick. thumbsup