Playing with a pick

peterbright · Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:04 am Post subject:

Have you tried the rubber ones with the contoured grip?

Ankhanu · Posted: Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:28 am Post subject:

No, but the Big Stubby is a hard plastic with a contoured grip.

Camaro-Steve · Posted: Thu Sep 06, 2007 10:16 pm Post subject:

i use dunlop 2 mm. picks when i use one, and on some songs with fast fills or bass riffs i use the pick in my thumb and index finger and fingerstyle with my middle finger...makes slap funk sounding triplets really easy and it sounds pretty cool...takes some practice but you can jam some nice grooves with either way, depends on the song im playin

Ankhanu · Posted: Sun Sep 09, 2007 5:23 am Post subject:

Interesting technique.

Camaro-Steve · Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 7:08 pm Post subject:

its taken me fooorreever to get it right...i got the idea a couple years ago and im just now gettin it smooth enough to slip it into songs onstage...i still screw it up alooot

i almost always attempt to use it on RHCP songs...

jimhickeymusic · Posted: Thu Nov 01, 2007 8:53 am Post subject: Picks to try

I have been using the Dunlop Jazz III pick for the last few months. It's a love hate thing. It's thick and textured for your fingers which some people like however it is quite small which some people can't deal with and hate! It works for me...but I have shorter fingers and pick using my thumb and index finger only.

I used Medium picks for a long time which I liked and the "Star" picks, the ones with the hole cut out of them. They are pretty cool too.

Mudvayne-Pwnz · Not So Newbie Joined: 09 Jan 2008 Posts: 5

I read that using a pick is good when your trying to get a kinda clearer punk feel.

Mkuk0 · Posted: Mon Jan 14, 2008 5:21 pm Post subject:

Thats certainly true, you get a much 'brighter' sound with a pick which can suit the more agressive punk style
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point8flashes · Not So Newbie Joined: 21 Jan 2008 Posts: 7

I can't say its wrong. I only use a pic in the studio because of the even tones when hitting the string. Otherwise, I play with my fingers. I lock better with a drummer while using my fingers rather then a pic.

oogie boogie · Little Guppy Joined: 27 Oct 2008 Posts: 38

I use my finger mostly, but when the tune calls for it, I'll use a pick. Seems like Big Stubby's are popular here. I kinda got over them myself. They have a positive feel, but no flex. These days I tend to use a triangle Dunlop Ultex .73. It seems to provide the range of tones I'm looking for and the snap I want. The right amount of snap, versus stiffness REALLY makes a difference. With a stubby, the string just sort of slides down the pick until it gets to the tip and then pops off the end and tends to move in more linear elipse, same with the Jazz. With the Ultex, the flexiture of the pick changes the shape of the pattern to a more circular elipse in which the string moves and tends to give it more punch and somewhat different harmonic content. Try it for yourself.

If your pick is moving around too much, you may simply be playing to hard, or you sweat a lot, in which case you should try Gorilla Snot.

debaser1990 · Not So Newbie Joined: 15 Dec 2008 Posts: 8

I use a pick almost exclusively. I haven't been playing for super long, but I do know what sound I am digging, and I find a pick gives me a clean, bright and cutting tone that your fingers can rarely emulate. There is no wrong way to play a bass, and I get into this argument all the time about picks vs. fingers, and it's really kind of a moot point. Play what you are most comfortable with. That's all there is to it.