been playin bass for a decade 100% fingerstyle. really started to think "real bass players don't need a pick" was just a stupid meme when I heard some of the tones and attack possible with a pick. Sounds better than slapping and popping to my ear anyway, it really is like a whole other instrument with a whole other sound. I only wish I would have started sooner, it's been rough getting it together. If I could just alternate 8th notes cleanly I would be so happy haha.
Yeah, it really opens the bass up even further to additional sounds! It was joining Big Country that really started me on the pick playing journey! Cheers, Scott.
It really does sound and feel like playing a different instrument. Also, if you want to play a lot of styles (punk, metal, hard rock, post-punk, alternative, a lot of 60's rock, etc.) in an "authentic" way, where pick playing is common, it's really useful.
This video is a perfect example of how to provide exciting and practical, in depth information. I've been watching Scott for years and he was great before but now.... WOW dude. He inspires me as a bassist to concentrate on the nuances of playing. Couldn't have done it any better IMHO Scott.
Oh wow - thanks so much for this! Means a LOT! Helping or inspiring others is what makes doing all this worthwhile - glad to be of service! Thanks again, Scott.
Seen many videos on pick playing, but this has to be one of the most comprehensive and clear I've seen for a long time. Great work my mate. Subscribed.
Wow, I'm so glad I found you! It seems that with all the other 'lesson' vids, the guys TALK WAY TOO MUCH!! But you get right to the point!! Fantastic! I've been playing since 1981 and played with a pick only for the first 10 years, before learning finger and slap. But I still am not 'great' at pick playing.. I hold the pick with the "leading edge" up... (leading edge is the pick edge that faces the head stock.) not down, like 99% of all pick players. I've tried again and again and I just don't get how to make it work that way. It was a revelation for you to describe in detail... the different pick thicknesses and WHY they do WHAT the do!! It seems I've been using too thick a pick all these years.. I will try using a thinner pick and maybe that will allow me to play with the "leading edge" down.
You really figured this out. I tried learning about soft pick versus hard pick in bass player online groups, and just got more and more confused. Electric bass still is an instrument where knowledge has not all been figured out and is not codified like for example for classical instruments.
Beginner at playing and even newer to pick playing bass. You just answered so many of my questions about things I found awkward and was unsure of. Much thanks!
Nice! One of the best pick style players out there who is known more as an amazingly talented finger style player is Geezer Butler. He absolutely slays it with a pick as he does finger style.
Yeah, xcx there are a number of these 'things' amongst the music community. Thick/heavy strings, high action, 'digging in' etc. Same with saxophonist - they all compete trying to use the thickest reeds lol. I agree with you - experimenting is key and there's no 'one size fits all".
ive been playing bass for about 8 years now ,and as a hardrock/punk grunge guy ,im playing with a pick most of the time ,and my #1 pick always been the dunlop tortex .73mm ,theres just somethin about the grip and the feel it has that makes it perfect for me ,ive tried thicker picks here and there over the years ,but cause im already heavy on the palm muting ,when i use a thick pick it kinda chokes my sound a little too much for my taste ,i prefer a bright punchy kind of attack
Thanks for making this video, this has really helped me. I’ve really never played with a pic before and I’m playing music that calls for it most of the time
Nice to see someone starting the discussion with picks themselves. Changing picks is one of the easiest ways to radically alter your tone. Between that and picking technique, you can go from bright and springy to a sound very close to gentle finger picking.
While I’ve since learned he used extremely old strings, a lot of the bass lines from America I thought were played finger style, boy was I surprised when I learned it was all pick.
Absolutely BRILLIANT Video Lesson. My all time favorite SW instructional video so far. Really appreciate all the work that goes into these videos. The production, professionalism and advice is second to none. I’ve tried pick playing a few times but failed miserably. This will my number 1 go to lesson template when trying again, thanks so much 🎸👍🏆
Oh wow - thanks for this great feedback, Niall! It's funny - you get so inside the video when editing and producing that you almost can't see the overall finished picture anymore (pretty intense lol). Really glad it's coming across how I intended and is proving of value. Once again thanks so much for all your involvement and support! BTW - there's a new 'Members' tab on my main channel page - have you spotted it yet? I believe that's where all the members-only stuff will show up. It also shows up in the 'Community' tab.
my issues with using a pick is muting the strings I'm not playing. So, if I go from one string to another - making sure that previous screen isn't still playing.
Great post ....I decided to start playing bass after an injury to my left hand index finger ( cant play 6 string guitar chords anymore) and I'm finding the walking right hand finger thing very awkward so after watching your post Ile happily stay useing a pick ... subbed to your channel and look forward to watching more videos
I have used the same picks since the 70s, Dunlop nylon 1mm back then they were in red nylon which were harder than the present day black ones. Grip? I use the Rick Parfett trick of drilling 4 small holes in the grip section of the pick in a diamond shape, don't lose 'em but have to change them during a gig as they seem to soften when your hands warm up. I do however use a thinner pick for a 5 string as the string spacing is narrower.
Great video, I have been primarily a finger player for the last 30 years and have just recently been focused on playing with a pick, lots of great info here.
thank you Scott, this is a very useful video. I spent time to experiment various picks, it 's easy and cheaper than buying another bass 😁. and I also tried to emulate finger touch: I found that a piece of thick leather could be very close to that sound.
Hi Scott. Really glad to see you are still passing on your knowledge and experience on YT. Are you still with BC? Thanks for another excellent lesson sir. Cheers.
Thanks!! No longer with BC. I left a couple of years ago to focus on the channel etc. Had a rough year or so, but things are about to start up again in a big way. :) Hope you're well!
Thank you so much for this video, I'm a bass player for 2 years and i constantly change between pick and finger, but my picking was lacking speed for metal/punk parts, and i guess a partial blame is on the thick af picks that I used.
Thanks Hugo. I would personally class anything 1mm or less as thin and anything around 2mm or more as thick. This is just a general rule of thumb of course.
There's a product called "Sortkwik", sold in office supply stores and online retailers (you know the ones). This is called a finger moistener, intended for manual paper sorting, but dries to a tack. So, if you can't find Pick Honey, Sortkwik should be an adequate substitute. About $2-3 per container, depending on size, pretty darn cheap.
Just landed a huge punk gig in a month and a half and I’ve always been a finger snob. Time to ascend to the next level of bass and master both. Thanks you life saver, this is amazing!!
Not really a pick/plectrum player but I do like Dunlop Tortex triangle .50mm or .60 mm. because they're a bit bigger than usual guitar picks & just feel easier to play with... Horses for courses and all that..
So really, there is literally no wrong way to play bass, right? I was bad at guitar for so many years, recently switched to the bass, and feeling like i've own this since always, just asking myself about picking or not... for now the pick feels more natural to me. thanks for the cues! Will be trying a felt pick next.
Hi Scott, just received some of the Fred Kelly picks you use and I must admit they feels more comfy that the picks I was using. Now I'm not a pick player so this is something I am trying to master to your Big Country / Tony Butler standard! Would you able to do a deeper dive in these techniques as I am struggling (at the moment trying to do In a Big Country) with the pick rhythms? Thank you for the good content you provide.
i was thinking "Who the hell spins around his pick?". The I saw the ad, and I said "aaaaaaaaahhhhhh", there you go, so no one rotates his pick 180 degrees, it's just a silly ad.
Triangular picks between 70 and 0.95 just seem to work best, I find. If it spins, it's the same on every side. You get a lot of mileage from them. Not the most comfortable, though.
I moved from guitar to bass. On guitar it was always 1.14 Dunlop Totex. On bass? Well still using up my 1.14s but when it matters 2.0 Tortex. Way too much flop even on acoustic guitar for me with anything less than 1.0. But I will say one thing though. I can play with my fingers but I get so many more sound options with a pick. From total downstrokes to alternate picking wich are totaly different sounds. To killing the ring with the pick to palm muting to rolling the pick over the strings and muting the ring to give that synth sound instrad of letting off the fret slightly. But I play nothing but Rock, Metal, Thrash Metal andHair Metal. But every bass player needs to learn how to play both ways.
Can I recommend not using the word "anchor", it nearly always gets translated into extra and undue tension. I use the phrase "reference point" with my students. I'm primarily a teacher of the Alexander Technique, but work a lot with bass and guitar players as a player myself.
Thanks Adrian - thanks for that good and very informed suggestion. This is REALLY interesting stuff - maybe we could collaborate on a video if you fancy it?! Drop me an email on scott@scott-whitley.com and we could get the ball rolling. Thanks again, Adrian, Scott.
![Lp. Сердце Вселенной #60 РОЖДЕНИЕ ЛОЛОЛОШКИ [Финал] • Майнкрафт](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/YoR0pAV9FVQ/mqdefault.jpg)
This is by far the most helpful bass picking video I've come across. Understanding the difference pick thickness etc make was a revelation.
Thanks, Chris! Really glad the video helped.
Best bass pick video ive come across with great examples! Thanks algorythm❤
been playin bass for a decade 100% fingerstyle. really started to think "real bass players don't need a pick" was just a stupid meme when I heard some of the tones and attack possible with a pick. Sounds better than slapping and popping to my ear anyway, it really is like a whole other instrument with a whole other sound. I only wish I would have started sooner, it's been rough getting it together. If I could just alternate 8th notes cleanly I would be so happy haha.
Yeah, it really opens the bass up even further to additional sounds! It was joining Big Country that really started me on the pick playing journey! Cheers, Scott.
It really does sound and feel like playing a different instrument. Also, if you want to play a lot of styles (punk, metal, hard rock, post-punk, alternative, a lot of 60's rock, etc.) in an "authentic" way, where pick playing is common, it's really useful.
This video is a perfect example of how to provide exciting and practical, in depth information. I've been watching Scott for years and he was great before but now.... WOW dude. He inspires me as a bassist to concentrate on the nuances of playing. Couldn't have done it any better IMHO Scott.
Oh wow - thanks so much for this! Means a LOT! Helping or inspiring others is what makes doing all this worthwhile - glad to be of service!
Thanks again,
Scott.
That variable mute was ENLIGHTENING...thank God for you and this total awesome lesson...
That yellow P bass in the background mesmerized me. Great video.
Seen many videos on pick playing, but this has to be one of the most comprehensive and clear I've seen for a long time. Great work my mate. Subscribed.
Wow - thanks so much for positive feedback! Very kind and very much appreciated!
Scott.
Wow, I'm so glad I found you! It seems that with all the other 'lesson' vids, the guys TALK WAY TOO MUCH!! But you get right to the point!! Fantastic! I've been playing since 1981 and played with a pick only for the first 10 years, before learning finger and slap. But I still am not 'great' at pick playing.. I hold the pick with the "leading edge" up... (leading edge is the pick edge that faces the head stock.) not down, like 99% of all pick players. I've tried again and again and I just don't get how to make it work that way. It was a revelation for you to describe in detail... the different pick thicknesses and WHY they do WHAT the do!! It seems I've been using too thick a pick all these years.. I will try using a thinner pick and maybe that will allow me to play with the "leading edge" down.
You really figured this out. I tried learning about soft pick versus hard pick in bass player online groups, and just got more and more confused. Electric bass still is an instrument where knowledge has not all been figured out and is not codified like for example for classical instruments.
Beginner at playing and even newer to pick playing bass. You just answered so many of my questions about things I found awkward and was unsure of. Much thanks!
What a great great lesson 😊😊😊😊
Thanks Stuart!! Much appreciated mate.
Nice!
One of the best pick style players out there who is known more as an amazingly talented finger style player is Geezer Butler. He absolutely slays it with a pick as he does finger style.
Thanks Scott, I never considered trying a softer pick until this!
Cheers - glad it threw some ideas up! :)
Yeah, xcx there are a number of these 'things' amongst the music community. Thick/heavy strings, high action, 'digging in' etc. Same with saxophonist - they all compete trying to use the thickest reeds lol.
I agree with you - experimenting is key and there's no 'one size fits all".
Excellent , helpful video Scott
Really pleased you found it helpful! Cheers, Scott.
ive been playing bass for about 8 years now ,and as a hardrock/punk grunge guy ,im playing with a pick most of the time ,and my #1 pick always been the dunlop tortex .73mm ,theres just somethin about the grip and the feel it has that makes it perfect for me ,ive tried thicker picks here and there over the years ,but cause im already heavy on the palm muting ,when i use a thick pick it kinda chokes my sound a little too much for my taste ,i prefer a bright punchy kind of attack
Great practical advice, you’ve done it again Scott!
Thanks, Dan - really glad it came across ok.
As a Bass and Guitar teacher myself I totally concur! Nicely done, mate. ;)
I think this is the best pick video on picks (plectrum) out there. Great work Scott.
Thanks so much for the kind words Graeme, much appreciated! Cheers, Scott.
Thanks for making this video, this has really helped me. I’ve really never played with a pic before and I’m playing music that calls for it most of the time
thank you for helping on how to hold the pick, makes a huge difference!
Nice to see someone starting the discussion with picks themselves. Changing picks is one of the easiest ways to radically alter your tone. Between that and picking technique, you can go from bright and springy to a sound very close to gentle finger picking.
While I’ve since learned he used extremely old strings, a lot of the bass lines from America I thought were played finger style, boy was I surprised when I learned it was all pick.
Thanks for the video! Rare to see bass picking video.
I tried many picks, and for me, the best are the dunlops .73 mm big triangle.
Absolutely BRILLIANT Video Lesson. My all time favorite SW instructional video so far. Really appreciate all the work that goes into these videos. The production, professionalism and advice is second to none. I’ve tried pick playing a few times but failed miserably. This will my number 1 go to lesson template when trying again, thanks so much 🎸👍🏆
Oh wow - thanks for this great feedback, Niall! It's funny - you get so inside the video when editing and producing that you almost can't see the overall finished picture anymore (pretty intense lol). Really glad it's coming across how I intended and is proving of value.
Once again thanks so much for all your involvement and support!
BTW - there's a new 'Members' tab on my main channel page - have you spotted it yet? I believe that's where all the members-only stuff will show up. It also shows up in the 'Community' tab.
Great video! Helped solve some of the problems I was having, just needed to anchor my hand.
Great information. Thank you, Scott.
Glad it was helpful! 🙂
my issues with using a pick is muting the strings I'm not playing. So, if I go from one string to another - making sure that previous screen isn't still playing.
Very helpful indeed! Nice quote of "the professionals" theme tune! BTW the pick link in your description brings up an error....
I like the dunlop .73 nylon max grip picks standard shape
Very informative. Thanks for the video. Trying to learn picking after a long time with fingers
Link to your pick rundown isn’t working.
That Ibanez bass sounds killer
Great post ....I decided to start playing bass after an injury to my left hand index finger ( cant play 6 string guitar chords anymore) and I'm finding the walking right hand finger thing very awkward so after watching your post Ile happily stay useing a pick ... subbed to your channel and look forward to watching more videos
Hi Harry, that's great to hear!! Cheers, Scott.
I have used the same picks since the 70s, Dunlop nylon 1mm back then they were in red nylon which were harder than the present day black ones. Grip? I use the Rick Parfett trick of drilling 4 small holes in the grip section of the pick in a diamond shape, don't lose 'em but have to change them during a gig as they seem to soften when your hands warm up. I do however use a thinner pick for a 5 string as the string spacing is narrower.
Great video, I have been primarily a finger player for the last 30 years and have just recently been focused on playing with a pick, lots of great info here.
thank you Scott, this is a very useful video. I spent time to experiment various picks, it 's easy and cheaper than buying another bass 😁. and I also tried to emulate finger touch: I found that a piece of thick leather could be very close to that sound.
Thanks, Alain. Yes - picks definitely seem the more cost effective lol.
The leather thing sounds a great/interesting idea!
Thanks again, Alain,
Scott.
Really great bunch of advices! Finally a great tutorial about pick playing. Thumb up!
Hi Scott. Really glad to see you are still passing on your knowledge and experience on YT.
Are you still with BC?
Thanks for another excellent lesson sir. Cheers.
Thanks!! No longer with BC. I left a couple of years ago to focus on the channel etc. Had a rough year or so, but things are about to start up again in a big way. :)
Hope you're well!
@@ScottWhitley Hi Scott, thanks for the reply. Sorry you aren't with BC anymore, someone has BIG shoes to fill to replace you!
Thank you so much for this video, I'm a bass player for 2 years and i constantly change between pick and finger, but my picking was lacking speed for metal/punk parts, and i guess a partial blame is on the thick af picks that I used.
My absolute pleasure!! The thinner picks can make a huge difference, and like I said in the video, give a great edge tonally. :)
Scott.
Great video !!
Thank you @Warren Bass - very kind! Hope you're well.
Scott.
Thanks Scott,… great lesson and tips… yes I hit like and subscribe …
Much appreciated on both counts! Cheers, Scott.
I use a 1.35 mm and it works so well
Thanks Scott, well done... I'll buy your mug next month.
Thanks 😊
Great video scott
Thanks Justice, glad you enjoyed it!
great lesson! what thickness will be considered "thin" or "thick"?
Thanks Hugo. I would personally class anything 1mm or less as thin and anything around 2mm or more as thick. This is just a general rule of thumb of course.
Great video mate, you've got a killer tone. Would love to know what your chain looks like. driver/compressor etc, thanks!
Great tips - thank you!
Jeez - I was only thinking today I need to experiment more with a pick! Need to check my house for bugs tomorrow!!!!
That's mental, Pat lol!!
Love this!!
Thanks Greg!! I'll drop you a proper reply over on messenger tomorrow btw lol
Excellent! Thank you so much!
There's a product called "Sortkwik", sold in office supply stores and online retailers (you know the ones). This is called a finger moistener, intended for manual paper sorting, but dries to a tack. So, if you can't find Pick Honey, Sortkwik should be an adequate substitute. About $2-3 per container, depending on size, pretty darn cheap.
Great info....thanks Kevin! Cheers, Scott.
Thank you so very much!
Great video an info!
Thanks, Eduardo - glad you found it useful.
Scott.
Just landed a huge punk gig in a month and a half and I’ve always been a finger snob. Time to ascend to the next level of bass and master both. Thanks you life saver, this is amazing!!
wow real cool Scott much thanks
Thanks Mark B
Excellent tutorial Scott. Your channel just seems to get better and better
Thank you for the kind words and positive feedback - much appreciated!!
Not really a pick/plectrum player but I do like Dunlop Tortex triangle .50mm or .60 mm. because they're a bit bigger than usual guitar picks & just feel easier to play with...
Horses for courses and all that..
Great classic picks - my old man used them as I recall.
Cheers, Shaun!
What kind ibanez bass is this?
Man, your pick rundown link is not working. Great video though, really nice and useful tips. Rock on!😎
Excellent!!
Great vid, sir!
Fender 351 heavy for me, rock on 👍.
So really, there is literally no wrong way to play bass, right? I was bad at guitar for so many years, recently switched to the bass, and feeling like i've own this since always, just asking myself about picking or not... for now the pick feels more natural to me. thanks for the cues! Will be trying a felt pick next.
Hi Scott, just received some of the Fred Kelly picks you use and I must admit they feels more comfy that the picks I was using. Now I'm not a pick player so this is something I am trying to master to your Big Country / Tony Butler standard! Would you able to do a deeper dive in these techniques as I am struggling (at the moment trying to do In a Big Country) with the pick rhythms? Thank you for the good content you provide.
I'll definitely come back and do more pick stuff asap!! Glad the stuff came through btw... :)
what bass are you using in this video?
I just want a pick that lasts. Most picks I try get grinded down to blunted nub after one session.
same bro i use big stubby 3.0mm and theyre chizzled after one freaking song
i was thinking "Who the hell spins around his pick?". The I saw the ad, and I said "aaaaaaaaahhhhhh", there you go, so no one rotates his pick 180 degrees, it's just a silly ad.
Fuck that bass sounds fantastic .
It's not bad, is it?! 😍
Triangular picks between 70 and 0.95 just seem to work best, I find. If it spins, it's the same on every side. You get a lot of mileage from them. Not the most comfortable, though.
I moved from guitar to bass. On guitar it was always 1.14 Dunlop Totex. On bass? Well still using up my 1.14s but when it matters 2.0 Tortex. Way too much flop even on acoustic guitar for me with anything less than 1.0.
But I will say one thing though. I can play with my fingers but I get so many more sound options with a pick. From total downstrokes to alternate picking wich are totaly different sounds. To killing the ring with the pick to palm muting to rolling the pick over the strings and muting the ring to give that synth sound instrad of letting off the fret slightly. But I play nothing but Rock, Metal, Thrash Metal andHair Metal.
But every bass player needs to learn how to play both ways.
Can I recommend not using the word "anchor", it nearly always gets translated into extra and undue tension. I use the phrase "reference point" with my students.
I'm primarily a teacher of the Alexander Technique, but work a lot with bass and guitar players as a player myself.
Thanks Adrian - thanks for that good and very informed suggestion. This is REALLY interesting stuff - maybe we could collaborate on a video if you fancy it?! Drop me an email on scott@scott-whitley.com and we could get the ball rolling.
Thanks again, Adrian,
Scott.
@@ScottWhitley dropped you a line 🙂
I use Dunlop "Max Grip" .73 gauge picks. You have to be really careless to drop them. Otherwise I use my thumb.
Just find a pick that works for you and just play the damn thing.
Nope.
Pope, Rope.....
@@ScottWhitley dope