How To Play Bass With A Pick - Essential Tips
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- Опубліковано 25 чер 2024
- Lesson Material PDF available to download here: www.talkingbass.net/bass-tech...
Playing bass with a pick can seem quite tricky if you've spent your whole life playing bass fingerstyle.
So this week I'm going to give you a crash course in bass picking technique from the basics of holding the plectrum to palm muting.
I've included 5 cool bass riffs for you to work on that should help iron out the bass pick problems we all have when getting started.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:45 Pick Technique
4:04 Basic Exercise
9:06 Riff No.1 (Basic)
13:30 Riff No.2 (Upstrokes)
15:53 Riff No.3 (Double Notes)
20:28 Riff No.4 (Octaves)
23:45 Riff No.5 (Palm Muting)
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To me learning how to play with a pick is like learning a new instrument.
Know that feel
funny thing is that idont play with a pick nor the fingers... i play with my nails, and no its not nails on a chalkboard the index finger top of the nail is the contact point betwee nthe string and the "pick" i hold my fingers like im making an invisible pick and i stroke the string with the top of my nail it sounds bad ass, it sounds like you got a massive bright high end with LOW END definition and clarity, on STAINLESS STEEL bass strings my tone with a P bass is indistinguishable from a piano with balls on the LOW END
When you play with your fingers youre really only restricting yourself, your fingers can only sound 1 way and 1 way only, meanwhile my fingernail depending on where i hit that fingernail I SWEAR TO GOD it makes a slight difference in tone every single time, i wish i could explain it more in detail
@@ernestochang1744 I think your inexperience in using your fingers is misleading you, you can definitely get different tones out of your fingertips.
@@Powerracer251 yeah of course if you move your hand around, like for example if you use your thumb it sounds more boomy, but you loose all brightness, if you go 2 fingers its a nice middle ground between bass and treble, basically how a bass should sound, with a plectrum or a pick you loose a lot of low end/bass but now youre heard better on the higher frequencies, with your index finger nails most people that play have this overly loud unpleasant sound that is hard to describe but have you ever played the bass with a long fingernail on your index finger and you were playing normally until you accidentally hit the string with your fingernail and it sounds overly loud and annoying? Ive found a way to control that in a way that i make an ok sign 👌 and then i pluck the string with the top of my fingernail, the mass of my fingers along with the fingernails can change the sound more then if i was to play on a different part like the neck position or the bridge position, its weird to explain but the plectrum/pick is a thin piece of plastic and doesnt have the same inertia, mass or control, when you pluck a string with a pick it bends and wobbles ever so slightly, leaving a thin weak undesired sound, the difference in the way i play is that for some reason it retains the low end we all come to love but has this aggressive bright snappy sound to it, hard to capture on a normal speaker camera from the 2010s but the best way i can describe it to you is, a piano except more aggressive especially on that D string
exactly
Finally a indepth lesson on playing with a pick. I'm good at finger style but I can't do pick well at all
Beck same
Agreed! What's so interesting, is that playing with a pick - tough clearly also different "feel-wise" - is primarily a different sound. Some of the bands I love - such as Tool - would simply not sound the same with finger playing. The trolls can and will hate all they like, but it is simply fact: Pick gives you a very distinct sound, which simply goes a lot better with some bands/music.
It makes playing fast easy and it's ideal for Metal.
@@RockStarOscarStern634 Yeah generally, but see Steve Harris and Geezer Butler. Never used picks but had really loud bass tracks.
@@sandipbiswas766 However using a pick could make it easier to strike the strings.
That Fender Jazz is absolutely GORGEOUS!!! 💙
I'm 75 and took up the bass a couple years ago. When I switched to a pick, the difference in the clarity, tone and sharpness of the notes was quite amazing
This is the 5th video I've watched about picking technique and the FIRST to address keeping the other strings quiet. Its amazing, its SO IMPORTANT and none of the other teachers, youtubers who I regularly send other people to watch, never even bring it up. Thank you. Man it is not easy it really is like going back to square one.
I've been playing bass for six years but I never really learned to play with a pick. It's been a tremendous learning curve for me.
This video helped a lot, cheers.
That bass sounds amazing.
That bass LOOKS amazing.
I started out playing bass in 1977. I played about 4 years with a pick and than permanently stopped playing with a pick in favor of fingers and thumb. That was a major mistake!!! I have to start as a beginner again learning to play with a pic once again. Your videos are absolutely phenomenal!!!! You are thorough, you explain everything in depth and very clear, and you have taken the time to learn everything correctly!!!! Thank you so much for your videos and your contributions to the bass community. They have helped me so much!!!!
I'll second that for sure! Mark is truly an indispensable resource, teacher, and all around highly likeable chap. Just the kind of person you'd want to have a pint of Guinness with, followed by the obligatory fish 'n chips.
Cheers!
The reason i'm playing with a pick is simple. I like the tone
Anddd you're not playing jazz? ;)
After an industrial injury accident many years ago I have lost half my fingers on my right hand but have thumb and bit of forefinger to hold a pick am keen to learn bass should I go for it??
yes!!!
Hi Rob, using a Pick to play the Bass is rather helpful for you since some of your fingers are gone.
@@meetthebug You can also play the 5 String Bass with a Pick since the spacing is smaller.
Hi Rob Whitton, using a Pick is a great way to recover from an Injury. Many people are born without some fingers, & using a Pick to play the Bass really helps them.
Hi Rob Whitton. using a Pick is great especially if you've lost a few fingers.
When Mark was playing first riff I couldn't help imagining him with long greasy hair, in leather, legs spread wide, rocking in front of the huge crowd on some stadium. It's like unleashing a true nature lol.
Yeah man!!
I think it feels a lot easier to keep a steady rhythm with a pick.
Timestamps (5 riffs)
9:05
13:30
15:53
20:28
23:44
Also cool video! I like that you're not taking yourself too serious to go into every little detail no matter how obvious they may seem. For example I play for 11 years now, sometimes with pick and it never occurred to me that I should strum "into the bass"
Great lesson Mark! You do such a great job demonstrating and explaining everything in your lessons!
As a former guitarist I didn't think I was going to become so good at finger picking that I'd need help going back to picks, but here I am. And I have a 30 minute video to get started! Looks like I have some work to do before I'm able to give "Stickin' in my Eye" another shot. :P
Awesome. Exactly what I was looking for. I'll add this to my practice routine. Thanks Mark!
When I bought my first bass at a flea market, a blue soda Ibanez. I learned by downpicking and have been playing like that since day 1, I was inspired by Dee Dee ramone, but upstrokes I just started using especially for songs like One
Since I learned to play with my fingers I've definitely let this technique fall by the wayside. I think I'll revisit some pick playing.
It's also a great way to get used to playing a 5 String Bass since the strings are closer together.
Really well presented, 5 solid little grooves, i am bookmarking this for daily pick work. Ty!
Thank you, I was looking to strengthen my pick playing. Some really tasty and fun to play riffs in here.
thanks Mark much appreciated
Hmm, don't know how I missed this lesson. Great job Mark. I began playing bass with a pick so I am more comfortable that way. Always great to have a refresher with some challenging riffs.
I haven't played in over 15 years. I recently bought a cheap Glarry bass online. So far no problems! I had to unlearn almost everything! LOL! Still having a great time!!!
Excellent toturial Mark thanks for posting
I've tried messing around with a homemade pick a few times but never really got it. This lesson is great, so detailed with all the little nuances of pick playing!
Bobby Vega uses yellow .73 mm Dunlop Tortex picks. In trying to relearn playing with picks I've tried a variety Dunlop Tortex pick thicknesses, including .73 mm, and that does seem to be the best thickness all around for bass guitar.
This is just an awesome lesson.
I can't play bass worth a damn with my fingers. :-(
The saying is really true: Practice makes perfect. Pick is good for certain things but sometimes you can't beat good ol' fingerstyle
@@zerevarmusic1479 Hi there, & hi JohnnyG using a Pick will facilitate good technique. A 5 (or more) String Bass comes to mind. Because the strings are closer together on a 5 (or More) String Bass than on a 4 String, it's easier to get around that small spacing by playing with a Pick.
@@RockStarOscarStern634 small spacings are hell on a pick, i have no idea how you are supposed to do it on regular guitar
@@cursedcliff7562 Using a Guitar pick is great with such this small of a spacing on a standard guitar. The string spacing on a 5 string Bass is very close to that of a Guitar.
@@cursedcliff7562 You use a smaller pick on a guitar, probably a stubby on a bass
Very good lesson, thanks for your hard work
TB does the best online bass lessons. Period.
Thanks! I play bass in a band that plays a lot of punk stuff and this helped a ton
If you really want to play with a pick, you should buy a copy of Stuart Clayton's 'Plectrum Technique for Bass Guitar', loads of cool riffs there. Stuart is a kind of guy who doesn't write average books.
Yup. Stuart's book is great. Ironically, was talking to him about an hour ago!
Great lesson as always thank you so much!
I had already disappointedly put the picks away and gone back to fingerstyle. But this video inspires me to pick up the pick again!
I try again: You should make a lesson about your outro riff! I dig it so much! I learned it by ear and even implemented it in a little recording at home lol
Thank you! So helpful
great video, i watched this after i thought i knew to play with a pick but struggled with songs that need faster paste\alternate picking. once i managed the simple exercise with clean tone and no string buzz i had a "revelation" on how to hold the pick (loose) and how easy it is to keep playing when the arm is loose
Nice lesson! Tanx!
Ironically I'm much more competent with a pick than with fingers, despite being a bassist first and foremost.
I think it depends what style of music i play, for rap or funk/rnb/disco fingerstyle all day, because of tone but also the dynamics.
For more intense or aggressive styles of music, pick is what i like.
Nice practice riffs. Especially the last palm muted.
I've played guitar for 4 decades, playing with a pick is the only option for me. At 62 yrs old, arthritis has kicked in for chording the guitar. I played A Bass when I was 14,15 ish. It was my brothers that I played when he wasn't home. Now I'm into the talents of Glenn Hughes and other 70's bass players. I picked up an Ibanez that I traded for a G&L ASAT. And bought a Fender Rumble 25 for small room practice. I have built my own guitars as well as modified several of my Stratocasters. The Ibanez is ok, but I wanted a Jazz bass. I'm married and dont want to bust the bank with another thousand dollar guitar at this point in my life. Especially if I'm mot getting paid to play. Do I picked up an Amazon $69.00 Glarry GJazz bass. I have just finished modifying it with removing the neck. Leveling, crowning and cleaning the edges. The meck, surprisingly is straight as an arrow. The electronics are cheap. But will do after I copper insulated the cavities today. The neck was slso half finished, so it was completely stripped, stained with a light pecan tone and 3 coats of satin Urethane. Plugged it in this afternoon, so ecstatic about the outcome. And I didn't break the bank. More mods coming in the future months to come. The Rumble 25 is mot enough to play along with backtrack music through a 60 watt PA. So I've gotten the wife to order (backordered for 2 weeks) an Orange Crush 50 Glenn Hughes signature model. Should be here by 3rd week of December. So off to a decent start.
I'd add that as a guitar player you will find it easier, if you use an upwards pick slant and check out Troy Grady's guitar courses. As pick angle with an upward slant makes it easier to switch strings and not get pick stuck. Makes you way more fluid between strings skips etc. I'm a guitarist first and bass is my second instrument, so you can achieve much more consistent alternate picking if you use the upward pick slant grip.
Thank you VERY much for sharing that helpful info. I did check out Troy Grady and started playing around with the aforementioned upwards pick slant technique. Everything you said is true. I found a greatly enhanced fluidity in string crossing, and overall in general. I'm definitely sticking with it, and once again much appreciation for the recommendation.
Cheers!
Oh my gosh, pick angling is huge. This makes a HUGE difference especially with fast alt picking.
Consider also retracting the tip of the plectrum. This means it doesn't "hit" as hard, however you can go really fast.... good in some scenarios.
Thanks, really great.
I have difficulties picking
upwards...any tips?
Practise. Pick song you like and want to learn. Start super slow (use a metronome). Increase speed over time. Focus on super strict technique and deliberately start slower than you intuitively would. I base this not on my bass knowledge (only just started), but on similar challenges while practising drums 10+ years ago.
Try alternative picking some riffs with a pick, down up down up ect start with one string and then keep going to the extent your comfortable with👍🏼
awesome, thx!
TalkingBass - Online Bass Lessons I have a 5 String Bass & this is where using a Pick kicks in because the smaller string spacing on a 5 String is much easier to get around with a Pick.
Great demo, playing bass is fairly new to me and I really want to focus on finger playing, but that is killing me right now. Being a guitarist playing bass with a pick is really easy for me, however I play with .46 Dunlops and that helps me to get a more mellow tone and can pull back closer to the bridge for a brighter punch when I need to. I will check ot see if yuo guys have a finger playing for dummies video, thx !!
The Songs I listen to, 99% of the time, use pick for the bass line. "60's Rock"
This sounds so familiar for me. I'm used to playing fingerstyle for a while now and especially octaves and muting are quite hard sometimes (Still more fluent with it using fingerstyle). I'm looking forward in improving my pick technique by practising these riffs. Thanks for the lesson!
Is that a John East preamp you've got on your bass? Wonderful lesson. The way you explain music and bass theory makes it so easy to learn.
Thank you so much for a nice vdo : )
This is how the electric base was meant to be played. Wasn't created with finger picking in mind, because the design is intended to be an electric guitar with fat strings at it's core. As is shown by the fact that it has nothing in common with a string bass.
Bought a few picks today to try it out and it's like I don't even know how to play bass anymore. Even just chugging was difficult let alone chugging with string skipping.
TalkingBass - Online Bass Lessons Using a Pick is rather easy & it's actually another good way to get used to playing a 5 String Bass. Because the 5 String Bass spacing is smaller, using a Pick will really help.
that's how i pick. The loose one i think its super problmatic, cauz one of the finger start hurting after a while if u play 16th at rapid pace.
Great lesson. lot of stuff to practice after 50 years of finger picking. I´m fighting hard on "Baby please don´t go" by Paul Revere. Any tips?
I would suggest to those who are interested in playing with a pick to try out different sizes. The Wedgie 3.1mm rubber picks give you the ability to play with a pick but a sound similar to playing with your fingers. Heavy picks like a 1.5mm or 2mm give a bassier tone while lighter picks give a brighter tone.
God this is a great video, cheers!
Cool
Led Zeppelin - Achilles last stand is great pick bassline
Mel Schacher ( ? ) Grand Funk bassist " I Come Tumblin' "
Just a heads up, I got some Carol Kaye teardrop picks for xmas. Best pick Ive ever used. Pretty sure she charged $0.60 - $0.80 each. I LOVE them.
I’m here to play punk blink-182 songs
Omg same
Me too
im trying to play misfits songs
I‘m here to play tool lol
I have definitively the feeling that i'm getting somewhere. Thx
hey just wondering if you have or can you make a video on the advantages and disadvantages holding your bass at different heights or something of the sort because I've seen bass players playing at a wide variety of heights and I'm always trying different heights to figure out which is best
thanx ☺
Ivy Bauer My First ever lesson covered bass height. 5 years ago now so I might redo it.
That tasty fifth exercise would sound good in a Haken track with a double bass pedal djenting your face off. Nice one!
This guy makes this look so damn easy
Hi, very interesting video. What kind of pick do you use?
thank you so so much for this! Does anyone have any tips about playing using a pick on a fretless bass? I love the tone but as soon as I start using a pick my intonation starts to go a bit and it's going to drive me mad.
Working on picking for a new theatre show I'm performing. Not sure why for me, octaves seem more natural with the opposite strokes, up down.
This is helpful I want to be able to play with a pick like Nikki Sixx
Nice, he’s like a cool guy
Cool love your channel! I made this video to illustrate just playing beat one downstrokes with a pick, hope some will find it useful!
I’m here to try and play Motörhead
I start learning to bass guitar when I was a teenager, about 36 years ago, virtually always playing with a pick. Now I play with my fingers and I've been playing that way for so long I've basically forgotten how to play using a pick comfortably with effective muting technique. I mean, I can mute with my right hand while using a pick but not with the acuity or control like I have playing just with fingers when crossing strings to play more complex parts, not simple Dee Dee Ramone stuff.
Doing the foam mute and pick Carol Kaye style I can do. It's more the fluid rock bass guitar style with pick, like say Noel Redding for a reference, that frustrates me. That's when playing with a pick, an intermediate device, feels too awkward to be fluid.
What the hell man. Why are you the guy I find just before buying a bass. Imma watch you when I get it. I also just watched your other video on the bass explaining strings and things like that
Hi Mark, great lesson, especially the muting technique. But I have a question: how do you play really fast with a pick, for example - major scale up and down? I find it tricky and i can't synchronize the picking hand with fretting hand.
Pavel Makarevich it takes a little time (guitarist btw never not used pick😂) really focus on each string and I know this is cliche but start slow and work your way up
I'm only 3 weeks in, But I only pluck with fingers for now, I Am interested to try out a pick for certain songs when i feel comfortable to try it out
That riff @ 10:00 ca. sounds like Mudshovel by Staind.
@UCDfStxwji-22A_bvY280UIg
You did a good job helping my friend Rob Whitton with learning to use a Pick after an industrial accident which resulted in only the Thumb & Index Finger on the Right Hand.
Phil Lynott used a pick to play all of Thin Lizzy’s bass riffs, could you go over some Thin Lizzy licks so I can get a better idea of how he played those songs?😊
Hi. would you give us some tips for playing gospel??
I play finger style but like a lot the sound of the attack with pick style. My problem is that i´m used muting the strings i´m not playing with the thumb finger, and when i play with the pick there are lots of harmonics sounding around.
So, you are muting the strings that are not played with your left hand fingers, just touching but not pushing them, aren´t you? I don´t speak very well english but i think that is what you explain.
Hey guitarist here, try using th palm of your right hand to mute the strings, or your left (right hand perspective)
How a bout going back-n-forth down stroke G, to upstroke c?
i would give 10000000000000000000000000000000000000 likes on this video cuz of big help LOVE YOU
Would be nice if you could show some close up shots so we can get a good look at what you are doing. Your teaching is great I just feel like I am missing something as to how you are doing what you do.
hey Mark! nice lesson! I play some fast metal stuff but I don’t know what is the best pick thickness for that kind of style. Any advice? Keep on rockin!
Basically get a pick that is as thin as you can without it breaking. I use a 1mm thick one for Rings of Saturn songs if that helps.
I really like picks that aren't flat like guitar picks too it helps a lot
@@Dr.Mrs.Pancakes really? I find it harder to control when the string is released with a light pick cause it bends.
@@reecedeyoung6595 that's too thin, try the next size up if you have access
Im struggling to do the fourth riff with proper muting.
An excellent tutorial. I have a question. Say I'm moving from the E string to the A string in a bar: F F F F F F G A - do I hit the A string on an up stroke or down stroke?
Whichever feels comfortable to you should be fine
6:32... haha nice meme ;-)
Scarborough?
Pär Sundström of Sabaton: ua-cam.com/video/vPbaLrbU6Ho/v-deo.html plays with pick.
And you all know him: Ian Hill of Judas Priest. Two Metal bassists and one of them is famous for being the busiest man alive and the other one is famous for being the bass player of Judas Priest.
Do you use a thin, medium, or heavy pick? Sorry if it was answered in the video as I didn't watch all of it
I'm having buzz problems on every fret on the e string
Jacob Hendrickson try picking a little lighter
I don't play that much with a pick but I use my own technique, the thumb pick technique where u literally just play with thumb, no middle finger.
I must say that I am an absolutely terrible pick player. I found a green thick pick somewhere in my messy apartment and decided to try it out. Yeah. Not ready to try this out live yet.
i believe for guitars there are different thicknesses of pick, is that so for bass too? what is the recommended thickness of pick for bass?
For speed and attack I would recommend about .60 - .98 but for stuff where it's slow but powerful I think around 1.00 to 1.60 is good. this is an old comment but I hope I helped :)
Picks are very cheap, by a set with a range of diff thicknesses and pick what’s right for u
I love how many ways there are to play bass... Even with the DREADED PICK!!! OOOOO!
But seriously, in my old band, my bass was the lead instrument. I played A TON of chords and melody lines... Lots of drones and open notes too to anchor the rhythm while I played a lead line. I blew people away locally, because no one plays like that in my town...
Bass is not for lead
Diego Arcos While most bands have a lead guitarist, there can be a bass lead in some bands as well. A great example of this is Primus. Les Claypool is the lead bassist and he is amazing
@@YMeDoyElLujazo Says who?
@@AlexandarShmex frequencies, It doesn't sound good at all
@@YMeDoyElLujazo What if you play an 8 string bass?
Can someone help me? So I've started to practice with pick and I have hard time reaching the first 3 frets on all of the strings without my wrist hurting. When I play fingerstyle the neck of the bass is way higher almost at 45° so my wrist doesn't bend that much when playing those frets high on the neck. When playing with pick however I find it impossible to hold the bass on a such angles because the pick creates a grinding noise when it isn't hitting the string exactly horizontally.
I would really like to overcome this issue because I prefer sound of a picked bass
I'm just starting out. I've spent several weeks trying to get my bass into a proper position. Not too high or too low. Not too angled or too level. If it isnt, then one wrist or the other becomes painful. What Ive also realized is that even though I have long arms, I have a rotational limitation in both forearms which makes reaching the first couple frets VERY difficult. So, I decided to turn my 34 inch bass into a short scale bass by installing a Shubb Capo on the 2nd fret and re-tuning, making the 3rd fret now the 1st fret etc.
Edit: Also, I pick closer to the neck so I can move the guitar further back which makes it easier to reach frets.
Instead of positioning your bass, try positioning your pick, it should be at an angle toward your picking hand
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How do you not hit the other strings whenever i use a pic on bass its just a load of noise its so frustrating
How do you stop it from spinning in your hand?
If you use a thin pick it'll bend and form itself into your fingers, and be more secure.