💥How To Play Bass With A Pick - A Complete Guide And Practice Method
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 тра 2024
- Playing bass with a pick can be challenging, but we'll look at a complete practice plan that covers how to choose a pick, and the important components of bass picking technique. We'll cover how to practice playing with a pick, and everything you need to know to get your bass pick technique up to shred bass level and beyond.
0:00 - Intro
00:48 - How to choose a pick
04:17 - How to position your picking hand
09:05 - Pick Angling
10:25 - Should You Slant The Pick?
12:56 - Down Picking VS Alternate Picking
17:53 - Getting Pick And Fretting Hand In Sync
Check out @troygrady and Cracking The Code for the best picking deep dive on the web.
Buy me a coffee with crypto!
rodneymcg$paystring.crypto.com
Join me for exclusive content and Livestreams!
www.subscribestar.com/rodneymcg
/ rodneymcg
**************************
Find my new reviews and content at:
www.guitarinteractivemagazine...
**************************
New bass solo and lesson!
• 💥Metal Bass Solo and L...
**************************
**************************
Find my content on your other favorite platforms!
www.bitchute.com/channel/3zCW...
lbry.tv/@RodneyMcG:a
**************************
Getting ready to release your music? Get with DistroKid!
Get 7% off your DistroKid 1 Year membership with this link!
distrokid.com/vip/McG
Join the Metal Bass Mosh Pit!
/ 2658249681123573
My Spotify - open.spotify.com/user/391896b...
*******************
CONTACT
*******************
For Lessons, Inquiries and Gear Reviews, contact me at Rodney@RodneyMcG.com
Visit me on my webpage - www.RodneyMcG.com
Join me on Instagram at - RodneyMcG
Join me on Facebook at - www.Facebook.com/RodneyMcG
I've been playing bass for 9 years, and I still struggle with fast alternate picking, prolly cause I like hitting the strings with the pick parallel to them... I'll try the slant and diagonal picking thing just for that. This channel is GOLD for us metal bassists, thank you so much ^^
Glad you enjoyed it!
I play a 1985 Warlock - primarily with a pick. I get a lot of guff on my UA-cam channel from the "purists" out there who don't believe there's a place for picks anytime or maybe just for certain genres of music (but definitely not Geezer, Harris, Geddy Lee, etc). Anyway, I don't believe in right or wrong when it comes to that subject. I really love the attack sound of a pick on properly EQd and compressed bass signals. So, I began using teardrop medium picks and then experimenting with heavy. I really helped my versatility the most by switching to triangle-shaped picks. I use heavy gauge (1.0mm and up), but the reason I love them so much is that there's a square mile of real estate to work with. By varying my finger grip placement on the pick, I can get more or less flex and I can hold my hand up a bit higher to attack the 1st and 2nd strings without much arm movement across the guitar body. Plus, I can change it all up on the fly!!! An added benefit is when sweat becomes an issue, you've got room to slip and even switch to another one of the 3 pick points without missing a beat (most times LOLOl).
decided to switch to pick playing for my personal preference recently (as i was a guitar player before and i like the pick tone better on bass). this video helped thanks!
Thank you for your video
I have been playing bass for five years now
Never played an instrument before
I am in a band called
Long Shadows
Every bit of knowledge is priceless
I use both fingers and pick
I was finding some picks scratchy now I know why
You have helped me so much with this video
Thank you
Josephine 💜
Your amazing
One thing I realized is that some basses are a bit more pick friendly than others as far as ergonomics is concerned. For example, I find Precision basses to be great for pick playing because there are fewer things that get in the way. On the other hand, Jazz basses seem to be ergonomically better for finger playing because you have two pickups where you can anchor your thumb (if you use that method). Of course, there are also other things to consider when choosing the right tool for the job.
Good points
I love the fende Ps. It sounds and plays fucking awesome with a pick. Sounds great overdriven too.
Makes no difference what bass you play, all are good with or without a pick
Amazing video, the slant picking has improved my playing almost immediately! Such a good tutorial
Glad it helped!
After watching this I tried a thin pick on my precision bass and I found that I liked it a lot on that. Thanks a lot!
Glad something new worked out for you
Biggest piece of advice I can offer, LIGHTEN UP! I started as a pick player and I would DEATH GRIP the pick. Once I joined my first band, we were playing fast metal songs and I found my hand instantly cramping up when I tried to keep up. So I switched to fingerstyle and that helped, just recently I switched back to pick to get a more crushing and consistent sound, and so I could properly keep up with the guitars. I now grip the pick very lightly and use a thicker pick, 1mm or higher. Not only do I get a super consistent tone when I pick near the bridge, but it's effortless and my hand isn't cramping up. I'm playing faster than I did with fingers. Gonna try out some jazz III shapes and see how I do.
Massive force is definintely more of a hindrance than an advantage. You can also get just as crushing and consistant tone from fingers if you want, though😉
I'm with you in terms of revelation around lightening up and loosening up....everything from griping the pick to the tension throughout my arm and shoulder
Yup I came to the same realization... you just don't need to hammer every note you play....I use a lighter touch at times and it really helps... there's also the angle of the pick and sinking the tip into your grip. The way I see it , it is not a sprint, it is a marathon, you need to learn how to be efficient
@@iamgribs exactly
I definitely agree. I discovered decades ago that I could be more articulate using a heavy pick with a lighter grip.
Well, we all love Davey 504's channel. Very funny guy. But Rodney delivers the goods on bass playing - better than pretty much everyone else .
Some of us have blocked Davie long ago.
Jesters vs. Wizards
No we don’t all love Davey. His channel is terrible.
Thanks for this awesome video. I started to learn the bass just over 2 years ago. So far I have been more comfortable with plucking and avoided a pick, but recently been trying some songs that I really need a pick. I really appreciate your guidance to experiment.
Great lesson Rodney pick style will be new for me and I will certainly give it a shot, good to see you again
Pretty much when I got my first bass I was a pick player. Read a Jason Newsted interview and remember him saying how James had said that he had to "get that down picking down." Stuck with me for years (I would play Master of Puppets at tempo with all down strokes and guitar players would just stare). Now I have changed to a bit more of a Lemmy/alternate picking style in my old age ( just cant keep it going like I used too...it happens to all of us) and just enjoying being able to play.
The first picks I gravitated to I guess would be slightly on the heavy side (1.00mm) but I have gone to a more jazz 3 style point. No idea why but those are just feel best.
I get you on the sharper point. It made a big difference with me.
I love this!!!!! Thank you for thinking of us!
Been meaning to get to it. Glad you enjoyed it.
Watching now!! 🤘🏼
Thank you! This is a great tutorial! I used to play fingerstyle, but for my band playing with a pick sounds better. Your tutorial helps me a lot, thank you so much 😊
Ok, hello me, meet the real me. I'm back with more ramblings.
The whole pick slant thing is a huge help. And this helps prevent fatigue. Efficiency is the name of the game.
Another thing I am beginning to use to my advantage is palm muting. This is a very helpful way to reduce noise and unwanted notes , by palm muting the set of strings you want to go quiet. I am trying to play some songs with a pick that i used to only play with fingers (rnb/funk) and unwanted noise is the biggest challenge. A good example is the intro for "The Trooper". The E and A string are not used for most of this passage so my palm is clamped down on top of those strings.
Also...... don't forget the upstroke. You can get an aggressive sound with these too, not just downstrokes.
Last....try playing along to rnb/funk/hiphop .. great way to clean up your playing. The bass has no where to hide. No drums and guitars to hide your mistakes!!!!!
great lesson thank you
Thank you Rodney!
My pleasure!
I like Jason newsted using pick on bass I need practice just like him
Super helpful tips. Thanks so much!
Glad it was helpful!
Great video! I always make sure to stack up on the blue tortex 1.0mm picks whenever I'm visiting music stores, those are my faves
Good choice!
I like those too, i really like 1.14 (purple). I tried the green one (.90) and i hated it, not for me, way too much give
Orange tortex works nicely for me, can't remember the exact size but they're nice but for slower stuff I really enjoy the Ernie Ball Prodigies. I have both thicknesses in the sharp shape. They work great for chuggy, heavy sort of stuff but the 2mm ones really lend themselves to heavier stuff. A niche market for sure. But I like them :)
How To Play Bass With A Pick.......dont
I been into Punk most my life and definately use a pick. It sounds way better and is way precise as opposed to fingers, for metal also. Plus looks way cooler......with only exceptions being Frank Bello and Steve Harris. Cliff Burton being more hippie- prog (In a good way though for Burton, as he wasn't a "Thrash Guy" but into Prog....why he was a one of a kind on the Thrash Scene).....well, of course Geezer
Thank you Rodney!!!
You are most welcome!
My goodness this video beats all others I've watched! You helped me so much! Feeling Blessed right now!
Glad it helped!
The game ahcnager for me was at some point early on I decided to use a pick. Maybe before I could hardly even play. I suppose I was able to develop some picking ability far faster then the fingers. So I went with that. At the same time I always also played around with the fingers. By default you sometimes grab your bass and get into your pocket only to find you don't have a pick on your person. And going to get one for a 30 second idea or whatever is the reason you picked up the bass led to finger playing. If you want to develope your pick hand I always suggest getting your British Steel CD out and learning all the songs. The Stamina required will dictate proper placement and technique to get through the song. It will hurt as you build the stamina needed but that is normal.
Thanks so much for this video! Jazz 3 is the weapon. You can get that 70s prog tone
For recording I use Dunlop Herco picks , Thatis nylon picks with sharp edge, really good bass sound with punch. For live tortex cut through every metal mix.
Downpicking on the bass is my speciality :).
Everyone of this man's videos has a tremendous amount of bass insight. I've found a .60 pick works the best . Even though I'm using finger style 95 percent of the time . He's right when stating using more attack is better served with a lighter pick . More give and still has tremendous attack . After playing almost a year straight I'm not on this level obviously but speed picking and galloping rhythms really work well for the .60 or .70 plectrums .
Great video! A big help for me was playing down at the bridge and essentially anchoring my hand there, & i use the thinnest picks I can get, prefer the tone and the ability to play aggressively, for me anyway
Great tip!
You honor me. Thank you.
Loving your channel! I've been playing the bass for approx25 years and I play both with fingers and a pick. I've played in rock, metal, punk, pop, reggae, and indie bands while at the same time in cover/tribute bands. I use both fingers and pick extensively in the cover/tribute bands. Overall, I find that I prefer the pick for the more aggressive genres and fingers for everything else, part of the reason is the general volume and tone I'm going for, and the tempo and feel of the songs. After breaking my middle finger on the right hand some years ago, I lost a bit of function in that finger which limits the speed at which I can play, however, this is not an issue with a pick. In addition, I've been learning to play guitar in the last 2 years (covid woodshedding ) and that's greatly improved my picking technique for both guitar and bass. I have more control and developed a more dynamic touch overall, and obviously, it's something that's improved both hands. I find that I now need a softer pick for the bass and a harder one for the guitar, in order to control the dynamics and overall tone. I'm still experimenting with different pick thicknesses and shapes, they each have their pros and cons, it's trial and error at this point.
It's all personal preference, no rules. Good for you for finding your own way.
Great, great video. Greetings from Puerto Rico.
Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers from Detroit!
Great video.
Glad you enjoyed it
The meshuggah signature picks are perfect for bass. 1mm and crazy good grip
Thanks Rodney, excellent video and full of good information. For me it came down to making a decision to commit to pick playing and slowly and steadily keep working through the challenges. Pick type, was a big step when I realised , and as you clearly pointed out, is such a big factor… for me I also pushed into going for a clean sound, roll off the bass a bit … And going to 10 inch speakers, down from 12 … and then realising what aspects of my tone do I like and what don’t I like …. Nothing against finger style, by any means , but for me I realised, playing pick here and there was not a way to go… once I jumped in, is when I started to make progress…. I think you make a very important point for the pick angle. So thank you and thumbs up from me.
Good for you for really analyzing your playing and finding what is right for you. Few people seem to do it anymore.
Hey Rodney !! What great topic and what a great video , i mostly apply all of the stuff you mentioned but it took around 25 years to figure out all those things , if i would've have UA-cam back in the day , i agree with everything you said , i game changer for me and it was just a couple of years ago was holding the pic with my hand close like a fist 👊 kind of like yo hold it in the video , before i use to hold it la ellefson with the others 3 fingers tha are free really stretch and it put lot of tension in my hand , hold it like a fist and good anchor it game more groove as well , i took it from bobby Vega , it was really a game changer also recently i started choking the pic a little bit and i started using Dunlop sharp point , it's feels better than ever , i wish I have the time machine and re do everything i did in the past with this technique , love your channel keep up the good work
Ooohh by the way playing bass with a pic waaa waaaa that's not real bass waaa waaa 😫😫 fucking turds 🤣😂
Well, that's how things eveolve. We learn as we go, and pass it on so others can get the benefit of our time. Glad your playing has stepped up. And yeah, lots of waaaa to go around!
I think the "punch the bass" thing sounds awesome. Gravitated to that straight away. I am going to pick up some jazz3 picks and drive it for a bit. Thank you very much for this.
I hope it gives you a good kick start
@@RodneyMcG already has brother.
I love any content showcasing pick playing and improving technique
Glad to hear it! Hope it helps.
@@RodneyMcG I am a 97% pick player. But I am always wanting to improve my technique to get more efficient with my picking.
I use my bridge as an anchor to pick and for palm muting. I also use a 2.0 mini stubby pick for efficiency and comfort.If my I wanted to change my tone, I will change to an 0.96mm dunlop or the other way to a 3.0 big stubby.
I just wish the stigma didn't exist of bass players should only use fingers.
The stigma really only exists around douchebags and people who have nothing else to cling on to in their lives. I actually appreciate when people make dumb statements like that, because it helps me weed out who not to have conversations with! I only very rarely play with a pick, but it's just a way of getting the job done. I always have a good time asking those same people if they'd like to tear down the reputation of Carol Kaye, Bobby Vega, Phil Lesh, Chris Squire, and the rest of the heroes they often seem to enjoy. Tends to shut them up pretty quick.
@@RodneyMcG I am in agreement. Picking is my preferred style. My previous job was a paramedic and my plucking hand was also the hand that I am dominant for IV starts and vein searches. I hated having calluses on those fingers as I had trouble with getting a good feel of things. And now that I'm retired as a medic, I am trying to learn to play some songs with fingers but the endurance on the fingers suck. But a great deal of my tone and soundis in my pick.
I have Jason Newsted, David Ellefson and paul McCartney to thank for the influence.
@@firemedic105ns You could do a lot worse on influences
Love the tee-shirt. I reckon you're probably right. Pretty sure my parents didn't know Kung-Fu. I wasn't born yet so maybe there's a secret cabal of disco-dancing Kung-Fu fighters in my family but I seriously doubt it.
Or your parents secretly were Kung Fu monks, sworn to secrecy, and you have yet to discover you are the "Chosen One" - the ultimate master of the form? I'm going with that just because it sounds awesome.
Great video! When I'm using a pick, which is almost half the time, I have been using the ol' red Jim Dunlop Jazz III's for years. I can't really use anything else. Anything else feels like a margarine lid. ;-)
😂😉
Dude you have amazing videos !!! I’ll revisit trying to play with a pick my hand just doesn’t have the muscle for it.
Thanks, glad you're enjoying it. Picking shouldn't be about sheer force or muscle. I would take a look at the amount of pressure you're using and see if you can try a bit more finesse. Especially when I'm playing fast, my hand is just doing a very quick twitch. You don't have to beat the hell out of the bass to be effective. I know tons of well-respected players who can out pick me any day of the week who uses an even lighter touch than I do. It's about dexterity not Brute Force. Good luck!
I've been playing fingerstyle for more than 50 years and decided to start using a pick for sound variety. I bought thin, medium, and thick picks but I have the problem of them slipping, sliding, and rotating. So I picked up (ha) some thumb picks. I hold it like a regular pick but I never drop it! I have a Dunlop which is a heavy (1.0+ mm) pick and a Slick Pick (.88 mm-ish). I sanded down the latter to about a .73mm-ish thickness and I'm trying to use that.
Love the shirt. And the bass. Looks like a cross between a Schecter Riot and an Ibanez BTB
Thanks. It's a Peavey B Quad bass. They are pretty killer.
Ok so one thing that has helped is being disciplined with the warmup. Otherwise my wrist will lock up. I always whip out the metronome, do downpicking, alt picking, and the gallops. I rinse and repeat at higher and higher tempos until failure. It's obviously for the timing but it gets me loose which is super important. Then scales, chromatics etc.
As far as mechanics go.. i often like to pin my hand to the bridge in most situations ala Ellefson. I find i am most in control there. But it depends what is happening. Sometimes i will "punch down" to give some notes emphasis or float over the bridge when doing that buzzsaw alt picking. In any case i am always over the bridge pickup. I like the clarity.
The pick placement is a big one. If speed is what I'm after i will sink the tip down, although i may not have the same kind of attack. If i want to really smack it, i will have more of the pick exposed, it makes a bigger impact.
Generally it is tortex 1.14 (purple) but i am trying other gages. The lighter green one, i hated it. 1mm blue was okay.
Great contribution
I've wanted a thumb rest a long time to finger play by the bridge for a while. Now seeing the use or need for a body extension beside the strings for pic muting is sensible. Really having the slab body is outdated and having the whole upper half of the body be thicker for thumb or wrist support would be a great evolution in bass for the 21st century.
A soft pick is excellent for fast metal bass. You can play through the strings easily and get an even sound.
With my fender type basses it's more the bridge / palm muting style. My Sandberg is almost the same but I tend to rest my pinky on the body by the g string . My RIC is hard to use the pick with , I think its the top of the bass body the hard binding and edge.
Picks I experiment , I like the big stubby , the triangular V-pick and the standard Fender types in med ,hvy and x-hvy.
The reason why I use the pick mostly is that my index and middle finger sound different ( finger style mainly index) and more ability to spread the muting more between 2 hands
I LOVE pick playing even though 3/4 of the time I use fingers. Alternative picking most of the time (due to 1. How I was told to start with 2. Speed). Used to prefer thicker picks but now I prefer something like .73, which goes “past” strings more like fingers, feels more “interaction” instead of “fight against” (I hope this makes sense).
Instrument wise, I feel some basses call for pick playing more than others, like Spector and Dingwall.
Might prefer .40-.100 for picking instead of .45-.105
Not sure if this is a game changer (yet), but it opens a new world to me when I find Steve Swallow. (And later, Chales Benavent)
Electric bass is rare enough in jazz, not to mention using a brass pick! His emphasis on upstrokes also have me rethink about my playing.
Last but not the least, Rodney, I have so much fun watching your videos. They are all great, especially for metal players 🤘🤘🤘
Great comment, and glad your enjoying the videos!
I love your page. I think it depends how hard you play with fingers. But I found for me Riversong 1.0 wood composite. Honestly it sounds like you’re still using fingers. For me it’s important I do want the pick to sound like flesh
I use Big Stubby’s and Jumbo Flow 2.5’s. Even on guitar actually. As I progressed over time, I found that I’m more comfortable with slightly beefier picks. My hands tend to sweat a lot in general too, only God knows why, so with bigger picks I can really hold on to them without them slowly rotating in my hand. I also play with my picks at like a 45 degree angle. Again why I like Big Stubby’s. They slide off the strings nice and smooth because of how rounded and smooth they are, and the contours/grooves for your fingers give you solid points for your fingers to anchor in them. I cant recommend them enough, especially if you play on extended range basses. As for picking, I use both styles depending on what I’m playing and I’ll switch back and forth. Probably not the best habit, but it’s comfortable for me. I really do need to learn some music theory though. I’ve always slowly taught myself songs, or wrote my own by ear. If I can hear it in my head or in an actual song, I’ll eventually learn it, but dont talk to me about notes, scales, out sheet music in front of me or anything like that cause i’ll be lost lol I honestly just wing it and focus more on having fun than being amazing at it. I just think of things that I want to learn and try figuring it out for a bit. I do like seeing other people’s approaches though, even if I dont plan on doing it myself. I think it’s interesting to see what works for different people.
Big Stubby picks are the go to guitar pick and very usable on bass
The BIG STUBBY is the first time I ever loved immediately after many years of playing and became about the only pick I ever want to use anymore! For Bass I'm in agreement with this vudeo
As a player who started with a pick, I've used both for different types. Normally I use .88 dunlops. But if I want a more "finger" type sound, I used thicker picks like jazz 3 picks. So I use it for sounds. I can used any pick as light as .73 to as heavy as 3mm. So overall if you playing maiden or something with a pick, use a thicker pick if your fingers aren't ready.
I agree
Nolly also gave some practical tipps on pick playing on SBL. You can watch some clips for free here in UA-cam. The Troy Grady stuff was immensely helpful. Map your playing wisely at home, have more fun on stage.
Last thing I discovered was, you probably want to raise your action a little bit more compared to finger style striking in metal to have a good note definition and sustain :) at least this was my experience
white Tortex sharp - more grip than jazz, but still razor precision.
Duff of GNR uses a lot of ghost notes before the downbeat, and uses an upstroke for that, and then goes into downpicking when he doesn’t use ghost notes- I can’t seem to get that down- any tips?
Do you set-up your basses for pick the same way as for fingers? Do you have as low action as possible even with pick?
Usually pick will be set higher as the string travel is different and more likely to fret out
Is it a problem if you use your fingers as a point of balance? When I play I often have my arm resting normally but I notice myself using my pinky and ring fingers to kind of balance my pick movement
I've seen players like John Petrucci and Michael Angelo Batio do it, so I think you're in good company!
When playing gallops, what's your prefered pick pattern?
Down. Down-Up
Down. Down-Up
Down. Down-Up
Or do you strictly alternate pick:
Down Up-Down
Up Down-Up
Down. Up-Down
To me, the first approach sounds more consistent, so that's my tactic. Am I losing too much speed wise because I'm not picking with a pure alternating pattern 🤔?
As always, thanks for this great content
I usually do a quick wrist snap using down up down
@@RodneyMcG that's the approach I'm practicing.
Thanks for the response and happy new year 🎉
@@matthewbeckwith663 good luck with the practice, and happy New Year to you too.
I often do the first one but it's a motherfucker. . I always need to warm this up with metronome drills. That said one thing that helps is "punching down" on the first note of the gallop .
DOWN down up DOWN down up
Using the wrist exclusively is extremely tough so i punch down on the first note with the forearm .......the others i hit lighter
@@iamgribs punching down as you described is a good way to create accents. I'll keep that in mind
Im very mew to bass about a week in i can easily follow 8 note patterns on my fingers and either really slow or really fast its the control of it thats my holy grail i cant purposely do the ace of spades riff which is my white whale i van do it too fast or too slow
It sounds like there's some sort of change in your technique that's happening as you speed up. you might want to try with a metronome and move up in small increments and it could help you discover what the problem is.
@@RodneyMcG thank you for the advice I'm now about a month and change in doing much better I play and upload stuff I'm far from good but I'm uploading my progress got about 60+ songs done now but no ace of spades yet haha
Good to hear! Very cool that you're doing the uploads, having accountability and putting things out there is a big motivator. best of luck.
SINNER!!!! 🤣
😂😂
What bass is that? Carbon neck?
It's a Peavey B Quad, Modulus graphite neck.
@@RodneyMcG ahh the Bromberg bass. Remember them from the adds of Bass Player. Sweet
Paradoxically, Dave Ellefson's "right hand technique" got him kicked out of Megadeth lol
Oof
Oh my god
That's a lot of damage
Ouch😵
😂
When i use a pick i use a small pick tear drop made from coins
The old Billy Gibbons maneuver
@@RodneyMcG for sure actually met him as a youngin.kinda stcuk with me
Se dice que suena brillante, pero en realidad tocar con púa es una aberración contra el bajo. Tocar con dedos es la mayor gracia del instrumento.
Tell that to the countless professionals who earn a living playing bass with a pick.
You don't need to look far for examples.
"Pick illegal!" - Davie504 -
"Breaking The Law"- Rob Halford
Step 1: don’t. ;)
Why?
@@misterauctor7353 multitiude of reasons. 1. It’s easier to play faster if you know how to do the finger pick thing 2. String skipping/arpeggios and chords 3. You’re not a guitarist.
@@theopinson3851 1. You can still fo that with a pick
2. Read 1.
3. Justin Chancellor might want to talk to you.
How to play bass with a pick step one: Don't.
How to have weird allegiances that don't matter to anybody except you, step one. Don't.
@@RodneyMcG Debatable
Come on! I'm long-term fingerstyle bassist but many of my favourite bassists play with a pick, its totally legit.
I've yet to hear any of these religious nutjobs ever actually justify why they are against pick playing or fingerstyle. And no, "because you're not supposed to" is not a valid point. It's not a point at all.
You sound like a lot of fun. Good luck on working gigs where the bandleader will sometimes ask for pick playing.