How to Play Bass With a Pick (from an ex-Pick Hater)
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- Опубліковано 21 тра 2022
- 👉 My full beginner bass course: yeah.bassbuzz.com/pick
Real bassists don’t use picks… except for when they do (a lot). Let’s bust this myth and find out how to play bass with a pick.
By the end of this lesson you’ll be able to answer these questions when your dumb (but endearing) friends ask you them:
- Okay seriously, do legit bassists use a pick?
- Why in god’s name would you want to use a pick?
- Picking the right pick (so you can pick while you pick)
- How to hold these weird little triangles
- Basic bass picking technique
- Different (pick) strokes for different (bass) folks
You read all the way through this video description… you must really like bass lessons. Subscribe so you don’t miss the next one - yeah.bassbuzz.com/subscribe
#PickBassLesson #HowToPlayBassWithAPick #PickVsFingers #ComeAtMeBro
I play both and I must disagree...it is way harder to mute when playing with a pick...it's mostly fret hand muting and it takes way more practice than walking the strings with your fingers IMO.
Fingerstyle i actually mute a lot with my right hand...a slight touch with one finger after i smashed it is all i need and my fret hand is free to change. I actually use both hands at different moments to mute, and using a pick, i feel my right hand is useless to mute. Prob need to work on my technique, cause my palm muting just kills everything dead, i hate the sound i make
Hey Aaron! Totally agree, muting is harder while using the pick (and slapping, for similar reason). I think it's easier *at first* because beginners aren't focusing much on muting anyway.
@@BassBuzz Yeah, that makes sense! It's one of those things that seems easier that is actually harder to be proficient at.
Yeap, picking might seem easier when starting, but it does gets a lot harder on the long run. I'm also a finger style player and only recently have I dared to start using the pick a lot more in determined songs again. I find that with the pick it is much harder to maintain a steady rhythmn and consistent volume. But I totally agree with those bigger transients and the thinner tone definitely helps to pierce through the mix in a loud rock setting. e.g. those riding triplets in The Final Countdown are much harder than the ones in The Trooper (pick vs fingers)
Its not hard at all. Use the tops of your non pick holding fingers between the knuckles to mute.
Playing with a pick is a skill on its own. Not everyone can do it well.
Yeah, honestly as someone who learned finger first I find it way more difficult, mainly because of the muting technique needed.
@@benmakestalkies same
@@benmakestalkies palm muting helps with this issue
@@benmakestalkies Yep!
Why it’s easier
"When guitar players pick up the bass and pretend that they can play it..."
I think it's worth repeating that line 😅
I like to pick up their guitars and play them like a bass . Lol
@@rdhudon7469 lmao, i grab a guitar and i get amazed how many frets i can cover with my fingers
It’s amazing how guitar players think they can “play” bass because they can play guitar. (I’m referring to those who have never even touched a bass. When they say they can play it and want to fill in and completely suck. Behind on timing and extremely noisy.)
Sure Paul McCartney got better at bass after switching to bass. He was probably around one and had messed with one on occasion. I didn’t say guitarist shouldn’t play bass either. Just get familiar with it before acting like you can fill in as a bassist.)
@@Really_is_all_about_the_Bass: Yeah, just what the HELL was that Paul McCartney kid thinking when he put down his guitar and took over for Stu Sutcliffe on bass?
I can play bass better than most bassists can play guitar. But I do own a few.
This is great. There isn't enough pick specific bass content on UA-cam. The one topic you missed is muting the unplayed strings which is so much harder when playing with a pick.
It's actually easier to dampen when playing with a pick, than when playing with fingers. I've been playing with a pick since 1981. Do I win the internet today? Ha! The part of your hand that you would use to karate chop a brick... that part is constantly touching/moving across the strings as you pick... automatically dampening unplayed strings. And for further damping... I use the technique of leaving my hand open, with the pinky, ring and middle fingers 'uncurled' and laid across the strings lightly...Some pick players like Paul McCartney keep their fingers curled in.. still the 'karate chop' portion of your hand will dampen unplayed strings.
@@Bultacoproteenie Depends upon style. I like the aggressive sound of plucking at an acute angle with the pick, like shown in the video. That takes my palm up instead of down on the strings.
@@Bultacoproteenie I definitely wouldn't say it's easier with a pick than with fingers. With fingers you can rest your picking hand thumb on the low strings and the high strings are easily muted by the fretting hand...that's it, no awkward hand positions. When playing with a pick there isn't a simple formula I've found that works for every situation. I sometimes palm with the picking hand, sometimes I end up doing awkward fretting hand things like wrapping my thumb around or sticking out my middle finger to mute the low strings. .
Not really, use your thumb. That's what I do.
@@violencefight9557 it's pretty much the same thing with a pick - rest the fleshy part of your picking hand on the strings "below" the one you're playing (i.e the thicker ones) and let your fretting hand handle the "higher" ones, so you're basically surrounding the string you're playing. Like palm muting but for the lower strings, and your hand can be anywhere, just resting against them. It can feel really natural just because of the way you hold a pick, and your hand doesn't need to change shape
e- just grabbed a pick and it's more like resting the heel of your palm on the strings than the side sometimes, depends which string you're playing - still just the basic idea of letting your hand stay in contact with the strings all the time. You can change your pick grip to angle it and stuff, there's a lot you can do!
I started out as a pick player because I was inspired by Jason Newsted. Over the years though, I've learned to play fingerstyle and appreciate both styles. I still use them both to this day and for me, it's really just about what serves the song or what sounds good to your ear. We're all bassists, my brothers and sisters. Let's find a common ground.
for me i started to play with pick bcz i was inspired by lemmy kilmister.
How were you inspired by a bass you couldn't hear
I’ve found singing comes easier when playing with a pick. Most bass players that also sing lead tend to play with a pick. As a kid, playing with my fingers I found it impossible to even talk while playing with my fingers, even a one word answer to a question. It’s like a mental block, strange when you first realize it.
I guess because there is a higher cognitive load whenyou need to coordinate all fingers compared to using a pick... Using a pick involves "less" coordination between fingers, saving you cognitive power to coordinate your speech... that's my theory from a cognitive perspective..
I found string dampening a _lot_ more tricky when using a pick. Fingerstyle has me resting all of my fingers on the strings anyway, making it much easier to avoid unwanted ringing.
I was actually the opposite. I found rolling the pinky side of my palm down the strings playing with a pick was way easier to consistently mute. It just clicked better for me. I'm still working on better muting with plucking.
I agree. Palm muting takes very little effort when I play with a pick
When using a pick I do most of my string dampening with my fretting hand.
It's actually easier to dampen when playing with a pick, than when playing with fingers. I've been playing with a pick since 1981. Do I win the internet today? Ha! The part of your hand that you would use to karate chop a brick... that part is constantly touching/moving across the strings as you pick... automatically dampening unplayed strings. And for further damping... I use the technique of leaving my hand open, with the pinky, ring and middle fingers 'uncurled' and laid across the strings lightly...Some pick players like Paul McCartney keep their fingers curled in.. still the 'karate chop' portion of your hand will dampen unplayed strings.
@@Bultacoproteenie yep
I started playing bass with a pick after listening to "apettite for destruction" at the age of 14. I still love Duff's tone.
A big part of Duff's tone is the bass he used. It was a Fender jazz special. I got mine the same time he did (probably for the same reason, we were all broke and it was a great affordable bass...I paid $250) to this day it's my absolute favorite bass. Only now it never leaves my house.
Here's another fun pick tonal variation option: How tightly you grip the pick. Varying your grip allows you to fine tune the attack component of the pick. There's a nice range available between pick-hits-the-floor and deathgrip.
I play songs that are meant to be played with fingers with a light pick at borderline pick hits the floor, and lowering the attack basically creates a similar sound to playing with fingers.
Great video, Josh! I was snobby about picks as well until I realized there's some types of playing that require picks and once you get past the stigma, you improve in both finger and pick. But you forgot one important thing!
Once you drop a pick, don't bother looking for it. Once a pick touches the ground, it is sent to oblivion and it's never going to be seen again 😂
They're all hiding in a black hole somewhere with my other sock and my Chrono Trigger SNES cartridge...
@@BassBuzz lmao ... Chrono Trigger has some COOL bass lines in it, imho! In fact, one of the first bass lines I ever learned to play was the one from the "undersea palace" score 🤘
btw, as for dropping picks, just use super glue on your thumb! ... (my guitarist buddy tried that once when we were in 7th grade... 🤭 results were; it's a TERRIBLE idea! lmao) ***Definitely DO NOT do!***
They bounce like a goddamn football lmfao
If I’m covering songs I play how the recording bassist plays. If I’m writing original parts…I still use both hahaha. I encourage everyone to do both! Even for guitar!
I do the same.
As a former guitarist, back in the 90s. Up until a few years ago I always wanted to learn bass. Newsted, Steele(RIP), and Elifson are a huge part of me wanting to learn it.
Picked up.a Yamaha this past week.
Soaking up this channel like a sponge. Practicing about an hour to two hours a day.
Thank you.
Sweet, enjoy. I can recommend the Beginner to Badass course Josh made. I had played guitar a bit and decided to play bass as well. The course has helped with both instruments.
NOT ENOUGH TIME!!! PLAY 8 TO 10 HRS. PER DAY!!! YES, I'M YELLING AT YOU!!
R.I.P Peter Steele. One of my all time favorites
I'm firmly convinced that playing both made me better at both. Focusing on basslines made my guitar riffs better, I actually prefer to write riffs on bass now, and I am already comfortable playing arpeggios and soloing on a bass. Suddenly became a huge Cliff Burton enjoyer. Knowing both made me better at songwriting as well.
Because there is a big difference in the sound of pick down stroking and alternate picking you can combine the two in base parts to sculpt and craft the coolest sound.
As all my favorite bassists use Picks (Newsted, and Ellefson) I only play with a pick. Personally its the only bass sound I like. (I use a .88 Tortex Triangle personally)
Yeah you need a pic for that sort of music otherwise you don't cut through as the guitars have so much bass already. My favourites too
@@hagwagtoob
You can get a tone like that using fingers too.
@@marcopollo8820
I use wooden picks, or Jazz Is.
Comments like this and the ones from my band mates makes me think that I'm the only one using the .73 tortex for bass.
I’ve always played with my fingers, even when playing Megadeth songs. Nothing against the pick, I just can’t get the same precision.
There was a John Paul Jones video interview where he said he preferred the sound of the pick's attack over fingerstyle sound. Let me rephrashe that, the bass god that recorded things like Lemon Song or Ramble On with his fingers, said he preferred the pick (with which he played power chords in Heartbreaker and clunky gallops in Achilles' Last Stand).
Some of that comes from a time when monitoring was less than reliable. You definitely get more mid presence with a pick. The further you are from you amp or wedge the harder it is to hear and feel the bass. Some songs need it, others it's definitely optional. IEMs help.
And the chords on Whole Lotta Love.
I've seen that JPJ video as well. How fascinating was that? Yes he says the pick makes it sound more percussive 👌💃
Sure, JPJ was one of the best, but THE best plays with fingers...
Geddy, obviously
@loosetube5417 who was inspired by Chris Squire
I am a 75% pick player. It has become a key part of the sound I love to have. I used to be almost completely pick but have practiced more with fingers because of the difference in tone but for playing.
Personally will still be a pick player for the majority of the time as that is my truest love of sound.
Can't beat the tone
@@fivestring65ify nope. I absolutely love my tone using a pick. I feel like I can play any number of styles with a pick but may experiment more with different pick types. Just for tonal fun lol
The sound is what keeps me using a pick. I can play with my fingers just fine, but I want to hear that picked bass sound, and only use fingers for a few specific songs. The sound of Krist Novaselic's picked bass is what made me want to be a musician in the first place.
OMG thank you so much for this vid! I've been fretting about how hard it is for me to play with a pick - I'm left-handed and play a right-handed bass so literally holding a pick is disorienting but I've never had an issue using my fingers. But Peter Hook is my ultimate sound aspiration so I'm committed to figuring this out. I was JUST googling tips a week ago and was disappointed you didn't have a comprehensive vid! Thank you for hearing my prayer!!! (Also I'm currently in your course and love it BTW! You rock!)
Best video on the subject on UA-cam. Clear, fun, straight to the point, with footage of experts to show the variety of techniques. 👏👏👏
I have only watched 3 or 4 of these videos and my bass skills have improved 10x already, Got blisters on both hand now but progressing nicely TY.
I'm 61 years old and have been playing bass most of my life with a pick. I don't even remember why. I use an extra heavy pick and I hold it "sideways". I don't remember why or when I started doing it that way. I do play with my fingers sometimes but it's just not natural for me. I still play the bars in the Tampa area and still love it. New to the channel, love it so far!
Just a trick I learned few years back: use a finger pick (a pick with a looping part wrapping around your thumb) would really help to alternate between using pick and plucking during a song. It takes some times to get use to it, but it really helps if you want to play several dinamics in a song. And also, if I play next song which doesn't require pick, I can quickly clip the pick on my strap (I use thick leather strap so the pick hold nicely)
Good idea, but they’re called thumb picks.
The best Thumb Pick player I've ever seen: the bass player in the Knack that recorded My Sharona...!! He is AWESOME with a thumb pick!! Check him out, he's still active and plays sometimes with new wave 80s bands. Check this vid.. scroll across to 1:40 and watch him demonstrate how he played on My Sharona.. Cool!!!
ua-cam.com/video/OHahbtMoZC4/v-deo.html
@@jarretjohnston5287 Thanks for the correction!!! :D
I used a thumb pick for almost 20 years. When I started playing, I would grip the pick too tightly and my hand would cramp. Plus I would drop the pick. I switched to a thumb pick and pretty much had the same one for 20 years. Definitely takes a little getting used to and I guess I developed my own style because of it. Also, when I did eventually learn to play with my fingers, I could use both during the same song. The past several years, I've gone to regular nylon picks.
You are the best teacher ever. And this video came out of nowhere right when I needed it the most. Up till now I used my index finger nail as a pick with decent results, but keeping that nail in shape is really hard. Thank you BassBuzz Josh.
Guitarist James Williamson (The Stooges) would consistently wear down his index fingernail.
Now when JW plays he glues on a fake fingernail, and files it to the right shape. Give it a slot.
It may work for you
I started on bass back in the late seventies, high school times, and my heroes were Chris Squire, Greg Lake, Paul McCartney, and John Entwistle. The Ox used his fingers as much as a pick, if not more. Geddy Lee and Billy Sheehan were finger guys that I’d listen to at some later point but they came after my original pick group. I’ve learned to use my fingers but I agree that it was much more challenging, having started with a pick.
This was a great video and I’d say to anyone who wants to start learning bass, start with the fingers and move to a pick later, it’s much easier than a pick to fingers!
Thanks for mentioning the Ramones! I thought of them immediately when you mentioned downpicking.
I am a guitarist-who-also-likes-bass and I actually love both - fingerstyle is actually really satisfying and "meaty" (and I loved practicing it even when I still completely sucked at it) but I love the clarity and aggression from using a pick. I really recommend learning both especially from a recording/songwriting perspective, it can add a lot of variety to the sound.
I just love the fact that I play an instrument that can be played in a variety of ways that creates the mood of the song. Fingers, pick, slap ... IT'S ALL BASS!!!!!
Hey! Long-ish time viewer, first time commenting. I love using the “groove tones” shape picks from timber tones. They come in horn, wood, bone, and other material that really give character to your tone.
Currently going through the B2B course and it’s awesome. I even set the pick down to follow along with all the proper technique and it’s been a blast. But oh boy do I love me some pickins.
The entire reason I (occasionally) use a pick, is to play Green Day basslines. That punchy sound is made so much better by the presence of a pick.
I'm trying to learn Basket Case, but am total baw bag with the pick (at the moment anyway)
discovered something cool one night . I'm primarily a finger style bassist learning to use the pick. dropped it more than I care to count. started to play as if I still had the pick in my fingers, but used the fingernail on my index finger to hit the string instead. It's not as loud as the pick, but it sounds pretty damn good! now I can go from finger style to a pick sound anytime I need to. my slap technique needs some serious work though🤭
After trying out a few dozen different picks, I ended up settling on the Dunlop John Petrucci Signature Jazz III pick. It's actually a bit bigger than a regular J3, and has a really nice textured top that makes it easy to hold on to. It's fairly thick in the middle, but it's also sort-of wedge-shaped so it flies off the strings really easy. Great pick.
Sounds like a great pick, will have to try one. I use the Kirk Hammett Jazz III for guitar so the John Petrucci might work great for bass with the slightly bigger and thicker size.
I used hate picks as well but I started again and I absolutely love it tho, thanks for the video 🤘🏻
I find it amazing that picks are supposed to be easier to start than fingers. A pick requires movement of the entire arm and is much more difficult to pull through the string in my opinion. Neither is rocket science, of course, but fingers seem to be a lot more natural movement to me.
It depends how you play really, you can lock your hand in place and just use wrist or finger movement to control the pick - but using more of your body can be easier than focusing all the movement in a few muscles. It's like writing, or using a mouse, or a touchscreen - you use a combination of muscles (all the way to your back!) to perform those movements, even if the fine control is in the fingers. It's a lot easier to play fast with a pick!
The strings can definitely fight a pick, but that's a technique thing really - same as if you "pull" the strings too much with fingerstyle. Both work better when you're pinging off the top of the string (and a thicker pick can definitely help with that, thin ones bend and get caught). I think picking is probably "easier" because it's a pretty simple motion compared to alternating fingers, there's less to learn, and it's easier to build up speed too. Personally I found fingerstyle a lot harder (coming from guitar so y'know), but it was more rewarding
If you use your entire arm to play with a pick, then you're doing it wrong.
@@unduloid I'd bet the number of people who play with their wrist or elbow locked in place is in the minority, but there are lots of techniques - just gotta make sure you're not making it hard for yourself
I think the myth stems from the fact that it IS easier to start bass with pick if you're already a guitar player (assuming you use a pick). With this, it is even more essential to start learning with fingers first to build a bass paradigm instead playing the bass as a guitar
Depends what you're used to
I tend to use fingers more but I also pick. Huge value to be gained in picking. Even swapping between the two in the middle of a song makes a big impact to the music as a whole.
When I started playing bass, I felt a lot of pressure to only use my fingers. What made me realize that picking bass was okay was listening to Lemmy, Mike Dirnt, and Jason Newsted absolutely kick ass with a pick. Pick bass sounds gnarly and I'm a proud pick bassist. Of course I still use both pick and fingers, but mainly pick
I’m glad u did a beginner course, I remember like half a decade ago I bought your “monster scale exercise” or something for bass, and it was this brutally long exercise with 3 notes per strings ascending and descending and it was way too brutal to stick too.
I've always struggled to learn how to play with a pick, it felt really unconfortable with the long fingers I have. So I use my fingernail when I play songs that require the classic tone from a pick.
I’ve done this when I’ve dropped picks. Works surprisingly well. Also I thing the bass player from chic uses that technique
I originally transition to bass from guitar so started with a pick…definitely agree that I’ve had to work hard on my plucking technique. Pick wise I tend to use either yellow or green Dunlop Tortex ones.
73 mm Tortex is my pick of choice.
I also started playing bass from a guitar background, so it's still all picking.. Any day (week, month, year..) now, I'll start practicing plucking for real..! :) And the thick bass strings have made me prefer thick picks - 3 mm "big stubby" ones.
I also transitioned to bass from guitar, but my case is very different; on guitar I've always used finger picking (think Nick Drake style), as well as jazzy guitar licks with fingers. My transition to bass was very easy as a result, but I still find it difficult to play with a pick on both instruments, and finger picking will always be my comfort zone (though I've been trying to improve my abilities with a pick too!)
Working my way through your vids and learning tons, thanks so much for these! When it comes to picking, having spent time with the guitar, treating my arm / wrist as the metronome and letting downs fall on strong and medium beats (i.e. 1 & 3) and ups fall on weak beats (2 & 4), or down on beats and up on off-beats if playing eighths, whether playing a note on each stroke or not, keeps my rhythm tight and helps to feel syncopation better when the offbeat gets the accent. Learning to do this well was one of my greatest aha moments on guitar that really leveled up my playing. Still seeing how well this translates to bass playing one string at a time (mostly) and switching strings, versus strumming chords on guitar.
The whole "things you can use for a pick" thing reminds me of the time I was using a coin for a certain sound I needed and my brother says "With all this dumb shit you use as pick why don't you use a fucking potato chip." So I grabbed a stale hot Cheeto off my bedroom floor and played 3 notes before it broke and it was truly and experience. I should listen to my brother more often.
Ha, yep, anything can be used for picking! A kid at my high school used a carrot while he was walking around campus playing bass all day, it was shredded pretty quickly!
An odd mix completely killed pick snobbery for me, Beck/Manny Carrero of Glassjaw, Carol Kay, Chris Squire of Yes and Rex Brown of Pantera all had insanely groovy and complex basslines with primarily pick that completely shattered my "meh pick is for punk bassists that can't actually play" attitude. Ironically I probably play pick now more than anything when I'm practicing or jamming or really anytime I'm playing where finger tone or particular techniques aren't needed I can only get from finger/slap playing.
Would LOVE to see your takes on some more pick related vids; palm mute techniques, power chords, bass solos etc
My band plays a few songs where i use both fingers and pic in the song. I use the change to the pick to bring up intensity, dynamics and accentuate kick pattern as a bridge to chorus, which I use the pick, then back to fingers for verses etc. Really fun to try to work with a drummer about and get dynamically tight. I use any kind of pick as long as its stiff. Awesome video and excellent points.
Nice, where does your pick hide when you play fingers?
@@iduncanw I usually have it resting between 3rd and 4th finger. Its not that hard. you just need to figure out whats comfortable and accessible for your style of playing. Plus you would be surprised on the amount of people that catch you doing that , that are not musicians 🤣
Great videos! For someone who just started I’ve got a good idea where to start, and the little bits about the players and bands are funny. Entertaining and informative, and with the idea that the videos are made purely from that is great. Don’t stop, even if UA-cam says or slaps there adds on. Your doing the world justice, and making some nobody’s day a little less of a endless marketplace.
Strong agree. Picks are a tool and it’s better to have a tool for each job than 1 tool for every job. Variety means fluency and that’s a key sign that you may be a bass badass. Also Lemmy played w a pick and I don’t think anyone would dare tell him he was wrong.
0:12
"Pick bass players are terrible people"
- Christian Bale's Batman, 2022
I always thought this was kinda a dumb argument. Just do whatever you want. MUSIC IS NOT A SPORT.
"Studio bassists who play with their fingers have no idea nobody can hear a thing they're doing live."
- Gene Simmons.
I started with a pick and to this day am mainly a pick player but do finger play at times though i still find it a bit of a challenge. I am currently working on my slap technique as mine was never quite there. I actually watched your video on that and it was very helpful.
Great video man. It's good to see some appreciation for pick players. Phil Lynott was one.
Real musicians use whatever the hell needs to be used to serve the song.
It's hard to believe that in the year of our lord 2022 that we're still arguing over plucking technique.
Because of Davie
Bass players are slow creatures. Most still think you're not supposed to use pedals
Pick was good enough for Lemmy and JJ Brunell from THE STRANGLERS, two of my favorite players. I learned to play with a pick and still do, since I approach the instrument like Entwhistle did, as a bass guitar, not just a bass. I'm no Enwhistle by any means, but the approach is the same. Good video.
This is the bassbuzz video I've been waiting for! I'm trying to get good at playing with a pick.
I find that playing with fingers differentiates the instrument a lot from guitar, its one of the reasons why bass feels more natural to me even though Ive been playing it for a shorter amount of time - it really came naturally.
You feel more connected to the bass when using fingers.
I find if you’re getting a bit complacent, pick up a pick and the instrument feels alive in a different way. Learn some McCartney lines! Theres also something about playing some drop D lines that is so satisfying with a pick.
Davie504: *sweating*
Love your stuff. I'm a old newbie learning Bass and guitar concurrently. I found I like picks the thicker the better.
Guitar or Bass it does not matter.
8:41
Great list, although you did forget Paul Gray literally playing a few inches from the floor.
I find muting to be tough with a pick. The pick ties up parts of my hand I often use to mute with so I don’t always know what to do to keep unwanted strings from ringing out. Any suggestions for how to mute effectively with a pick?
Put the heel of your hand just before the bridge and use it as a pivot. Mutes all the strings and you can get lots of attack with minimal movement with a 1mm+ plectrum. Gives you a really solid tone for metal.
you can use ur thumb on your fretting hand to help mute lower strings
You can make a pick more grippy by scratching an X pattern on the pick with a box cutter. A dull blade seems to work better, gives better grip than a sharp one. You won't need to squeeze the pick as hard either. I put the X's on both sides.
Rest your hand against the strings the whole time, and the side/heel of your palm will mute the strings below the one you're picking (same as fingerstyle). You have a lot of pick control even if your hand is anchored in one place, and you can move your hand around anyway!
Idk man, I couldn't play pick style for shit
You're really helping me learn. I can already play songs clearly and I just got my bass a week ago!
MISA, from Band Maid is the Definition of "using what is appropriate for the song" She picks most of the time, but also slaps when needed, and fingerpicks on quieter parts. Often in the same song, doing absolutely insane bass runs. "No god live" is a great example of that.
Those dunlop jazz picks are actually really fun on bass! I always order the regular purples (1.14mm) but recently got the jazz version of them by mistake and kind of love them.
I play bass with both finger/pick and same with guitar. So I always have a pick around to switch whenever sonically needed.
Absolutely agree about tone, I have an acoustic resonator and there is a big difference between fingers and pick
Thanks Josh! Great video. Was rolling on the pick-throwing/sound effect portion near the end! 🤣🤣
One of the first difficult songs I learned on bass was Day Tripper (don't recommend btw, so incredibly hard for a player of a few months at the time), and it was the first time I tried using a pick. I used a felt pick for the tone. When I gave up and switched back to fingers it was actually easier, but it made me want to improve my picking technique. So thanks for the video!
Love how you started playing my friend of misery that’s the first song I learned to play on bass I think Jason Newsted smashed it out of the park when he wrote that beautiful piece of music.
As soon as i heard Justin chancellor on the intro to forty six & two i was completely sold on the idea of playing with a pick.
As a long-time (decades) rhythm guitarist, my first bass role was filling in, long-term, for someone who was fired or quit abruptly (don't recall). Had never played fingerstyle guitar and since the role also involved lead singing, I quickly learned that playing individual notes on a bass and singing lead with a pick was hard enough. Back then I ended up going with a relatively thick wool felt mandolin pick (today these are sold mostly for Ukelele). These wore out pretty quickly until I switched to flatwound strings, but worked wonders for songs like Tower of Power's 'What is Hip' and similar tunes. If you're a potential picker, give one a try - you might like it.
ok so i don’t hate picks and never had but i just couldn’t play with it without getting stuck on the strings of my bass, i even tried to change the thickness but after watching this video i realized i was holding it wrong!!! thank you josh! ily!
I was waiting for this video, thank you!!
hello man at first thanks from belgium and thanks for this video i began an hardcore band i was in a a funk band before and i now have to use pick so you help me a lot continue to do your video you are awesome
Excellent video and fantastic insight into pick playing, Josh. You covered all the basics. I started with a pick. Back when I was a teen, all my favorite players were pick players, and as a young punk, I had a snobbish attitude towards finger players. I started to learn to use my fingers after U2's Rattle and Hum came out and I watched Adam Clayton, who began as a pick player, play with his fingers. As you said in your video, I never learned proper alternate finger plucking and I am still more comfortable with a pick. I love how you mentioned the type of pick. I've spent the last year or so experimenting with different gauges, sizes, and materials. Each offer their own unique sound. This is the best explained video I've seen on using a pick. You really covered it well.
Thanks Thomas!
Jason Newstead playing phantom of the opera at 8:00 is something I never would've expected
The only people I’ve encountered that have complained about playing a bass with a pick have been other bassists. All the other musicians I’ve played with over the years could care less.
Hear hear!!
Thank you so much for making this video. I’ve always played with my fingers, but when I want to play faster songs my tone is different with the 2 finger method. So I want to use a pick so the tone is more consistent.
For when I use picks, I feel in love with the 1mm Lollar Delrin picks. So chunky but feels like a softer attack so you can really dig in with less of that initial spike. At least to my ear.
Briliant video as always. I prefer pick, but I never realised that this theme is so complex. It makes sense, but I never thought about it this way. Nice.
I really needed that video. I've always been playing fingerstyle or slap but although I knew that picking can be useful I never practiced it
Jason Newsted, Lemmy, and Dave Elleffson helped me appreciate pick playing.
yoowwww, sick video man! tHANK YOU SOOOO MUCH FOR YOUR LESSEONS AND RESEARCH AND JOKES.
Gotta love both. Fingers have a deep low end sound and easier to reach strings but picks sound bright and precise, plus you can double pick on the fly.
When talking about strap position I thought of how Krist Novoselic would pick just above his knees. I've tried that and have no idea how he does it. Having 4 ft long arms probably helps...
Another awesome video from Josh! Also appreciated the helpful tips from others here on how they prefer to mute when playing with a pick. Would love to see a video by you Josh on how you mute when using a pick and more videos with you using a pick in general! 🤟🏻
Best way for me to mute when using a pick - unplug the bass and let someone who's better at picking play. 😜
@@BassBuzz 😂
Totally love your teaching and humor!
I have always liked picking and finger-style. Palm muting with pick is also cool sounding. John Deacon, Paul McCartney and Cliff Williams are just a few of my favorite pick-bassists!
Andy West's bassline for Dixie Dregs's "I'm freaking out". Monster!!
People can feel however they want. I don't care either way. I choose between fingers (either index & middle or thumb) and different pick depending on what the song requires. I also enjoy switching between Fender P, Rickenbacker and Höfner from what style of bassline I am playing. Flatwounds, roundwounds, placement of fingers also offer different colours.
Finally, I would like to thank McCartney for inspiring me to pick up the instrument to begin with.
🎸
I've been playing bass for 35-ish years and I LOVE those itty bitty little jazz picks (and I've got 10" hands). I learned a thumb muting technique decades go and so I only leave a tiny bit of pick exposed.
Have to admit I'm jealous of young players. With so many ways to learn now and see techniques, I would have become a good bassist so much quicker if UA-cam existed in the late 80's
Cool natural feeling using fingers, but love the attack of picks... Great video! Best for a beginner like me.
The string players in my family played cello and guitar. I kinda fell in between and played Guitar and bass well. A few friends of mine played awesome bass, and I learned a lot from them. I play bass with a my fingers, but sometimes I use a pick because the tone and technique it brings out can sound awesome, and bring something different to the table.
Brilliant, as always! Thank you for common sense in Holywar questions :)
Really helpful to learn how to change how I'm holding the pick, thank you!!
Started fingerstyle. Moved to pick because i got more attack. Had a beautiful human who was a fingerstyle snob, get me started. But my fave bassists are Macca, Gerry McAvoy and Phil Lynott, all pickers. I play Aussie Hard Rock so love the attack.
I was using picks not long after I picked up my first bass, although I was inspired more by bass players who didn't use them. For me, it was simply a matter of what sound I wanted and I actually preferred using medium to light picks for awhile. Eventually I just started using my thumb as a pick when I started liking a more rounded sound overall.
Guitarist of 14ish years, been playing bass for a while too. I went dead opposite, started with the pick because it's what I was comfortable with but learned fingerstyle out of curiosity. It was a lot like wiping my ass with the wrong hand at first but the fingers are a lot more versatile in my opinion. I can brush the strings lightly for extremely soft fuzz (letting the amp do the volume work) or I can ride the side of my finger just a little for some good punch. I used to like the pick for that attack but now I just "excite" the wavelength with some saturation and you get the best of both worlds.
Gene Simmons got me started trying picks, I mainly stick with fingers but if I'm ever doing a KISS song I try and do it with a pick
Till today I use only my fingers, because I didn't know how to use a pik. Thank you for your video!! Greatings from Bavaria
1:14 "When guitar players pick up a bass and pretend that they can play it..." Very subtle! That line had me laughing
Ellefson is literally my favourite bass player so when I started he really had influence on me, i still also reccomend starting by using fingers
I still haven't managed to use picks, so i prefer fingers RN, it really confuses me because I'm too focused on holding it right... But I'm definitely giving a try with the tooth pick, seems pretty easy to hold 🙃 your vids are really helpful, thank you!!!