Pick players... any advice for a newbie?

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:21 pm

My grandmother sent me a 12 pack of Dunlop 1.5mm Gator Grip picks (I had one that lasted me 2 years so I wanted more) and it feels like I'm just starting to learn bass again. I used a pick for the first year and a half of bass playing but switched to my fingers after I was introduced to Geddy Lee's playing. I haven't picked one up since. My left hand is quick, but I feel limited with the pick.. it's like being able to only use one finger (I'm think I'm pretty good with just one finger though).

Is there anything I should do to get used to them again? Scales? Play songs with a pick? Play finger songs with a pick?(!)

Also.. do you pick players keep the cover on the bridge pickup? Because I don't have one.. heh.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:30 pm

Most pick players started out that way and never stopped. I know with me, I used to play lead guitar and then switched to bass, and I kept the pick. One thing that helps me is picking "from the wrist" when doing fast up/down picking, like speed picking for lead players.

atomic_punk · Post by **atomic_punk** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:31 pm

Oh, and I use Dunlop .88s (the gray ones). They might be a little easier to get used to than the 1.5's.

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:39 pm

Thanks for the quick reply, Steve.

I have the 1.5's here.. and that was the kind I learned on.. I doubt I'll switch.

Ok the wrist. Any proper way to hold? I tend to hurt my thumb from holding too tight.

Should I hit the strings lightly? I smash them with my fingers.. and it hurts my thumb and index finger if I try to hit that hard with a pick.

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 4:45 pm

I use these picks ... they give me a less harsh picking sound ... the problem with picks is they can have a harsh in-organic plastic sound ... but picks can help you control attack and decrease the need for compression ...

but learn as many ways as you can to play your bass ....

first there is the old 60s Mel Bay method of thumb plucking ... then there is finger plucking ... and finger whacking ... and thumb slapping ... and popping ... and with the pick there are up and down strokes ... then there is palm muting and variations in all of the above ...

So I say become versatile in as many styles as you can ... that will make you a better bass player ...

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:25 pm

That's why I'm bothering with a pick. I'd stick with finger style, but I want to be as good as possible in everything that I can.

I'm good with finger plucking. And I try to slap and/or pop every now and then. I didn't realize this til the other day but sometimes I hit the E string with a slap and a pluck.

When I started if I didn't have a pick I used a chopped up phone card.. or my thumb. So I learned to use my thumb like how Sting does. It had a callous, but it went away.

Sometimes my fingers go straight down on the strings and tap em.. is that the typewriter method? I never looked into that so I don't know.

I sometimes, with slower songs, I use my thumb and index to lightly pluck.

I need practice with muting. I hit one string with the pick and go hit another and forget to mute the first one. It's easy with my fingers. My thumb rests on the string above the one I'm using. If I'm playing something on the D string my thumb is rested on the A string.

rikk · Post by **rikk** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:28 pm

Jeff is correct. Play in as many styles and ways as you can. As you feel comfortable go for it. I play both finger style and with a pick, although my finger style is a little different. I use my index finger and my ring finger, not my middle finger. The tip of my middle finger was cut off when I was about 2 or 3, and they tried to sew it back on. It didn't grow right. Now I have a tiny finger pad surrounded by scar tissue and it hursts like hell if I use that finger.

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 5:47 pm

Ouch! That's gotta be rough. Sorry!

I use my index, middle and ring fingers. Occasional trips. It really helps.

Ok.. palm muting.. any advice?

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:50 pm

the way Sting uses his thumb is the old 60s Mel Bay method ... the king of the typewriter method is John Entwistle ... Geddy uses a lot of one finger plucking ... I heard he damaged one of his fingers and doesn't have full function in it ... for palm muting I rest my palm right on the bridge and use a pick or fingers ... the pick seems to work better ... palm muting is a great way to get a flatwound sound out of round wound strings or to kill overtones on your strings ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 6:59 pm

Sometime I pluck so hard with my fingers that I split my finger tips on my right hand ... so having good pick skills helps it heal ...

jwr2 · Post by **jwr2** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:06 pm

palm muting a 4001/4003 bass is a pain in the butt ... the freaking mechanical mute superstructure gets in the way ... that's why it is always removed from my basses ... firmly place the right edge of your right hand on the strings about 1/2" in front of the saddles ... depending on how firmly you hold down and how far in front of the saddles your hand is will determine the amount of muting ... the nice part of palm muting is it can be on or off immediately ... no mechanical screws ...

nattiep · Post by **nattiep** » Tue Nov 01, 2005 7:58 pm

Geddy had his middle finger on his right hand slammed in a car door when he was a kid. He lost his fingernail and it grew back extra thick. That's why he uses his index primarily and used the nail on his middle finger for his strum.. his "noisy bastid". If you watch "The Boys in Brazil" thing on the Rio DVD you can see it. During the autograph signing.. it's kinda discolored.. lol.

Ok muting.. I'll give that a try. I learned to play with a pick right next to the bridge anyway. I got that from Roger Waters. That damn tailpiece is totally in the way though.

I split my fingers too. Last time I did that I didn't have a pick, so I played while it tried to heal. That took a long time.. lol.

deep_red · Post by **deep_red** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 4:56 am

I play my ric's mostly with a pic, I use fingers on a couple of other basses I have. But then picks don't work on those ones nearly as good. Due to that pickup guard I learned to play mostly between the bridge pickup and the bridge/tailpeice. I have since removed the pickup cover but it didn't affect my playing much besides getting different tone easier.

martyr · Post by **martyr** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:12 am

i play mostly with a pick as well, i just pick the same way i would with a guitar except for when i triple pick. when i triple pick i find that using my index and middle finger holding the pick against my thumb as opposed to just my index finger allows me to have a lot more control. i'll usually use pick's anywhere from 1.14's to 2.0's. of course after faster songs my thumb starts to hurt quite a bit due to arthritis problems so that's when i'll switch to just the fingers.

phlemmy · Post by **phlemmy** » Wed Nov 02, 2005 7:36 am

when i started on bass i was solely a finger player, but the nerve/muscle/tendon problems i have in my hand forced me to a pick almost exclusively.

I mostly use the green .88mm from In Tune Guitar Picks. Sometimes I'll use the 1.00mm and the 1.14mm.

www.intunegp.com