Fingers to pick

[Bassist on the Run]

Hi peeps

I've just joined a covers act and find I've been using a pick a heck of a lot lately. Now for me this is odd as I've always played with my fingers. The issue I'm having is stamina, my hand seems to seize up while using a pick mid tune and I resort back to using fingers until the pain has gone in my hand.

Could any of you pick players please give me some tips on using a pick

Cheers

[rOB]

Sounds like you might be holding it too tight? Might just be getting used to it though.

[ambient]

Yeah possibly holding too tight.

Practice it at home, build up your stamina slowly, set yourself little exercises, a bar of down stoke quarter notes, then a bar of up strokes then a bar alternating between the 2. Use a metronome and start slowly, building up the tempo.

[Coilte]

As rOB says, the problem is more than likely that you are holding the pick too tight. Also the up and down movements should be from the wrist, [u]NOT[/u] the thumb.

Carol Kaye is regarded as an iconic pick player. In her early days as a session player she played twelve hour days in the recording studio using a pick, without any physical problems. So her recommendations are worth checking out.

Have a look at her Tips # 26 & 27 here :

[url="http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips1.htm"]http://www.carolkaye.com/www/education/tips1.htm[/url]


Here is a clip worth checking out also.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_kk-w3Puo"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp_kk-w3Puo[/url]



Make sure to build up your pick playing time gradually, to allow the hand/wrist to adapt.

[ambient]

My personal all time pick player, shows just how versatile the pick can be in the right hands.

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExmJEvdqoKs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExmJEvdqoKs[/url]

Who says jazz can't be played with a pick ?

[Bassist on the Run]

Thanks guys great advice ill stop leaving finger indents in the pick lol. Ill also have a go using a metronome to build up my strength.

I do find I hold the pick in a fist shape IE all my fingers tucked up...very similar to Jason newsteds style and i do tend to pound down as opposed to picking up and down. I take on board the advice given and see how it goes!

Great vids too guys :-)

[timmo]

[quote name='bramleyapple' timestamp='1383732460' post='2268187']
Hi peeps

I've just joined a covers act and find I've been using a pick a heck of a lot lately. Now for me this is odd as I've always played with my fingers. The issue I'm having is stamina, my hand seems to seize up while using a pick mid tune and I resort back to using fingers until the pain has gone in my hand.

Could any of you pick players please give me some tips on using a pick

Cheers
[/quote]
Can I ask you why you are using a pick which you say you don`t normally do? I never used a pick, so is it a skill worth learning alongside the finger technique? Is there a reason where you would need to use a pick instead of fingers?

[iamtheelvy]

Try a few different gauges of pick. Opinions vary from person to person as to the 'right' gauge for bass, so you really have to find the right one for you. Thinner picks will slide past the string more easily, so may help with speed initially, but tend to give less bottom-end and overall volume. Thicker picks give more 'oomph' to the sound, but flex less, so can slow you down until your technique fits in with the feel of them. somewhere around .88 - 1mm is a good starting point.

[iamtheelvy]

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1383834353' post='2269759']
Can I ask you why you are using a pick which you say you don`t normally do? I never used a pick, so is it a skill worth learning alongside the finger technique? Is there a reason where you would need to use a pick instead of fingers?
[/quote]

You don't 'have' to play with a pick. Ever, if you don't want to. It's just another technique to use, and can give a different tone or feel to a song. With my band I tend to play through every song at practices at least once with fingers and once with pick. One will sound or feel better and that's the technique I'll stick with!

[ambient]

You get a certain sound with a pick that you don't get using your fingers. The 'attack' is different.

Ive always used my fingers to play, but we have songs coming up at uni soon that require a pick, so it's something I'm working on too.

[rodma]

other than the good advices above i can offer the following useless nuggets

I used to play in a hardcore band and would always get cramp in my hand when playing live, despite being fine during practise, which meant finishing some songs using my thumb and index finger pressed together to form a "pick" when i finally let go (mid third song or thereabouts)

The main differences between practising at home (or in a rehearsal room with the band) and playing live for me were

temperature/stress levels (hand gets sweaty so have to grip tighter)
speed (tempo) increase, which might not be an issue for you depending on the style of music
rest between songs, rehearsals are normally leisurely rather than back to back fury.

Try and practise as if you were playing a gig and it'll get better

and stretch your thumb out gently to alleviate the symptoms a bit