playing with a pick is faster - fact or fiction?

[lowdowner]

 

Why do some people play bass with a pick? I can hear a difference with the tone (bright and hard with a pick and soft and funk-fantastic) but is it the case that you can play *faster* with a pick, or that you can't play faster per se. but it's *easier* to play faster with a pick?

What does the combined wisdom of the basseratti on here think?

[BreadBin]

It's much easier to play fast and consistently with a plectrum, for me anyway. 

[T-Bay]

Opposite for me, three finger fun for speed.

[Cato]

I'd say it's easier to play fast with a pick because it requires less muscle conditioning.

But I suspect that someone who is first class at playing with their thumb and fingers and can hit notes on different strings almost simultaneously would actually be able to play certain phrases significantly faster than a pick player.

I don't think it's possible to do a flamenco roll, for example, with a pick.

Edited June 6, 2018 by Cato

[lowdowner]

2 minutes ago, T-Bay said:

Opposite for me, three finger fun for speed.

This is interesting - when learning the classical guitar, the 'rolling' of three fingers on a string can be very, very, fast (and consistent)… The pick *feels* different, but is it necessarily possible to play faster?

 

[lowdowner]

1 minute ago, Cato said:

I'd say it's easier to play fast with a pick because it requires less muscle conditioning.

But I suspect that someone who is first class at playing with their thumb and fingers and can hit notes on different strings almost simultaneously would actually be able to play certain phrases significantly faster than a pick player.

I don't think it's possible to do flameco roll, for example, with a pick.

'flamenco roll' - precisely!

 

[tb4sbp]

Not that people didn't play with a pick earlier but IME when playing with a keyboard player or any other instrument in the same low end zone a pick can help push our basses through the mix

And once Synths came out in the late 70's early 80's a pick really helped

Also the pick has a sounds and techniques all of its own, which I quite like (Thin Lizzy!!!) (Yes, I am old!)

Faster, I think so and easier to maintain a faster beat. I have been trying for years to emulate with my fingers some of the techniques that can be done easier with a pick. Speed is one of them. 

Now the down side to a pick is string skipping. Depending on the bass there is a lot of real estate to cover. Fingers can do that faster IMO than a pick can. 

I am 'one of those guys' that says it is best to know finger style, pick style and slap style

I hope this helps a little, thanks

[BreadBin]

I have really tried to make 3 fingers work - I can't stop it sounding like triplets. I have wide hands so there is a significant difference in the tone across the 3 as well. 

[tb4sbp]

Three or four fingers is hard to do but can have cool results with some practice

And ya, triplets for days

Giddy Up, Yahoo 

[lowdowner]

3 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

I have really tried to make 3 fingers work - I can't stop it sounding like triplets. I have wide hands so there is a significant difference in the tone across the 3 as well. 

Complicated isn't it? Who said bass playing was easy?

 

[BreadBin]

Plonkety plonkety plonkety in my case!

[lowdowner]

Just now, BreadBin said:

Plonkety plonkety plonkety in my case!

nice triplet soundy-likey-thing

 

[T-Bay]

19 minutes ago, BreadBin said:

I have really tried to make 3 fingers work - I can't stop it sounding like triplets. I have wide hands so there is a significant difference in the tone across the 3 as well. 

The way I got it to work was to practice without using my first finger so just index and ring, then added the first finger back in once I was happy with it. But I switch from one to two to three fingers depending on what works best, I don’t even think about anymore, it just happens.

Edit: and I am pretty crap anyway so doesn’t make much difference!

Edited June 6, 2018 by T-Bay

[SH73]

Fingers except trash metal songs I have started experimenting with using plectrum as it seems to cut through and sit in the mix nicely.

But for me is mostly.... dang da da dang da da dang da da....

I was able to do triplets before I started playing bass. 

Edited June 6, 2018 by SH73
add on

[lowdowner]

2 minutes ago, SH73 said:

But for me is mostly.... dang da da dang da da dang da da....

this thread has headed in an unexpected direction - very cool

 

[stingrayPete1977]

I use the up and down stroke of a pick, I couldn't get close with fingers. 

[Luckystrike]

I like the tone of a pick, and it feels more 'fun'. Anything soft or quiet gets played with fingers.

I find a kind of hybrid 'pick'n'pop' works quite well for string jumping in quick sections - pick held between thumb and index, then either middle or ring plucking or popping a string or two up.

[Monkey Steve]

When I started I only used a pick, for speed and consistency of tone. Over the years I’ve developed much better finger and slap technique so now I’ll rarely use a pick, and when I do it will be where the speed is too fast for my technique to provide a consistent tone

or occasionally where I’ve been rehearsing for too long and I started getting cramp in my picking hand 

[Kevin Dean]

I started with a pick & then played with fingers & occasional slap for about 10 years , I went back to the pick as I find it easier to keep consistency in note tone , playing finger style each finger would give a slightly different tone  .

[Lozz196]

Note consistency is a factor, but ease for me is the main thing. When I started it was whilst punk & new wave were big, all the bassists I saw on Top of The Pops were playing with a pick so as a kid I just thought that`s how you did it. I learned to play a bit with my fingers but I prefer playing with a pick, it feels more natural to me.

[Deedee]

I need to practice using a pick.  I’ve always used my fingers (Steve Harris was my first big influence when I started playing) but I do recognise that some songs sound great/better with a pick, due to the sound of the attack etc

[Woodinblack]

In general it is entirely with my fingers. I try to switch to a pick for sort of hard attack songs like green day stuff, but I don't always remember. Very good for sort of punk stuff, but not for anything that involves string skipping a lot. And then sometimes I have forgotten the plectrum.

But if I have done a lot of gigs in a row and played too hard and hurt my fingers, then the plectrum is handy!

 

[thepurpleblob]

I can't play with a pick at all. And I've tried - a lot. Complete mystery.

[josie]

Nothing to do with speed, but the difference in sound is clear. I've seen good bass players switch between pick and fingers between songs, or even mid-song,  to get the right tone or attack.

I can only play with a pick (right elbow RSI, limited use of my fingers) so I've explored that a bit and it's striking how much difference in sound one can get from different picks. Stone sounds different to wood sounds different to resin. Sharp sounds different to rounded sounds different to blunt. Atm I'm mostly using sharp hardwood with my electric fretted main squeeze, sharp stone with my flat-strung fretless, and blunt resin with my fretted acoustic.

And they're rather lovely things...

[Luckystrike]

@josie, any video or sound clips of the fretless with a stone pick? I bet it sounds really weird and cool!