Need critique on picking technique!

[Shockwave]

Hey guys.

I have been neglecting a bass playing technique for a long time, which is picking, i have decided in a black metal project to do Vocals and bass. However i couldnt do all those 300BPM songs using fingers, so a pick is in order

I have no idea on what constitutes as good pick technique, I chose the lower arm moving type technique.

Here is a video of it as is it. Please remember this is pretty much my first attempt at using a plectrum on a bass

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvIc5hS-wM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvIc5hS-wM[/url]

If you have hard trouble hearing me skip to 3:08. I play heavier there.

As you can probably hear, i am having problems with consistancy.

Comments and critiscms welcome. I am here to learn!

Cheers!

Rob.

[Kongo]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='525035' date='Jun 26 2009, 05:23 PM']Hey guys.

I have been neglecting a bass playing technique for a long time, which is picking, i have decided in a black metal project to do Vocals and bass. However i couldnt do all those 300BPM songs using fingers, so a pick is in order

I have no idea on what constitutes as good pick technique, I chose the lower arm moving type technique.

Here is a video of it as is it. Please remember this is pretty much my first attempt at using a plectrum on a bass

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvIc5hS-wM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfvIc5hS-wM[/url]

If you have hard trouble hearing me skip to 3:08. I play heavier there.

As you can probably hear, i am having problems with consistancy.

Comments and critiscms welcome. I am here to learn!

Cheers!

Rob.[/quote]

I learned to use a pick from playing guitar...it's not a no-no on bass in my eyes.
ok lets have a look!

First off man, maybe not but from here...relax! it's fast but tensed arms? That's gonna hurt and slow you down!
2nd of all, even on bass, more wrist less arms.
Flick your hand up and down in a picking motion, now your arm...Which one has less travel? use the wrist in very small movements.
Playing near the bridge is good! Strings nice and tight here so you get some resistance.

Metronome is good to practise to. Get consistant sound slow and then build it up.
With a pick it's eaier to play something fast because the note is gone before you could register how wrong it was.
Play slow and see how even you can play, more rhythm than dynamics first.

That's enough for now.
If you learn to use 3 fingers this stuff is easy enough without the pick but pick is another techneque and if you feel better playing this with it then why not?

Oh yeah, an try to get non-tapered strings like thick Low-E's and Low-B's as they pick better and allow you to "Palm Mute"...Chick in some distortion and you'll blow Meshuggah away with your chugging!!!

Enjoy!

[BottomEndian]

I'm no expert... on anything... but I have to agree with Kongo. That picking arm's way too tense. I can't see you lasting more than a few minutes with that technique without cramping, or at least getting serious arm fatigue. Not unless you've got the arms of a nuclear baboon.

Loosen off and play from the wrist. Hard to tell from the video, but chances are if your arm's that tense, your hand's pretty tense too. Relax your grip on the pick -- counterintuitively, you're less likely to drop it that way! Try out some different picks as well. One man's meat is another man's poison and all that. I use [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/1069-jim_dunlop_tortex_triangle_guitar_picks"]these bad boys[/url] in 1.14 mm thickness, but other people have tried them and can't use them at all. Conversely, I know people who use [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/320-jim_dunlop_big_stubby_guitar_picks_1mm_2mm_3mm_"]these[/url], but I can't get the hang of them. Experimentation is the name of the game.

I can safely say that you should avoid [url="http://www.wedgie.com/picks_rubber.html#"]Wedgie Rubbers[/url] for heavy stuff. I tried them once (I know, I know, stupid idea ), and I could wear through a single pick in 30 minutes, leaving my scratchplate looking like I'd sketched something on it and then rubbed it out. Rubber [b]everywhere[/b]. Nice sound though. Kinda finger-ish, but not worth the continued expense...

[Kongo]

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='525797' date='Jun 27 2009, 11:00 AM']I'm no expert... on anything... but I have to agree with Kongo. That picking arm's way too tense. I can't see you lasting more than a few minutes with that technique without cramping, or at least getting serious arm fatigue. Not unless you've got the arms of a nuclear baboon.

Loosen off and play from the wrist. Hard to tell from the video, but chances are if your arm's that tense, your hand's pretty tense too. Relax your grip on the pick -- counterintuitively, you're less likely to drop it that way! Try out some different picks as well. One man's meat is another man's poison and all that. I use [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/1069-jim_dunlop_tortex_triangle_guitar_picks"]these bad boys[/url] in 1.14 mm thickness, but other people have tried them and can't use them at all. Conversely, I know people who use [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/320-jim_dunlop_big_stubby_guitar_picks_1mm_2mm_3mm_"]these[/url], but I can't get the hang of them. Experimentation is the name of the game.

I can safely say that you should avoid [url="http://www.wedgie.com/picks_rubber.html#"]Wedgie Rubbers[/url] for heavy stuff. I tried them once (I know, I know, stupid idea ), and I could wear through a single pick in 30 minutes, leaving my scratchplate looking like I'd sketched something on it and then rubbed it out. Rubber [b]everywhere[/b]. Nice sound though. Kinda finger-ish, but not worth the continued expense... [/quote]

Well when you use the arm techneque your wrist stays perpendicular so yeah, a tensed arm would mean an tensed wrist.

When I DO use a pick, as rare on bass as it is, I use the same as I use on guitar...The good old, hard to come by...Jim Dunlop Jazz III.



Very small picks and not exactly the thickest in the world but TBH I think thick pics don't work too well on bass.
The black ones are thicker than the red...You'll see many shredders uses these too...guitarists that is.

Edited June 28, 2009 by Kongo

[Clarky]

I play pick style in a medium fast punk band and previously was in a very fast death/thrash metal band. I use motion from my wrist (bit like making a t*sser sign fast at someone!) and, unlike the previous posters, a very flexible (<1mm) pick (medium glow-in-dark Alien EBE picks [url="http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/299-alien_ebe_glow_in_the_dark_guitar_picks_medium_heavy_"]http://www.stringsdirect.co.uk/products/29...s_medium_heavy_[/url] ). I tend to find heavier picks get 'jammed' on the strings if I don't hit spot on when playing fast. I do agree with the other guys, your arm looks very tense and will cramp up or at least get completely knackered after a couple of songs. I only use my forearm when its a chugging-style song and I need to give my wrist a rest

Edited June 28, 2009 by Clarky

[waynepunkdude]

Give one of these a go mate, I've been using a pick for 13 years and I found these about 2 years ago and it made life so much easier.

It's flexable in the middle so if you dig in to much it won't get stuck or pop the string plus it has a really nice grip so it doesn't slip.

Edited June 28, 2009 by waynepunkdude

[BottomEndian]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='527035' date='Jun 28 2009, 08:30 PM']Give one of these a go mate, I've been using a pick for 13 years and I found these about 2 years ago and it made life so much easier.

It's flexable in the middle so if you dig in to much it won't get stuck or pop the string plus it has a really nice grip so it doesn't slip.

[/quote]
Good lord, that's ingenious!

I have pick GAS! That can't be normal, surely?