Reggaebass Posted November 5, 2018 Share Posted November 5, 2018 I play with the thumb a lot , it allows me to get the really deep and warm sound I like, you can also get it up to quite a speed with double thumbing , and the muting just falls into place. a good example is Robbie Shakespeare 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 IMO the title of this thread is like asking a carpenter which tool he is most impressed by...his saw or his chisel. For the bassist, the most impressive "tool"...i.e. pick or fingers... is the one that he feels most adequately fits the song or piece of music. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 15 hours ago, StringNavigator said: PLECTERING! FINGERRINGGGGG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Low End Bee Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 Aurally either is fine to me if it suits the song. Not fussed. Probably just me but when I see a bass player playing with fingers it just looks weird and all wrong. I am a follower of pickering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringNavigator Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 6 hours ago, steve-bbb said: FINGERRINGGGGG I take it that your big on pizzicato... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 11 minutes ago, StringNavigator said: I take it that you're big on pizzicato... Fixed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fiatcoupe432 Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 i ve asked my wife and she said defo fingering ! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linus27 Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I played with a pick for about 20 years. Then 10 years fingering. Pick is more fun but fingering suits me better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 What impresses me? Good bass playing. The method used to strike the strings is largely irrelevant. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringNavigator Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 (edited) 36 minutes ago, Dad3353 said: Fixed. LOL! You must be on the wrong page... Are you ok? Edited November 6, 2018 by StringNavigator Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest aDx Posted November 6, 2018 Share Posted November 6, 2018 I use pick for fast attacking stuff and fingers for mellow or old style songs. Eg free, bad company etc. To get a good chunky cut off sound like zz top or quo I use a pick. Also fingers are great for buzzy jazz like sound. That's me done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barking Spiders Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 (edited) For me 50% of the time it's fingerstyle , 25% slap n pop, 10% plec, 5% thumb only, 5% sticks n' tings, 5% teeth/feet... approx that is. I also prefer fingerstyle for guitar too. Just not a fan of plecs unless it's playing certain tunes where the bass is to the fore and fingerstyle doesn't have the attack needed. I mean early Stranglers songs probably sound a bit tame without that bass tone Edited November 7, 2018 by Barking Spiders Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Players that impress me most come from all styles. Geddy Lee fingerstyle, Alain Caron slap and fingerstyle, Michael Manring and Steve Lawson on finger picking styles and Glenn Hughes and John Wetton pick style but there are so mnay from each style i could list. I guess i'm with others that said "If it sounds good, its good". Doesn't matter to me how they achieve that impressive bass line. I play mostly fingerstyle. I do a little slap and i use my index finger as a pick on occasion and i'll use finger picking style for fun on my own. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted November 7, 2018 Share Posted November 7, 2018 Good bass playing impresses me. I really don't care whether it's achieved with fingers, picks, toes, elbows or by throwing rocks at the bass, if it sounds right for the piece of music, that's all that matters. I played finger stye only for 40 years, but had to change to a pick a couple of years ago following an accident which badly damaged my right hand. For the first year I struggled with the damn bit of plastic between my fingers, but now I can't really tell the difference between what I play now and what I used to play if I hear a recording of myself. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghagger Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Pick Bass is a great sound in the right situation. Love the sound of a muted P-bass. If anyone needs help to get started with their pick playing then check out this free tuition video: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StringNavigator Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, greghagger said: Pick Bass is a great sound in the right situation. Love the sound of a muted P-bass. If anyone needs help to get started with their pick playing then check out this free tuition video... I agree with everything in your post, but if I were showing someone starting out, I would show this way of holding the plectrum (on the side of the index). It avoids RSI and it's faster, even effortless, providing that the forearm is resting firmly on the hip of the bass body. This grip also allows the upstrokes and downstrokes to sound identical, because the plectrum is secure in either direction. The thumb-index pinch style has a weaker sounding upstroke and the plectrum is on an angle to the string, and it's slower. There's a few good minutes of this in Carol Kaye's interview: Edited November 9, 2018 by StringNavigator 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghagger Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Great thanks for that info. A guitarist mate was explaining that hold to me too. I will endeavour to get that sorted. Cheers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 7 hours ago, greghagger said: Pick Bass is a great sound in the right situation. Love the sound of a muted P-bass. If anyone needs help to get started with their pick playing then check out this free tuition video: That's a nice looking bass. What is it ? Couldn't make the name out Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 54 minutes ago, dmccombe7 said: That's a nice looking bass. What is it ? Couldn't make the name out Dave Looks like the Suhr logo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greghagger Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 Well spotted ezbass. Yes it’s a Suhr J-bass. Dave it’s a lovely bass. Had it a few years now. Couldn’t quite get on with it at first but I’ve found out that it works great for rock type stuff which isn’t what I expected. It is of course pretty versatile but has more of a modern sound with the Suhr preamp in it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmccombe7 Posted November 9, 2018 Share Posted November 9, 2018 3 hours ago, greghagger said: Well spotted ezbass. Yes it’s a Suhr J-bass. Dave it’s a lovely bass. Had it a few years now. Couldn’t quite get on with it at first but I’ve found out that it works great for rock type stuff which isn’t what I expected. It is of course pretty versatile but has more of a modern sound with the Suhr preamp in it. Very nice. Like that colour. Now that Suhr has been mentioned it i recognise it as one of guitarists i know has the Suhr strat and he loves it too. Dave 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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