Picks Vs. Fingers

[BucketheadRules]

I like to use a bit of both. I used to use a pick quite a lot, then for a while I went fingers-only. Now I've decided to use a pick again for some stuff. I'm only ever playing covers in my bedroom anyway so it doesn't matter too much sound-wise, but I split it roughly equally. I like to have the attack of a pick for some harder-edged stuff.

I use my fingers for soul and funk-based stuff (think Jamiroquai, Stevie Wonder, Jackson 5, occasionally Tower of Power if I'm feeling brave ), and most kinds of rock music, up to Iron Maiden (because I'm trying to perfect the three-finger walk)... but for faster thrash I use a pick, same goes for punk. If I'm playing Dead Kennedys or Rancid I tend to use a pick, you need a hard sound for that stuff.

tl;dr: A bit of both, because sometimes only fingers will do it and sometimes they won't cut it. All depends on what I'm playing.

 

[Milotts]

Milotts you need to tell your guitarist to cut some of his bass frequencies if he wants to play readily in a band setting Sounds like a frequency hog.

ahah there set around the mid range freqency lol but they play axe fx's through mackie self powered pa's (both gutiarist) and there LOUD ahah

 

[davisjom]

I use a pick more often. simply because thats the sound im going for in my music. But i can use my fingers just as well.
but Is one better than the other? hell no!
i guess it all comes down to sound preference and what you are most comfortable playing.

 

[avenger]

Definitely both. I don't think you can get around not using a pick for some metal stuff to get that more "focused" attack. At the same time running smooth bass lines with fingers under slower parts is pure sex!

 

[Konfyouzd]

Fingers. I don't like the way picks feel.

 

[Swedjent]

To me both styles has its' advantages. Personally I like to play with heavy yet defined distortion and I prefer the attack from playing with a pick. But with a non-distorted sound I kind of like the chug achieved from playing with fingers. I still play with a pick 99% of my metal time though.

 

[MassNecrophagia]

Some of this "I use a pick specifically for attack/definition/butt-scratching, but use my figures otherwise" just blows my mind. It really surprises me that people, in 2011, believe you can only get X sound by using Y technique.

 

[Swedjent]

Yeah, it really blows my mind how people believe that different techniques have different impact on their sound and choose technique accordingly. Oh, mankind..

 

[broj15]

i use both. i use picks when i need lots of attack, not definition, etc and fingers when i need a more mellow sound and , of course, for sweeps and tapping. Every good player needs to know both.

 

[MassNecrophagia]

Yeah, it really blows my mind how people will give up and change their technique instead of finding a way to get it to work for them.

fixed that for you.

 

[Swedjent]

fixed that for you.

Oh my bad, seems like I forgot ignoring the laws of physics that actually means that different materials have different properties for sound. I apologize my good man.

 

[Nag]

I'm primarily a guitarist, so... when I play bass, I use fingers if I can, and when it gets too fast/complicated, I use a pick. Combo !

 

[ericsleepless]

I play in a Deathcore/Metal with fingers. Get all the triplets down. It's the only way to play.

 

[Nag]

People saying "bass must be played with fingers exclusively" are a bit narrow-minded IMO. Playing with a pick and playing with fingers doesn't quite sound the same, so sometimes it even depends on the sound you want to produce. I mean, playing with a pick gives a more aggressive tone for example, that you can't reproduce using fingers. But fingerstyle has different qualities as well...

 

[Speculum Speculorum]

I use a pick for some things, and my fingers for others. As a classically trained guitarist, I'm more than comfortable playing bass with my fingers. I really like the tone that Justin Chancellor gets, and so I also love using a pick. Love it to death.

But ah, nothing like a morning wake-up call of "Oh I must be on a forum" like the desperate troll-ery of some individuals. While you guys are at the petty arguing, why not ask a few more questions that will invariably cause endless debate?

Active or passive pickups? If Mike Tyson and Bruce Lee fought, who would win? Is Jesus better than Buddha? Who was the better composer - Bach or Mozart? Dogs or cats? Did Bush cause 9/11? Does dark matter exist? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 

[Nag]

I use a pick for some things, and my fingers for others. As a classically trained guitarist, I'm more than comfortable playing bass with my fingers. I really like the tone that Justin Chancellor gets, and so I also love using a pick. Love it to death.

But ah, nothing like a morning wake-up call of "Oh I must be on a forum" like the desperate troll-ery of some individuals. While you guys are at the petty arguing, why not ask a few more questions that will invariably cause endless debate?

Active or passive pickups? If Mike Tyson and Bruce Lee fought, who would win? Is Jesus better than Buddha? Who was the better composer - Bach or Mozart? Dogs or cats? Did Bush cause 9/11? Does dark matter exist? How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

 

[isispelican]

fingers, but there are some sounds that you can only achieve by picking, like in this song :

 

[Tyghor]

It's nice to see that i'm not the only one who is using both techniques. I play a lot of tapping / slap & pop in my solo project, so i use my finger exclusively. Same thing for my metals bands, but i also play fretless... The attack is kinda weird on a fretless bass played with a pick.

But i just love digging trought my strings with a pick on those death metal riffs, i've played almost two years with a pick before switching to fingers and i just loved the high attack tone coming out of my amp!

 

[Augury]

I'm not a bassist but I prefer finger picking, like the sound more

 

[Bronzehydra]

I'm a bass player so I personally prefer playing with my fingers. I can get ALL the sounds I want from it, from really round, mellow tone to extremely punchy, agressive sounds. I also do use picks for some songs in which I use distortion; to me distortion sounds better with picks haha. I feel like im fairly well rounded at bass, so I like using all the different techniques I can learn!
And personally, the people who say that Picks are better for metal, you should listen to TesseracT. Their bassist Amos Williams plays fingerstlye and slap in their music and it makes it awesome sauce
Plus, fingerstyle has its uses elsewhere... tehehe