I am self-taught and when I started I used a pic.A few years ago I started to use fingers(not very well lol and not my favorite method) The guy from faith no more is one of my favorite and I believe he uses a pic and his fingers.If you want to study his music I suggest ALL lol.He is just awesome.
That’s awesome, thanks for the heads-up on Faith No More. I’m familiar with the group, but I’ve honestly never given them a serious listen; I’m going to change that based on your recommendation. The bass player is Billy Gould, yes? I’m looking forward to digging into his lines. It will be interesting to figure out where the line between pick and fingers lie for him - it’s that combination of both that I’m really interested in, so I’m looking forward to this. Thanks for the tip!
@@chipboazmusic same it's hard but you can't really play everything authentically without knowing both to some extent. I'll always be fingers first but still
@@joannalewis5279 Totally agree. It is hard. We get so used to playing one way or another. But we open up so many possibilities when we can do both. I do love the feeling of pulling my fingers across the strings - it feels like a closer connection to the instrument. But I'm putting in the time on that pick! Keep me updated with your progress!
I find using the pick at a downwards angle and sweeping/slicing it through the string, anywhere between ~30 and ~60 degrees helps with timing accuracy and speed (when needed), I came from guitar but it translates well in my experience. Nice video, wish you’d talk a little faster though, it sounds a little unnatural at times heh
That’s an awesome technical tip, I’m going to work with that. I started on guitar and play every now and then, but I’ve spent most of time playing with fingers for years. I really want to get more pick into my playing, so this is great. And thanks for the video tip, working on upping that game too - I’ll try to speed things up!
@@chipboazmusic I find that on bass it can be a bit hard sometimes to not get a lot of string scratch, just depends on what rhythm and motion you use though
That's such a great suggestion! I love that song and you're right - between the massive riffs, the fast runs, and the intense arrangement, there's a lot to learn there. That would be a good one to work on my picking skills, I'm definitely going to work on it . . . this may even turn into a video. Thanks for the idea!
I think bassists who complain about pick playing just arent veey good at playing with a pick. Picking is pretty much a requirement in certain styles of music. Go listen to Ace of Spades or Maxwell Murder and tell me you couod get away with fingerstyle on those.
I agree with you. I also think that bassists who complain about picks - or fingers - are just missing the whole point. Like you said, picks are a necessity in some settings. If you're not playing with a pick, you're missing out on whole genres of music. That's really unfortunate in my opinion. I've been a finger player forever, but I'm working on getting my picking chops together for this very reason. I'm going to check out Ace of Spades and Maxwell Murder - thanks for the listening recs!
I am self-taught and when I started I used a pic.A few years ago I started to use fingers(not very well lol and not my favorite method) The guy from faith no more is one of my favorite and I believe he uses a pic and his fingers.If you want to study his music I suggest ALL lol.He is just awesome.
That’s awesome, thanks for the heads-up on Faith No More. I’m familiar with the group, but I’ve honestly never given them a serious listen; I’m going to change that based on your recommendation. The bass player is Billy Gould, yes? I’m looking forward to digging into his lines. It will be interesting to figure out where the line between pick and fingers lie for him - it’s that combination of both that I’m really interested in, so I’m looking forward to this. Thanks for the tip!
Totally agree
YES! There's really no right way to play - we should all be working with BOTH fingers and picks. I'm working on building my picking skills!
@@chipboazmusic same it's hard but you can't really play everything authentically without knowing both to some extent. I'll always be fingers first but still
@@joannalewis5279 Totally agree. It is hard. We get so used to playing one way or another. But we open up so many possibilities when we can do both. I do love the feeling of pulling my fingers across the strings - it feels like a closer connection to the instrument. But I'm putting in the time on that pick! Keep me updated with your progress!
I find using the pick at a downwards angle and sweeping/slicing it through the string, anywhere between ~30 and ~60 degrees helps with timing accuracy and speed (when needed), I came from guitar but it translates well in my experience. Nice video, wish you’d talk a little faster though, it sounds a little unnatural at times heh
That’s an awesome technical tip, I’m going to work with that. I started on guitar and play every now and then, but I’ve spent most of time playing with fingers for years. I really want to get more pick into my playing, so this is great. And thanks for the video tip, working on upping that game too - I’ll try to speed things up!
@@chipboazmusic I find that on bass it can be a bit hard sometimes to not get a lot of string scratch, just depends on what rhythm and motion you use though
Try carry on my wayward son. There are some pretty fast parts and it’s played with a pick
That's such a great suggestion! I love that song and you're right - between the massive riffs, the fast runs, and the intense arrangement, there's a lot to learn there. That would be a good one to work on my picking skills, I'm definitely going to work on it . . . this may even turn into a video. Thanks for the idea!
I think bassists who complain about pick playing just arent veey good at playing with a pick. Picking is pretty much a requirement in certain styles of music. Go listen to Ace of Spades or Maxwell Murder and tell me you couod get away with fingerstyle on those.
I agree with you. I also think that bassists who complain about picks - or fingers - are just missing the whole point. Like you said, picks are a necessity in some settings. If you're not playing with a pick, you're missing out on whole genres of music. That's really unfortunate in my opinion. I've been a finger player forever, but I'm working on getting my picking chops together for this very reason. I'm going to check out Ace of Spades and Maxwell Murder - thanks for the listening recs!