Bass: Pick or no Pick?

[Toasty Virus]

So I recently had a discussion with a youtuber(Yeah...) about the use of Bass picks. He insisted that using a bass pick made you a crap bassist, while I argued that I prefered the sound the pick gave and how it allowed me to play the sort of punkier stuff I like easier.

So I ask all you bass playing escapists, Is there a better way to play? Does using a pick make you a noob? and which do you prefer?

 

[Zipa]

Depends on the baseline. Some songs sound and feel better using a pick others don't.
Take under pressure by Queen for example without a pick it sounds like crap.

 

[Snake Plissken]

I prefer picks. It's sort of a habit for me as a guitarist as well, but fast scale runs and stuff are much easier. It makes everything more defined, too.

 

[dbmountain]

Of course someone from youtube would say that.. I alternate between the two depending on what I am playing. For faster music like metal,grind or punk I use a pick and for slower more funky tunes I use my fingers

 

[Gardenclaw]

Try telling Matt Freeman he is a n00b. It depends on the song really, Some songs I play with and some I play without..Its whether the end sound fits.... *EDIT* NSFW some swearing in song

 

[Toasty Virus]

Try telling Matt Freeman he is a n00b. It depends on the song really, Some songs I play with and some I play without..Its whether the end sound fits....

Man..I...need to go change...

 

[BlumiereBleck]

I found it works both ways.

 

[Johnnyallstar]

Playing Bass with a pick is like eating Chinese food with a fork. Yeah you can do it, but using chopsticks is the traditional way. I use my fingers, or a bow if I'm playing my concert upright.

 

[Flig]

I've tried using picks before, though I personally prefer fingerstyle. If I need that twangier sound I just pluck farther down on the body.

 

[necromanzer52]

I never use a pick myself. It just doesn't seem right to play it with a pick.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkKeZ1z8zGk

How do I do that thing where the video appears on the page?

 

[katsumoto03]

Some picks sound better with some basslines, but I fucking hate using them.

 

[k3v1n]

as a fellow bass player, I think that both are good techniques to play Bass and anyone that tells you that you suck for preffering one to another is a complete ignorant idiot, who doesn't know shit about music in general.

 

[crunchieman]

Fingers, I prefer the sound.

 

[InsomniJack]

I vary between them. If it's fast, the picking is going to help. If it's slow, then fingering is the key. If it's the same few notes throughout the whole song, then picking won't hurt. If you have to navigate through 50% of the frets by the end of the song, fingering might be a better solution.

 

[Altorin]

I use my fingers.

but there's nothing wrong with using a pick if that's the sound you want. It doesn't categorically make your a bad bassist.

Try telling Matt Freeman he is a n00b. It depends on the song really, Some songs I play with and some I play without..Its whether the end sound fits.... *EDIT* NSFW some swearing in song

Face.

Melted.

 

[DanielBrown]

I use a pick, mainly because I joined a death metal band right after buying my first bass guitar - so I couldn't keep up otherwise.
Anyways, I consider it to look cooler while playing with the fingers, and it also sounds better, but I prefer the pick myself.

 

[irani_che]

depends on the song and the style
some shit cant be done with a pick, but a pick works very well for many things
i found this coin with smooth edges made a really good pick, look for a very low value one

 

[ChildofGallifrey]

I agree with ash-brewster up there. It depends on the song. I'm not really a bassist (guitar mostly), but I enjoy playing any string instrument (violin and cello and the like included). I'll usually use a pick if I'm not plugged into an amp, and bare hand when it is.

 

[LoFr3Eq]

Steve Harris doesn't use a pick, so neither do I.

 

[BonsaiK]

So I recently had a discussion with a youtuber(Yeah...) about the use of Bass picks. He insisted that using a bass pick made you a crap bassist, while I argued that I prefered the sound the pick gave and how it allowed me to play the sort of punkier stuff I like easier.

So I ask all you bass playing escapists, Is there a better way to play? Does using a pick make you a noob? and which do you prefer?

Depends on the style. Pick gives you potentially more speed, a sharper attack and more even dynamics which means less need for compression, but fingers give you better control over note duration and a smoother sound. I usually go for the pick with anything heavy or fast, and fingers for everything else. There's no right or wrong way really.