Is it wrong to play bass with a pick?

You can use a pick on your bass guitar if you want to. Both finger plucking and using picks are perfectly normal ways to play the bass guitar. You can find plenty of examples of famous bassists who use either technique, and there is no harm to using a pick. It won't damage your strings or create an inferior sound.

Should you play bass with a pick?

Truthfully, there is no right or wrong way to play a bass guitar. There isn't even a preferred way. Any method you use to get sound out of the thing—fingers, pick, thumb, those weird stick things Tony Levin uses, telekinesis, whatever—works just fine. It's purely a matter of personal preference.

Why is it frowned upon to use a pick on bass?

While a pick is not necessarily a bad thing, using one can impede the needed commitment to learning the dexterity behind using your fingers to play – which requires more co-ordination and generally more time to become proficient. Versatile Tone – You can get any tone and sound you need by finger plucking the bass.

Should you play bass with pick or fingers?

A pick gives you a sharper, more percussive and driving tone and allows you to play faster 8th/16th notes on a single string. Finger plucking gives you a rounder sound and is better for a pocket feel and frequent string changes.

Do professional bass players use picks?

So, do bassists use picks? Yes; bassists who perform fast-paced, aggressive-sounding music are more-likely to use picks. This is because picks produce a more treble-heavy and 'snappy' sound than fingerstyle playing does.

Should you play bass with a PICK? (let’s end this B.S argument for good)

Does paul mccartney use a pick to play bass?

Paul played with a pick from his earliest days on the instrument, and continued this habit all throughout his career. It's rare to find a Beatles where he plays with his fingers instead. Using a pick has a number of tonal advantages, particularly with the violin-style basses that Paul liked to use.

Why do bass players use fingers?

Using Fingers to Play Bass

Usually, bass players report having more control when using their fingers, giving them a richer tonal variety, and beefier tone. In Addition, the popular slap technique used by many bassists can be easily implemented, if you don't hold any pick between your fingers.

Is a bass pick different than a guitar pick?

The average bass pick is 0.046″, or 1.17mm thick, while the average guitar pick is 0.035″, or 0.89mm. Bass picks are also generally bigger and blunter than guitar picks. Guitar picks provide better control over thin strings with short spacing, while bass picks give better control over thick strings with wide spacing.

Does Phil Lesh use a pick?

The final and not-so secret weapon in Lesh's tonal recipe is his use of a pick. He notably went pickless during his brief EB3 period, but otherwise will usually sport a 1.6 Telefunken Graphite Enhanced Pick.

Is bass easier than guitar?

Playing bass is not easier than playing guitar. Because bass has fewer strings than a guitar, there's a common misconception than it's automatically easier. It's not. But let's explore deeper.

Does Justin Chancellor use a pick?

Justin plays exclusively with Tortex^® Picks and loves the Cry Baby^® Justin Chancellor Wah, the MXR^® Bass Octave Deluxe, and the MXR® Bass Envelope Filter to enrich his sonic craftsmanship.

How hard do you pluck a bass?

Bass players generally agree that one shouldn't pluck hard just to get volume. You should generally learn to play with a controlled attack and use your amp for volume. A gentle attack is also best-suited for most types of music. Tone, on the other hand, is largely defined by your pluck.

Does Sting use a pick?

"I play bass with my fingers and with a pick. I often used a pick in The Police. "A pick was good because we were only a trio, and I needed the bassline to be very clear, rather than rumbling and vague, so playing with a pick low down near the bridge helped the band.

How hard is it to learn how do you play a bass guitar?

For most learners, bass guitar is easy to pick up at first as it's a relatively beginner-friendly instrument. A learner with no musical background can typically play basic bass tabs within a few days, and hold a simple bass line in a 3-piece pop/rock band within a few weeks.

Does Roger Waters play with a pick?

Roger is predominantly a pick player and used Rotosound flatwound strings on this. As we can see there's nothing special about the bass, although the all black body and scratchplate with an all maple neck was an unusual combination at the time.

Do you strum a bass guitar?

The bass guitar, unlike other guitars, is only ever plucked rather than strummed. It is important to maintain good plucking practices though, to create the best sounding music. The bass can be picked like a guitar as well, which is a matter of musical preferences.

Can you play bass with long nails?

You could play bass with long nails and get the desired sounding tone but it required to make some serious adjustments in your playing technique. Longer nails allow you to brighten your sound with a nice boost in volume as compared to playing with fingertips.

Why is thumb rest below strings?

It's a tug bar when the finger rest is below the strings instead of above. When it's above, you rest your thumb on it and play with the fingers, when its below, you anchor your fingers on it, and pluck the strings with your thumb. The “tug bar” is below the strings to allow you to get some grip.

Is Paul McCartney underrated bass player?

In the latter part of the book, John goes song-by-song through every track he recorded. After discussing their great collaboration on “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” John goes out of his way to compliment Paul's bass playing, which he said was underrated. “Paul was one of the most innovative bass players …

How do you finger a bass?

Place your thumb on the face (not on top) of your pickup closest to the neck. Let your thumb linger just above the E-string. You will see why shortly. On most bass guitars this should put your plucking fingers in a central position between the neck and the bridge.