Another Pick guy that wants to learn fingers

[Flatwoundround]

Been a pick player all my history and I play in a funk R&B band and can function fine. But when I play some grooves with fingers it feels so good, I mean it is strange because on the one hand I feel like more of ayer a beginning bass player when I play with fingers but on the other hand it feels very natural in a strange way. I say strange because I can play of course so much better with a pick and can do fills much easier. But grooves especially where there is a lot of string crossing feel so much better with fingers since they glide over the strings much better than a pick.

So I decided to devote 25% of my practice time to fingers with 75% to pick. And then in a month I might go 50/50 and then gradually something like 90/10 fingers. If I completely switched to fingers too fast I would not be able to play with the band. I like the idea of gradually working it in and still keeping the pick going too.

Part of me thinks it is better to just play one method only and get really really good at that method but then again I think of all the great guitar players that use a pick on electric and fingers on acoustic when they play classical. So I figure I can do it too.

Anybody else have similar experiences?

 

[1stnamebassist]

I'm the opposite. I've played fingerstyle 99% of the time until this past year. I bought an acoustic guitar because
I thought what the heck maybe I should learn a little guitar. Well I'm not really fond of the guitar I found out after playing it for a few months, but two benefits did arise from my learning. I can tell what chord is being played on the guitar by watching the guitarist so I don't necessarily have to know all the chords to a song if I can see his hands. Two I started using a pick more and feeling really comfortable with it on the bass. I bought myself another Ric this past summer because they sound so good with a pick. And I love Rics!

 

[MalcolmAmos]

IMO don't be a one trick pony. Some songs beg for fingers and others beg for a pick.

Most of the time I use my thumb to sound the strings on my bass. Why? I came over from rhythm 6 string guitar and the pick came over as well. But I liked the sound of using my thumb on the bass better. I still play rhythm guitar with a pick and do not have any problems going from one instrument to the other, i.e. going from pick to thumb. Using both fingers and pick on your bass should not be a big deal, use the one the song wants.

 

[Jrussblues]

I played guitar for years before picking up a bass. At that time it was "uncool" to play bass with a pick so I adapted pretty quickly to fingerstyle.
What I've learned
1. String material can make it break how bad your fingers hurt after a gig. Generally nickel is more forgiving than stainless on my fingertips.
2. There are like 1000 different ways to play with your fingers, don't be afraid to step outside the box.
3. Where and how you play can drastically change the tone of the instrument. This can be really beneficial or really detrimental so try different stuff.
Fwiw I didn't have a great fingerstyle background when I switched over so I had to dedicate 100 % of my effort to it. I've never found it to be a problem to pick up a pick at any time though.

 

[john_g]

I played with a pick for the first 22 years. I rarely even messed around with playing with my fingers. Then I got my fretless and IMO it just didnt sound right playing it with a pick. So I started working on using my fingers from the ground up...sitting in front of the TV, alternating fingers and running scales until I became comfortable. Almost 8 years later I use my fingers 99% of the time now, but I still practice with the pick to keep it sharp. I have to say, playing with my fingers feels much more natural which I never would have thought years ago.

 

[gjohnson441496]

I picked up bass playing after about 10 years and practiced day and night until tendinitis set in. My doctor told me to lay off the bass for 3 months. After a month I decided to try using a pick and there was no pain so I began playing with a pick and loved it. Practiced involuntarily with a pick for at least 6 months. Some songs sound good with a pick, others with fingers, some with thumb, depends on what the song calls for. You can do both and you'll eventually become comfortable enough to switch without a problem.

 

[BAG]

I've been playing bass purely with pick for over two years now after 30 years of playing guitar. I tried early in the piece to play with fingers but it just didn't work (I can't play guitar fingerstyle either) so i stuck with the pick as I could at least hold my own on the bottom end that way.

Over the past 6 or more months i've been practicing with fingers more and more. It used to be just a little and then i'd be using the pick again to be more accurate and sound better. Lately i've found that i'm practicing with fingers about 30% of the time or more and it is getting easier. I've got one or two songs that i'm nearly happy to play live and i'm sure things will get better as time and practice goes on. For the time being though, on the mellow songs that require less attack on the note i'm using one of these.

Once they've worn in and the tip has softened a little they have a great tone to them on flats. Very similar to some fingerstyle tones.
Mind you..... they are completely crap on a ukulele. Strangely, uke is the one instrument that I do actually play fingerstyle.

 

[pravus]

Anybody else have similar experiences?

I used to be exclusively a pick player but a lot of songs I wanted to play use fingers so I decided to basically do something similar to what you did. I just started forcing myself to play simple stuff using my fingers and worked from there. It's awkward at first but if you focus you can make gains quickly. It wasn't more than a few months before I really got a feel for it and that just accelerates practice even more. The hardest part is just getting through the awkward phase. Shortly after getting decent with two fingers I started with three fingers and had to go back through the slow steps again. Now I can incorporate both into my playing. It's great having another few tools in the bag and it's a lot of fun playing this way, too. You can get really connected with the instrument with the right material.

 

[Mather]

Youre amazing. I have been a finger player my entire life as a musician and have never gave pick playing a shot. I cant seem to figure out how people think it's easier!

I would start learning simple tunes and only practice finger style for about a week. Just devoting one hour a day will be amazing for you.

 

[Flatwoundround]

I used to be exclusively a pick player but a lot of songs I wanted to play use fingers so I decided to basically do something similar to what you did. I just started forcing myself to play simple stuff using my fingers and worked from there. It's awkward at first but if you focus you can make gains quickly. It wasn't more than a few months before I really got a feel for it and that just accelerates practice even more. The hardest part is just getting through the awkward phase. Shortly after getting decent with two fingers I started with three fingers and had to go back through the slow steps again. Now I can incorporate both into my playing. It's great having another few tools in the bag and it's a lot of fun playing this way, too. You can get really connected with the instrument with the right material.

Thanks for this post. I am going to make a serious effort to play with fingers for the following reasons and I like what you said:

1. I fell in love with tapewound strings but they sound bad with a pick (pick click sound is really amplified more). Would be nice to get rid of that unwanted noise
2. It will be better for muting with the floating thumb technique (my mutiing with pick playing is not as clean sounding as floating thumb muting with fingers)
3. My bandmates give me grief about using a pick even though they complement my playing. It does bug me when they say things like "fingers sound better than pick".
4. Easier to go back to slap and fingers then slap and pick.
5. It actually feels more natural on songs where there is a lot of string crossing.
6. Opens up other techniques and tone possibilities

 

[Benny the Finger]

When I play live I am 90% finger style...recording however, thus far has been 100% pick...I've tried finger style in the studio and have never been happy w/ results compared to same lines done w/ pick...maybe it's because I find I have an easier time muting the strings when playing w/ pick as opposed to thumb planted on pickup and less opportunity to mute without changing angle of my hand...
I practice about 70/30 finger style...

 

[PunkNerve]

When I picked up bass I went (almost) straight to playing fingerstyle. I was practicing through Rocksmith 2014 and I would play with fingers or a pick depending on what the original bassist used (the game would tell you what to use). A lot of songs were fingered so I became quite used to it. Enough rambling, my advice is to play gently until you get blisters, then slow down for a few days, play with a pick and maybe put some ice on your fingers. Then when you feel the pain has gone down you play with fingers again. Repeat this until callouses build up, could take up to 3 days.

That's just my personal experience and you may find that you may not like my way, practice using whatever feels right to you.

 

[shawshank72]

As a pick player 100% of the time because of issues i found that certain picks can give you the finger tone when needed.
Which is why i have a few at standbye at all times.
If you enjoy finger playing then by all means do it and have fun.
Just dont think you have to.

 

[bolophonic]

I played exclusively with a pick for 10 years. I took a break from bass guitar for a couple of years to learn percussion and drumming.

When I returned to bass in 1999, I never picked up another pick again. I've recently been working some pick technique into my regimen, but I honestly feel as though there is nothing I cannot accomplish with my fingers alone.