Going from fingers to a pick -- and questioning my IDENTITY!

Bioflava

Bioflava

Feb 14, 2016
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#1
Hey TBrs,

I've been a finger-style for a few decades, but I can't say I've ever reached anything close to Rocco Prestia level -- or even a fraction of that (because he's amazing of course).

I'm playing with a rock trio these days, doing plenty of covers that range from Zeppelin to Radiohead, and I've been finding that a pick really 1) cuts through the mix and 2) improves my ability to provide pumping 1/8th notes -- leading to nods of approval from the band.

Now I'm questioning: Am I really a finger player at all?! Aside from the existential question, I'm curious: Has anyone else made this switch? If so, how did you improve your pick style playing beyond the obvious of running scales or doing metronome work?

Thanks!
 
#2
Bioflava said:
nods of approval from the band.
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:thumbsup::thumbsup:

i cannot tell you! i don't use a pick. (yet.) but if your bandmates are telling you that you sound good = that would be good enough for me/most. it sounds to me like you really have a handle on it if you're able to play it in the band. any hardships? 'phases' of adjustment? inquiring minds (i'm a finger guy) want to know! thanks.
 
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#3
JRA said:
any hardships? 'phases' of adjustment? inquiring minds (i'm a finger guy) want to know! thanks.
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Good point: If it sounds good, do it! In terms of adjustment, the main challenge is building up a different set of muscles -- playing stuff like Tom Petty where the whole song is just pumping 1/8th notes can really give your arm muscles a workout... So I'm just spending some time with my drum machine and my pick trying to build those up. Still prefer the fingers for a lot of stuff, but for a lot of rock, being able to pick really improves the sound and feel.
 
#4
Bioflava , i get it...and it makes sense: different muscles + the endurance thing. i'm playing jazz, but there are some contemporary tunes which strike me as 'pick-amenable'. i may get inspired enough by your experience to "go for it."
thanks for responding,
jim
 
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#5
I recently started learning to use a pick after 25+ years of fingerstyle playing. Not to convert, but to have that option available for the many songs that are played with a pick. Thing that helped me most was to keep my head locked straight forward to I couldn't look at what I was doing whatsoever. Maybe it was visual overload.
 
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#7
i'm a fingerstyle player, but for over two decades, i've had thick acrylic overlays on my fingernails, and i play with some attack, so my fingernails with their overlays cut through just as well as some picks, better than others. that being said, i play with fingernail, not fingertip. i started getting overlays in 1994 when, as a guitar player, we had a bunch of 8 hour rehearsals and my nails all wore off on one side.

i'm still rebuilding my strength and stamina after a long layoff. as a result, i don't have the stamina i used to have, so i'm starting to use a pick only when the bass line is very repetitious - think stevie nick's stand back or billy idol's dancing with myself. it helps.
 
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#13
I made the change to 100% pickstyle some years ago and I haven't looked back. At that moment I was playing the stereotypical metal band with two guitar players and one loud drummer; of course I had issues listening myself on stage even after changing my set up, technique, overdrives, amps etc. I mean, I could be heard but usually I ended up with a very honky and clanky tone which I didn't enjoy. One day I decided to turn off all my effects, set my eq flat and just play with a pick: problem solved. I could actually hear my self, support the band and have a nice overall tone.

Nowadays I play more Grunge/Hard Rock with my originals band (I left that metal band), play some covers, do some recordings for other bands. The reason I mention this is because at the beginning I thought I was going to hear the classic "oh, you play with a pick? then you're not a real bass player" thing all the time but, to be honest, no one has ever said that to me in four years. Not even bass players!

So if you (and your bandmates) hear an improvment in your tone just go for it and join the dark side! :bassist:
 
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#14
pcake said:
i'm a fingerstyle player, but for over two decades, i've had thick acrylic overlays on my fingernails, and i play with some attack, so my fingernails with their overlays cut through just as well as some picks, better than others. that being said, i play with fingernail, not fingertip. i started getting overlays in 1994 when, as a guitar player, we had a bunch of 8 hour rehearsals and my nails all wore off on one side.

i'm still rebuilding my strength and stamina after a long layoff. as a result, i don't have the stamina i used to have, so i'm starting to use a pick only when the bass line is very repetitious - think stevie nick's stand back or billy idol's dancing with myself. it helps.
Click to expand...

Same here. I played for years with my nails cut to the bone, then started getting the acrylic and playing around with different approaches to plucking the strings. I've found there's a sweet spot on my right hand where the nails are long enough to dig out strong attack if I want it, but short enough to lay down a more mellow tone if I want that. The trick is keeping them at that perfect length. It's more trouble than it's worth, some of the time. Lately I'm just leaving them longer.

I'm guessing the guys here won't have this approach because acrylic nails are generally a feminine thing, but men can get these too, with a clear coat over them so they don't look like they've been "done."
 
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#16
Lbsterner said:
Same here. I played for years with my nails cut to the bone, then started getting the acrylic and playing around with different approaches to plucking the strings. I've found there's a sweet spot on my right hand where the nails are long enough to dig out strong attack if I want it, but short enough to lay down a more mellow tone if I want that. The trick is keeping them at that perfect length. It's more trouble than it's worth, some of the time. Lately I'm just leaving them longer.

I'm guessing the guys here won't have this approach because acrylic nails are generally a feminine thing, but men can get these too, with a clear coat over them so they don't look like they've been "done."
Click to expand...

regarding that sweet spot - exactly! took me a while to get that.

btw, each nail place i go to has always had at least a couple male musicians - usually classical guitar players - who have been getting acrlyic overlays for years. there are a few guys over at AGF who use them, and one guy i met years ago at sam ash had finally learned to do his nails himself so he wouldn't have to keep appointments. btw, i find that using a clear coat means it flakes onto my strings...
 
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