Cool Picking Technique

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Doin' some cool riffin' on bass that's kinda hard to describe; pickin' up & down but not with a pick, with my index finger & thumb pressed together using my fingernail like a pick.
Gives you nice tight control & you get a real good LOUD galloping effect! Can't wait to combine it with some marching snare!! ...& a guitarist strumming chords to match!!!
Maybe I'll make a youtube instructional vid soon so you can see what I mean...

[nofi]

guitar players do what your talking about alot.

[Basvarken]

On an acoustic guitar it works pretty well.
On an electric bass it'll cost you a nail though...

[uwe]

If I'm not mistaken then both Bernard Edwards played like that (nail of index and nail of thumb squeezed together as his "pick") and Rudy Sarzo did something similar too (playing with his index, but using up- and downstrokes doing it).

Interesting, what people tend to come up with out of desperation when not playing with a real pick ... 

[nofi]

chuck rainy uses that back and forth index finger thing. when he showed it to jamerson he called it 'sissy stuff'.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

This is BOLD sounding, Hard Rock not Motown. Yeah, like Rudy Sarzo; There ya go

[gweimer]

I've been doing that for years.  I used to put some Hard As Nails on my index finger to help.

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

Hey~ Good tip!

Get it? Fingertip heh

[Blazer]

Strange that nobody mentioned THIS guy.


Anthony Jackson, watch closely around the 6:00 minute mark.

or THIS guy


Carles Benavent

[SKATE RAT]

in my new band i alternate pick so fast i wear through two picks in a 3 hour practice. this would not work for me. you'd start calling me stumpy.

[Freuds_Cat]

I've used the index finger up and down stroke for a couple of Glenn Hughes bass lines from his Deep Purple days. I'm not convinced he didnt do the same.

[Dave W]

Strange that nobody mentioned THIS guy.

...

or THIS guy

Why on earth do you find it strange that nobody mentioned some extremely obscure number that Anthony Jackson played on and some dreary plodding number by a semi-obscure soloist?

Why would you even make the effort to find these? Who gives a damn?

[Blazer]

Why on earth do you find it strange that nobody mentioned some extremely obscure number that Anthony Jackson played on and some dreary plodding number by a semi-obscure soloist?

Why would you even make the effort to find these? Who gives a damn?

You don't know what you want do you Dave?  When I post a clip of Victor Wooten slapping until the end of days it's no good and when I post a clip of somebody playing "Dreary plodding" song it's still not good. You are a hard man to please.   

Anthony Jackson is the first that comes to my mind when it comes to this playing technique. I Chose that particular song because it's a really cooking performance, But Jackson also played with Chaka Kahn, Simon and Garfunkel, Michel Petruciani and MANY others, his CV list is seemingly endless, I could've picked any of those better known performers but in this clip, you see his technique up close and he delivers a staggering performance.

The Carles Benevent clip was chosen for the same reason: you see his picking technique up close.

[Dave W]

Riiight. 

[Rhythm N. Bliss]

It may put you to sleep, Dave, but I LOVE Anthony Jackson's playing!
I remember getting one of my All Time Favorite Albums in the 70s--Elegant Gypsy- & being MIGHTY impressed by AJ as well as Lenny White & Steve Gadd on drums.
Still my fav Al DiMeola album!

Gotta admit I always pictured AJ as a tall guy with a powerful physique til I found him online a few years ago.  

Right on, Blazer! Obscure stuff is sometimes The Best!
Dave's been known to pull up some obscure old stuff here too.