LBO member's poll

[Hornisse]

That look on his face says, "why did I decide to use this 15 pound Victory bass?!"   

[Basvarken]

Looks like he could lose 15 pounds himself too 

[Chaser001]

It's funny, Sting cannot really have had an influence on Martin Turner as Police were only on the way in when Wishbone Ash were already on the way out (there is a connection in so far as Stewart Copeland, the police drummer, was the younger brother of Miles Copeland, the Wishbone Ash manager), but when I listened to some of the tracks posted above I thought of a Sting likeness too ... that bony sound, they are both pick players (Sting at least in his early days, he plays mostly with his thumb now).

I think it could be quite possible for some melodic players who use a pick to have some similarities that are not due to direct influences from other players. 

[uwe]

Pet theory of mine: Pick players tend to lean towards melody and harmony while finger players develop in the direction of rhytmic nuances. Played with a pick the individual note stands out more whereas finger playing opens up a world of subtle rhythmic opportunities. You are never going to sound as even as an up- and downstroking pick player (and why should you?), but it is exactly that slight uneveness that will have you explore rhythm more. Gary Thain was melodic, but what makes him hard to copy was the rhythmic element he had as a finger player. Same with Jack Bruce, his melodies aren't rocket science, but his rhythmic intricacies are impossible to match (for me). Neil Murray as well or the Elton John guy (who certainly sounded like a finger player to me, but I don't know for sure). John Deacon of Queen was incredibly intricate in the rhythm of his lines as well.

There are exceptions of course (Geddy Lee sounds and plays like a pick player), but I think it is overall accurate. 

Had I learned proper finger playing, I think my array of rhythmic variations wouldn't be as meat and potatoes as it is today.  In the type of music I play and in the harmony and thirds-drenched style I've adopted people never really notice how rhythmically limited and unimaginative I am, but I'd be such a crap reggae or funk player even if my life depended on it.

[Chaser001]

I agree with this.  But it's mostly because of what I've experienced on a personal and practical level, especially recently.  It's like reading Kierkegaard.  You don't actually have to be an intellectual to clearly understand him if you've experienced in real life what he has written about on the abstract level.  

[Freuds_Cat]

I'm a fingers player that has listened predominantly to pick players and in trying to emulate them I tend towards focusing on melody first. When I play with a pick it feels like I have more access to the rhythm of a song. Kind of like a rhythm guitarist, it feels like I get to use my wrist and not just my fingers.

[Basvarken]

Interesting theory Uwe.
For me it almost seems to be the other way around.
When I want to focus on rhythm and play percussive and more straightforward parts I use the pick.
When I want to focus on melody and when I interchange a lot between the four strings I prefer fingerstyle.

But also,
when I want it tight and with some aggression I use the pick.
When I want it more fluent and with more subtility I prefer fingerstyle.

[Dave W]

I agree with this.  But it's mostly because of what I've experienced on a personal and practical level, especially recently.  It's like reading Kierkegaard.  You don't actually have to be an intellectual to clearly understand him if you've experienced in real life what he has written about on the abstract level.  

A reference to Kierkegaard in a pick vs. fingers discussion makes me smile.

I do know what you mean, though.

[Barklessdog]

I only started using a pick in the last 7 years or so.


No one mentioned Greg Lake, he did some great bass work with a pick

[Chaser001]

A reference to Kierkegaard in a pick vs. fingers discussion makes me smile.

I do know what you mean, though.

I'm glad I was able to make my point. 

[OldManC]

When I started playing I preferred using a pick but even then I found that some parts just called out for finger playing (beginning Jazz band in HS especially; walking with a pick just seemed wrong). A couple years later I took lessons and had a teacher that stressed being proficient with both even if one style was preferred over the other. He even had exercises designed for limbering up fingers to do the job. My playing at the time was probably 80/20 in favor of pick playing, while these days it's the opposite. Unless the song calls out for a pick I'm more comfortable with finger style these days. About the only exception is Pete Way style parts; those driving 8th notes just don't sound (or feel) right to me without a pick.



My son wants to choose a face for this post, so:   

[Pilgrim]

I never thought of playing with a pick until a couple of years ago. Now I'm barely as fast with a pick as with fingers, but I can move across strings better with fingers. More learning to do, as surf music has many fast patterns where a pick is really needed.

[hieronymous]

I just remembered/realized this morning how much of an influence John Wetton was on me, especially on the live King Crimson album USA. I feel like I am equally proficient with pick and fingers, but I play totally different depending on which I am doing. As mentioned, the physical movement of the pick results in different rhythmic approaches, which in turn affect my note choices. Not sure that I play more melodically with a pick than fingers, but definitely different.

On a similar note, we had another Northern California Alembic Gathering recently, and at one point while I was checking out a nice single-pickup Distillate through my amp, a couple of people detected a strong Chris Squire influence. Whether it was really there, because I was playing with a pick, or because of the (slightly distorted) sound I was getting I don't know, but it felt and sounded good to me!

[Denis]

I never thought of playing with a pick until a couple of years ago. Now I'm barely as fast with a pick as with fingers, but I can move across strings better with fingers. More learning to do, as surf music has many fast patterns where a pick is really needed.

I'm learning that using a pick seems to work better for me while learning surf, ESPECIALLY with the Jerry Jones.
Another thing I've noticed is that certain basses lend themselves (from my limited experience) to to picks and others to fingers. My Jerry Jones, the Dano, the Ric and the Victory Standard all seem to work better with a pick (mostly because of the angled pup), while the rest seem to be more suitable to finger style.