Should we play bass with fingers or a pick ?

Canada
December 17, 2011 11:48am CST
Hey, as I'm starting to play bass, I'm wondering what's better. I used to play guitar so I'm comfortable with a pick and I have more controle for the moment, but I know that most people go for the finger picking. What do you recommend, what are the pro's and con's of each methond ? Thanks.
1 person likes this
2 responses
peavey
@peavey (16936)
• United States
17 Dec 11
I think bass sounds better if you use your fingers. It's more mellow, but it really depends on the sound you want.
1 person likes this
musicman6
@musicman6 (2407)
• United States
19 Dec 11
Yes, it just depends on what sound you want to hear, I know a lot of rock bass players that use a pick, to get that metal rock sound !
kolsti87
@kolsti87 (521)
• United States
31 Mar 12
Definitely! Finger picked bass has a deeper, warmer tone to it while the picked sounds kind of hard-edged and aggressive. I agree, picks are the way to go for metal or punk or hard rock in general. It has a lot more attack and it has a twangier sort of sound I guess. It can sound a lot brighter than the low, booming thump of a finger-picked bass.
Fairchild76
@Fairchild76 (14)
• Canada
19 Apr 12
Everyone here is correct. Fingers = warmer smoother sounds and Picks = Harsher growly snap. I teach bass and would highly suggest staring with your fingers and then moving to pick later on. I find most people have problems coming from playing with a pick and then moving over to fingers, but finger players dont seem to have as much of a problem switching over to a pick.
macdingolinger
@macdingolinger (10386)
• United States
17 Dec 11
You can use a pick to play the bass, but a lot will depend on the type of lick you are using and the sound you want to produce. Most of the time for a good bass riff you will want to pick it more with your fingers. It is also much easier to control than trying to use a pick on a solid run!