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Is playing bass with a pick "cheating?"


heymisterk

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Okay, let me get right to the point: I suck at playing the bass. The ONLY time I ever play bass is when the bass player in my church choir is absent and I swap my acoustic guitar for the bass. As it turns out, I have to play bass today - Holy Thursday - and Easter Sunday.

 

Anyway, I use a pick. Even though my best guitar playing is fingerstyle, I struggle with swatting at the bass strings with my bare fingers. I usually make more mistakes when I play this way. When I play with a pick, I at least feel I get a decent sound and make fewer mistakes. Keep in mind: these bass parts on our Catholic hymns don't exactly call for Geddy Lee; just a lot of G-GC-CG-GC alternating notes.

 

But whenever I see good bass players play, it seems like nearly all of them play with their fingers. (A notable exception is I have seen Macca use a pick.)

 

What do you say?

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Yeah. I wouldn't consider it cheating. I play a bit of bass and I prefer to use my fingers. I just prefer the sound. I've also found that I get a sore wrist playing bass with a pick. Which is strange because I have no problem maintaining a high bpm with a guitar. Just down to the thickness of the strings.

 

Other notable bass players who used a pick include Gene Simmons and Phil Lynott.

 

Edit: Slightly off topic, but Steve Harris of Iron Maiden is what inspired me to play bass with my fingers. He's an unbelievable bass player. Whenever I try and emulate his bass playing, I last about four minutes before my fingers just give in.

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Yeah. I wouldn't consider it cheating. I play a bit of bass and I prefer to use my fingers. I just prefer the sound. I've also found that I get a sore wrist playing bass with a pick. Which is strange because I have no problem maintaining a high bpm with a guitar. Just down to the thickness of the strings.

 

Other notable bass players who used a pick include Gene Simmons and Phil Lynott.

 

Cliff Williams and Tommy Shannon are notable bass pickers as well. I also believe that Paul McCartney used a pick. It all depends on the sound. For bluesy bass or fancier stuff such as all the Rush tunes I like to jam on I use fingers. Picks are suitable for the simpler rock stuff (Kiss, Thin Lizzy, Priest, AC/DC, VH, etc.).

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Not cheating at all, like on guitar it is simply a different style/sound.

 

I am terrible at bass because I do not play it much at all my biggest problem is note control, a compressor/limiter would help that would be a bit like cheating IMO.

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Not cheating at all, like on guitar it is simply a different style/sound.

 

I am terrible at bass because I do not play it much at all my biggest problem is note control, a compressor/limiter would help that would be a bit like cheating IMO.

 

Naahhh. I'm a guitar player not a bass player. I use a pick on my delightful J & P, and wouldn't without use them without a comp/limit in front of the amp. I see it more as A Man Gotsta Know His Limitations than cheating.

 

rct

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"Cheating?" No. Different? Yes.

 

Since your first instrument is a guitar, you probably are used to a pick. Guitar strings probably feel like rubber bands under your bare fingers. The bass is a whole different animal.

 

Bass players pride themselves on having the perfect callous for the job. Unless you play finger bass a lot, you won't the right callouses. The 'right' callous is on the thumb side of the index finger. It takes months to develop.

 

Since you're pinch hitting, play it the way you can play best. If someone comes up and says, "I can play it better." Let him.

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Not at all.

 

It's much the same as asking "Is playing a six-string guitar with a pick cheating?".

 

Different musical styles and different playersmight require / prefer differing techniques.

 

Neither is right or wrong.

 

P.

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Crazy video, Big Bill. Perhas, it would be nice to gift a guitar with the Gibson robots tune or with the new Peavey Autotune for this guy.

 

Different musical styles and different playersmight require / prefer differing techniques.

 

Neither is right or wrong.

 

P.

 

I agree with Pippy.

This is where the bass plays well with your fingers, time from as 4 minute.

Plectrum evident here would be worse. Wise Paul gave to play to other bass player:

 

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While I'm not a real Bass player (not in my book that is), I do play it from time to time, depends on the sound/feel/style I want as to if I use a pick or not.

 

No, it's not cheating, for me, it is easier to do some things with a pick then with my finger's but on the other hand, some sounds/style's I just can't get the same result with a pick.

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I played bass for a while during the psychedelic era, when nobody wanted to hire saxophone players.

 

I mostly played with my fingers, but as others noted, playing with a pick creates an entirely different sound. On those few songs I played that needed that attack, I used a pick.

 

It's up to you. In your situation, I think most people won't care one way or another.

 

Either way takes some practice. If you plan on playing bass a lot, I encourage you to learn both methods, if you only do it on occasion to fill in, do whatever is comfortable to you. That's my advice - which may or may not be the best advice.

 

Insights and incites by Notes

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