Bass - Pick vs. Fingers Shitstorm

[CID Vicious]

As a producer/engineer I think either or even slapping works.

I misinterpreted what a lot of 'grindy' rock bassists were doing. I thought when I heard that,  oh, like dude from Faith No More.

Well after developing my 'caveman rock slap' style? Come to find out, Ryknow uses Entwistle style fingers, Paul D'Amour used a pick, etc.

After some time with all three techniques into a flat mic channel, all three add the big string energy and top end zing that makes rock bass both boom and cut simultaneously.

I like fingerstyle for slow stuff but when the thrashing starts, fuck the nonsense..
also helps that "bassist" is like four places down the list on my musical resume...

FWIW - first live show I played was behind this fusion-Hendrix wanker. From "I'd like to play out but haven't" to staring down 1500 people at Michigan Peace Fest.

EVERYONE complimented Jimmy that night! "You guys were AWESOME! & your bass player is INSANE!!!"

Not bad for a self taught caveman on a bill full of jam bands full of college jazz dudes..
;-)

Pick your poison...are we still worried about genre
apropos-ness in 2015 anyway? Think the movie Strange Days - the world needs new flavors of bubble gum...

[everdrone]

note selection is most important.  can bassist play the song???

I use fingers when I am bored, it is rare.  I tried using three fingers but that is hard, I can do it but ya the pick works better for me and I like the attack and ability to more easily mute the other strings.  I slap bass on a rare blue moon but more like for thunder loud tones and not for funk.  I dont play funk.

[mortlock]

you don't play funk, it plays you..

[everdrone]

my bassist starts playing flea type basslines last week goofing off after we finished our DOOMZ,  and I wish I could get it to make sense...

[zachoff]

Ha, play whatever sounds best.  If it sounds good, play it.  Don't care how the sound is made.

[giantchris]

For Steve Harris I think he sounds absolutely fine with that now if he was playing more downtuned he'd probably sound better with a pick because you'd lose most of the nuance he's doing at that speed.  Unless he does what Alex Webster does, if you read about what Alex Webster is doing he has his bass setup in a somewhat peculiar way with really floppy strings to get his bass to sound like that in addition to running a specific type of rig that emphasizes some frequencies.  There's a really good thread on talkbass about it called death metal technique or something thats stickied.  I think for the more staccato stuff picks are way better though but galloping sounds great fingerstyle or with a pick. 

[mortlock]

I love alex Webster and I cannot stand steve harris. possibly most over rated metal bassist ever.

yeah, I said it.

[BastardCthulhu]

Smited!  Do we still do that here??

[mortlock]

apparently.

[CID Vicious]

I play guitar and bass, but I vastly prefer fingerstyle now.

Once two finger strike-through is learned you rarely if ever are caught out vs a pick. "Corpse Guy" is proof, especially at stoner tempos.

Jumped in with a kinda Godflesh-y band after practicing TFST all summer, & actually had more problems picking.

I think it's setup. A really nice setup for modern, slap, YFST may actually be too responsive for picking dynamics.

Tighter strings on a "deader" vintage type instrument - P or Tbird with original vintage style bridge IMO is what's needed for pick. Less bounce and swing at the string. Even thumpier/deader tone to compensate for the bright pick attack.

Whereas you want an almost drumhead like sensitivity for fingerstyle - high mass bridge, brighter pickups and/or amp settings, slacker strings.

I personally always *enjoy* playing bass fingerstyle more, and enthusiasm counts. Go to a drum off and see it yourself. Steve Harris would hate picking his lines and would do so begrudgingly.

And in a mix or live no one can hear those little nuances, & as an audio engineer your bedroom tone counts for nil. The mix tone *is the tone*, just ask any bassist on a fuzz hunt. That muff that sounds all badass solo'd disappears (except in the sense of the wall of sound) next to my Laney.

Don't take my word just Google on Talkbass.

In other words, Steve Harris sounds awesome in the mix, *thus he sounds awesome*. Iron Maiden sounds awesome with Harris playing, thus we think he's awesome, not the reverse.

[CID Vicious]

my bassist starts playing flea type basslines last week goofing off after we finished our DOOMZ,  and I wish I could get it to make sense...

https://youtu.be/SmAKjxsJMa4

That's some kinda standard Sabbathy riffing with all the bass parts or most slapped. P pickup into pissed grindy Ampeg sim.

Just ditch the ghey Seinfeld Tone and slap for power. Not unlike Strike Through.