Editorials and Articles

Pick Versus Fingers

This debate has probably raged on since the invention of the electric bass guitar, and to me it’s one of the most pointless arguments made in the bassist community. Each method is a techniques no different than a hammer on or trill or slide, so why would you want to limit yourself and your playing ? Would you refuse to to use a hammer on if a group of people, started to tell you that “real” bassists don’t use them? Or would you go tell them to stick it where the sun don’t shine?

In my opinion, those who are so adamant about the finger-style are just looking for a quick ego boost, and a way to argue that bass is harder than guitar. Ego driven players like that really shouldn’t be playing the bass anyways, as the instrument isn’t about glory and fame. Ok now before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, let me explain myself a little more. You should approach each song individually, not your set as a whole, so when you are crafting your basslines you should take into account what is going to make the song sound best, no matter what technique you may need. Let’s say that your band’s newest song is really catchy, it just needs that tight solid sounding bass line that can only be had by using a pick and pumping 8ths, to give the song that last little hook to push it into hit single status. Now if you refuse to use a pick (don’t matter what you say you can’t duplicate a pick with your fingers) because of some credo you read or heard about and therefore keep the song from hitting it would pretty much classify you with what I said earlier.

Myself I follow the school of what’s best for the song I use, now if you are playing in a funk band or something that requires you to play fingerstyle, by all means don’t pick up a pick and try and funk it out, it all goes back to what does the song need, why you may never need to use a pick in your situation doesn’t mean it should be laughed off as inferior or completely ignored as a tool. I often switch back and forth between the two during songs, keeping the pick in my teeth while using my fingers. If the song needs something I don’t let what other people may think get into the process at all, I go ahead and use whatever is needed to make the song sound best.

While some think it takes more skill to play with your fingers than versus a pick they are sadly mistaken, for every great fingerstyle player there’s a picker out there that will make them go “wow”. I was guilty of this myself until our music started to require that I use a pick, and I found out it’s a lot harder than it looks, and that it takes a lot of work to get your wrist in shape to accomplish it. Of course there are people out there that try and claim they can get the same sound with their hands as with a pick; unfortunately simple common sense and physics prove this wrong. The picking sound is made by a solid plastic object striking the string in almost 90 degree angles up and down. Fingerstyle requires you hit the string with a softer flesh covered finger at probably a 45 degree angle, no way to produce the same sounds; you can get close but not the same thing. And really why settle for second rate, when the real deal cost’s a dime and sets in your pocket.

So instead of warring with each other over stupid piddly things that will never have a winner or loser, for every great reason to use a pick only there’s an equally great reason not to use one, let’s all agree both are valid and important techniques that everyone should be proficient with. That way we can start working out how to steal the groupies from the yellers and twangers.