FAQ Articles

To Pick or Not To Pick

I have often been told by people that bassists dont/cant use picks. This of course is obviously wrong, and the person had absolutely no idea about anything. But when starting off, this is a myth that may confuse a potential pick-playing bassist. Using a pick makes a distinct sound, not too much, but still different from using fingers. It sounds a bit more 'artificial' than fingering. The one thing that is hard to get used to when fingering is the co-ordination in your right hand. To be able to hit the strings continuously is quite had at first, especially with the faster songs. This is what led me down the road to picks. Picks are reasonably easy to use, to hold them properly you should put the pick on a desk, with the pointier end facing towards you. Place your thumb on top with your thumb at right angles to the pointy end. Keep your thumb it that position and pick up the pick, placing your index and middle finger of the same hand on the other side, they should be pointing towards the floor (the same way as the pointy end). Now it's as easy as brushing the pick over the desired string. So it's your choice, to pick or not to pick.

Would you like Frets with that?

Have you ever gone to slide up to the 11th or 12th fret and all of a sudden heard a horrible rumbling sound? Although frets are a great guide for your fingering, they can be extremely annoying when your fingers slip into te wrong position. This causes a nasty rattling noise that sounds awful. This is about the position to avoid:


	|XX-----|XX-----|
	|XX-----|XX-----|

     X = position to avoid

So whats the answer? Take the frets off altogether? No there is a solution to this problem. A fretless bass, bound to set you back a bit of extra cash, seems to be well worth the spend. There is an article in an online bass magazine that tells you how to defret your bass. I would not risk it, but it is certainly worth a consideration. A fretless bass does still have frets to guide you, but they are marked on instead of jutting out. Are fretless basses really worth all the hassle? Or the extra money?