Guidelines to Bass Playing with a Pick
It is good to know how to play the bass guitar as it will add some music and rhythm in your life. Bassists have their own preference when play bass. Some would say that a pick works for them while others prefer using their fingers. It all depends on the sound that you produce and whether or not you like it. Since a lot of people this days prefer playing the bass with a pick, this article is all about that. In this article we look at the guidelines that will help teach you how to play bass with a pick.
Most bass guitars are electric ones if not all; the first steps you will take will be to choose the number of strings. Selecting a guitar with the right number of strings for your ability is highly recommended. For an amateur the most suitable guitar will be the 4-string. This is because unlike the 5-string and 6-string which will require more control to minimize the buzzing of the other strings, the 4-string is usually easier to control. This will hence prove to be a hard task for a beginner.
Following should be the selection of the distance from the nut to the bridge. In a bass guitar the scale refers to the distance from the nut to the bridge. A deeper sound is produced with a longer scale that has longer string length. A beginner should choose a shorter scale as he will be able to maneuver easily. Regardless a shorter scale works best for a beginner as he can easily maneuver. If you are looking for a Bass Picking Technique, you can go to the link for it.
The space between the small metal dividers on the guitar's fingerboard is what is known as fret. You will have to make a decision on whether fretted or fretless. You can then decide to connect it to an amp if you want to hear yourself play.
When learning How To Play Bass With A Pick, the most used hand is the right hand. The commonly used hand is the right one. Holding your pick can either be done using the close or the open way. In the closed style, you hold the pick between your index and thumb finger. Then make a light fist, resting your thumb on top of your index finger. This is the position the pick will go with its tip protruding. With only the tip of the pick showing, this is where it goes.
Your bass pick needs to be heavy as the bass strings are also heavy. On open hand style the pick still goes between your index and thumb finger but you will leave some space between your fingers and palm. All these two styles require you make wrist movement twisting your picking hand.
With a pick you can either do upstrokes and downstrokes or both. It all depends on a player's preference.
