hieronymous
Member
Doing it live with a band is another thing altogether! It was fun figuring it out - and of course it's only one possible interpretation - I actually know several people who have absorbed his influence deeply.@krysh:
Your bass has a wiiiiiiide spectrum of tones to use!
@ hieronymous:
You definitely got the Phil Lesh tone down pat!
I actually play pretty hard, both with pick and fingers. I've backed off a bit, but for me it's plucking/striking with just the right force, and I'm sure that the sound of the string hitting the frets is part of it. Then, how you EQ it can affect its role in the overall tone.Both you guys use your picks in a way that it doesn't sound too "clicky", if you know what I mean.
I sound clicky, but then I'm using a really thin fender pick. I will have to try some others, though I like the sound I have now. Just some may find it too clicky.
Playing with a pick definitely changes the tone, and brings out the tone differently than finger style. I think it brings out the hollow body sound really well. I will have to try it on the Ric bass and see how it sounds on that bass, too.
BTW, across all the basses I ever played, I cannot control the clank of my right hand finger style playing. I am too heavy handed.
Only if I really raise the action can I avoid it. Playing with a pick definitely cleans up my technique, and no annoying pops and clank!
I did a blind sound test with my wife as the listener and she said she likes the pick tone better than my finger style tone. Pick is more clear and powerful sounding for her tastes.
I find my time keeping is better with a pick. With finger style, my middle finger sounds a little off sometimes. Probably no-one would notice but me.
Rickenbacker with pick is one of my all-time favorite sounds - Roger Glover was an early influence on me, and later Lemmy Kilmister & Chris Squire (and of course Geddy Lee with the quintessential Ric/fingers approach)