# Bass Guitar
**URL:** https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994
**Category:** RPGC Main Forum
**Created:** [December 23, 2005, 1:30am UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994 "2005-12-23T01:30:48Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@Hades\_Vulvuhzela](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Hades_Vulvuhzela)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/21 "2005-12-27T15:10:42Z")
> [@Gila-Monster](#):
>
> Playing guitar with your fingers is similar to playing bass with your fingers, but not quite. I’d say both can be challenging. But with bass, really, why would you play with a pick when it’s a bass? With enough practice you can play “tremolo” bass with your fingers. But you seem to be just focused on guitars in your comment, seeing as how you’re talking about arpeggios and sweeping (not that you can’t sweep on the bass). But really, playing the bass with your fingers with speed and consistancy is not as easy as it seems; it requires a lot of practice, much like any other technique.
Gila, I don’t need to speak in terms of “seeming.” I’m not some boy wondering about playing bass. I’ve done it. I do it. I speak from as much experience as you do.
The reason I mentioned sweeping, rhythm, and tremolo is BECAUSE they’re guitar-centric. You’re not going to be playing rhythm on a bass and you can tremolo with fingers. Unless you’re going to be bass sweeping (I have NEVER seen it done), a pick would be useless for playing bass. Fingers, on the other hand, have major advantages for bass, which is why I support his decision to use fingerstyle.
> We’re talking bass finger-playing, hades. It’s far from childs-play when the strings are double the thickness and much more massive.
> No it isn’t. Doubling the width might cause problems if I could barely handle the width of a guitar’s strings, but for most people, plucking guitar strings is effortless, even if they’ve never picked up a guitar. Doubling the width means nothing. Tripling it means nothing. You could quadrouple it and you’d still have less trouble plucking the strings than you would fixing your instrument’s broken neck. It’s the whole multiplying by zero deal.
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### Author:  [@Cless\_Alvein](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Cless_Alvein)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 3:13pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/22 "2005-12-27T15:13:50Z")
Oh shit it’s Hades in a guitar thread
RUN
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### Author:  [@Hades\_Vulvuhzela](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Hades_Vulvuhzela)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 3:15pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/23 "2005-12-27T15:15:20Z")
> [@Cless\_Alvein](#):
>
> Oh shit it’s Hades in a guitar thread
>
> RUN
I came here with good intentions and was reminded why I left ☹
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### Author:  [@Ramza](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Ramza)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 3:38pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/24 "2005-12-27T15:38:13Z")
No you didn’t
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### Author:  [@Steve](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Steve)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 3:58pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/25 "2005-12-27T15:58:02Z")
Hades, just answer one question: have you ever played a bass guitar for more than an hour or two?
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### Author:  [@Cless\_Alvein](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Cless_Alvein)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/26 "2005-12-27T17:22:29Z")
> [@Hades Shinigami](#):
>
> I came here with good intentions and was reminded why I left ☹
You left because we ran out of eggnog, you bastard \>:(
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### Author:  [@Jango](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Jango)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 5:37pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/27 "2005-12-27T17:37:57Z")
> [@Gila-Monster](#):
>
> Uh, I thought the extra string on a six string bass was a string higher up? Kind of like B E A D G and then either B or C.
Then my guitar teacher was wrong. But the basic point is you really don’t need more than four strings. Oh, and if you want REALLY good bass then check out Rancid. The guy’s a fucking god, he’s able to pick AND use his fingers all at once. It’s scary.
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### Author:  [@Skankin\_Garbage](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Skankin_Garbage)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 5:46pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/28 "2005-12-27T17:46:49Z")
Get a Fender Jazz Bass if you wanna get something Fender; that shit’s off the hook.
Oh, and if you wanna hear a REALLY good bassist…check out Victor Wooten.
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### Author:  [@Varan\_the\_Red](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Varan_the_Red)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 8:18pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/29 "2005-12-27T20:18:11Z")
Well, like I said, I can finger pick a guitar all day; it’s actually the one thing I -can- do on a guitar. I suck at chords because I never practice them, and i’m not even sure what a “sweep” or any of that stuff is. I did a shitty job of teaching myself and don’t know any terms for stuff.
I’m gonna get some books on jazz and blues bass, as well as metal bass. It seems like most rock bass players just do as you said, which is hit one note repeatedly, and that’s not what I want to do. I’ll check out those artists you speak of when I return to the States.
I really don’t know what kind of bass to get; i’m going to have to play a few and check them out when I return. I’m most interested in the Fender Jazz bass and a few Ibanez basses, though.
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### Author:  [@Gila-Monster](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Gila-Monster)
#### Post date: [December 27, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/30 "2005-12-27T23:29:10Z")
> [@Hades Shinigami](#):
>
> Unless you’re going to be bass sweeping (I have NEVER seen it done), a pick would be useless for playing bass.
You should check out Necrophagist. They’re extremely technical, and their bassist sweeps. Atleast, it sounds like it. And I’m in no way trying to antagonize you, miss hades. 😛 Not that you claimed that I was, I just figured I’d say that anyways.
> [@Jango](#):
>
> But the basic point is you really don’t need more than four strings. Oh, and if you want REALLY good bass then check out Rancid. The guy’s a fucking god, he’s able to pick AND use his fingers all at once. It’s scary.
I don’t know, man. You might not need the extra strings, but they certainly don’t hurt your playing. I’ve seen a bass player in a local band that plays an 8 stringed bass… it’s fucking insane. With his fingers mostly too.
And Rancids bass player? I don’t know, I don’t listen to much of them so I can’t really comment on them, but something tells me he isn’t a god. I’m sure he’s great at what he does though.
> [@Skankin\_Garbage](#):
>
> Oh, and if you wanna hear a REALLY good bassist…check out Victor Wooten.
Oh man, I saw that guy do a bass solo… holy shit. He was doing two rhythms at once!
And if you want to check out an amazing metal bassist, check out [Steve DiGiorgio](http://www.stevedigiorgio.com/). He fucking owns. Period.
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### Author:  [@Steve](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Steve)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/31 "2005-12-28T00:10:52Z")
[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5313639281780987096&q=Victor+Wooten](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5313639281780987096&q=Victor+Wooten)
Just wow.
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### Author:  [@Silhouette2](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Silhouette2)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 7:55am UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/32 "2005-12-28T07:55:21Z")
> [@Varan\_the\_Red](#):
>
> Well, i’ve messed around on them and it seemed easy enough, but we’ll see. Here’s a question: Why does everyone say to start on a four string and not a five or six string?
paul didn’t need 6 strings. why do you?
although i think peter hook of joy division and new order uses more than 4 strings, and he is a lovely bass player.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Dave](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Evil_Dave)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 8:09am UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/33 "2005-12-28T08:09:25Z")
If you’re looking for a bass player to look up to, Les Claypool is the way to go. He is the nastiest bass player I’ve ever seen.
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### Author:  [@Gila-Monster](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Gila-Monster)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 10:54am UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/34 "2005-12-28T10:54:11Z")
Yeah, I totally second Les Claypool aswell. Primus are one hell of a crazy band!
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### Author:  [@Steve](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Steve)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 12:14pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/35 "2005-12-28T12:14:02Z")
[http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9022853640072912349](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9022853640072912349)
Ha. I can’t stop watching the video.
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### Author:  [@Mitsuko](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Mitsuko)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 1:02pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/36 "2005-12-28T13:02:46Z")
Definitely, Les Claypool is utter awesome.
Ive never been a real big fan of finger playing ;hell I despise it (and fender for that matter).In my experience, a pick incorporates more precision and even sounds clearer at any case.But a bass player with a pick at hand is very odd…I suggest you get with a friend or something that knows about stringed instruments and the like to guide you before you start jumping into something you least know about.Comparing the bass to a guitar is pointless.In my opinion, bass is easier…unless you want to go hog-wild and get all technical about it 😛 And even then its a bit easier.Bigger strings = less precision ;depending on the persons preception of course.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Dave](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Evil_Dave)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 1:09pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/37 "2005-12-28T13:09:09Z")
Jason Newstead(Metallica) was infamous for using a pick in his bass playing.
You can definitely make more varied sounds using your fingers, but some people just don’t have the dexterity for it. Using a pick is easier. They make special bass guitar picks. They’re usually larger and thicker than regular guitar picks.
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### Author:  [@Gila-Monster](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Gila-Monster)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 1:21pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/38 "2005-12-28T13:21:34Z")
> [@Steve](#):
>
> [http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9022853640072912349](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=9022853640072912349)
>
> Ha. I can’t stop watching the video.
Thanks for posting that! I love that song, and I didn’t know there was a video.
> [@Evil\_Dave](#):
>
> Jason Newstead(Metallica) was infamous for using a pick in his bass playing.
>
> You can definitely make more varied sounds using your fingers, but some people just don’t have the dexterity for it. Using a pick is easier. They make special bass guitar picks. They’re usually larger and thicker than regular guitar picks.
Actually bass plectrums are not always thicker than guitar plectrums. They can be any thickness that a guitar plectrum can be.
And there’s no shame in playing bass with a plectrum either. Hell, Roger Waters from Pink Floyd played with a pick, and his playing isn’t half bad.
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### Author:  [@Evil\_Dave](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Evil_Dave)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 1:26pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/39 "2005-12-28T13:26:48Z")
> [@Gila-Monster](#):
>
> And there’s no shame in playing bass with a plectrum either. Hell, Roger Waters from Pink Floyd played with a pick, and his playing isn’t half bad.
No, I agree.
Back in the day when I played bass, I used to alternate between using a pick and my fingers, depending on the song.
There’s something to be said for the thumb slapping method too.
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### Author:  [@Gila-Monster](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/u/Gila-Monster)
#### Post date: [December 28, 2005, 7:57pm UTC](https://discourse.rpgclassics.com/t/bass-guitar/15994/40 "2005-12-28T19:57:59Z")
Yeah, I alternate between a pick and fingers a lot too. There’s some stuff that I am currently unable to play with my fingers, IE really fast stuff. I like to play with my fingers more, though, and I think I am getting better at it. My right hand index and middle finger have some crazy calluses on them, and one finger was even bleeding today, because the skin is getting so rough.
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