This has probably been brought up numerous times, but I don't feel like necroposting, so I'll risk getting this thread locked.
I feel that different bass-playing styles have their place and purpose. On parts with a lot of groove and offbeats, it's good to play slap, but at other times it sounds out of place and obnoxious to me. Finger style is good in parts where you want the notes to blend together rather than to stand out individually. I believe that this even applies to the SDG fingered style. It has its place.
I would now like to defend bassists who play with a pick. Sure, some of them are just playing with a pick because they're lazy. Others, like myself, actually enjoy the treblier, accentuated sound of a pick hitting a bass string. It has its own unique characteristic that can't be matched with fingers, because fingers are made out of flesh and bone, not plastic. I think the note accuity sounds good in that wall-of-sound black metal/old school death metal situation. Different EQ settings compliment the sound of a pick than do those you would use for fingers. The same principle applies to slap style, does it not?
Given, playing with a pick has its place, too. You'll rarely see me play a solo with a pick, because I think the solo should blend together, thus I use my fingers.
Far too much elitism passes between metal bassists. It's unnecessary. We should teach each other how to improve instead of demonstrating the faulty logic that we have become perfect.
I feel that different bass-playing styles have their place and purpose. On parts with a lot of groove and offbeats, it's good to play slap, but at other times it sounds out of place and obnoxious to me. Finger style is good in parts where you want the notes to blend together rather than to stand out individually. I believe that this even applies to the SDG fingered style. It has its place.
I would now like to defend bassists who play with a pick. Sure, some of them are just playing with a pick because they're lazy. Others, like myself, actually enjoy the treblier, accentuated sound of a pick hitting a bass string. It has its own unique characteristic that can't be matched with fingers, because fingers are made out of flesh and bone, not plastic. I think the note accuity sounds good in that wall-of-sound black metal/old school death metal situation. Different EQ settings compliment the sound of a pick than do those you would use for fingers. The same principle applies to slap style, does it not?
Given, playing with a pick has its place, too. You'll rarely see me play a solo with a pick, because I think the solo should blend together, thus I use my fingers.
Far too much elitism passes between metal bassists. It's unnecessary. We should teach each other how to improve instead of demonstrating the faulty logic that we have become perfect.
good example - sorry Steve D. - is Tony levin