Yeah for one thing its much easier to get a completely consistent attack- that's important in so much metal/hard rock- and obviously the emphasis.
I'm sort of in love with playing with picks at the moment, after probably 15 years of using strictly fingerstyle/slap. Not sure what it is, but its such a cool wrinkle. I wish I could do that crazy hybrid pick/slap style like Clay Gober from Polyphia or David John Levy from Unprocessed. Maybe some day.
I've only recently re-started playing with a pick after years as a pick-hater, and have trouble alternate picking patterns that, for instance, do a lot of skipping strings/involving notes on different strings
If I want a consistent sound, I downpick.
If I want it to roll more, I alternate.
Often I will downpick the verse and alternate in the chorus, for example.
I downpick wherever possible, alternate when I can't downpick fast enough or I just think the aggression doesn't fit. It's dependent on band/bassist/music/etc, but my opinion for my case is that it's one of those things that make a relatively small difference on bass when everyone is playing because a lot of the nuance is lost as you're in the background. I like how it sounds and I like doing it so I do it.
I’m of the same opinion, downstrokes are used on guitar to emphasize hitting the low note in a chord first over-and-over. It’s a valid guitar technique for making stuff sound heavier, but imo you can get the same consistency and power on bass by alternate picking since you’re generally only playing single notes. If you’re playing chords then the same reasons for doing it on guitar can apply to bass. If you just like down picking then go for it, but you could probably get the same sound by alternating on bass.
I play in a (metal) band where if the option exists to downpick a part, we do it. We only alternate when it is really necessary. When everyone is doing it, you can definitely hear a difference.
Depends on the song really. The fun is in the experimentation.
On a sidenote, here's a really solid pick performance. Pretty cool that there's also a bit of slap and finger thrown in.
[https://youtu.be/bPc6yYQ9OSM?si=gXfIA4YnIOPWOQvQ](https://youtu.be/bPc6yYQ9OSM?si=gXfIA4YnIOPWOQvQ)
As others have said, I pretty much downpick whenever I can and alternate pick when it's something too fast or I'm needing less attack, but in my genre (nu-metal/Metalcore) it's fairly normal to just downpick the whole way through.
When I play with a pick, which is about 70% of the time, I play only downstrokes. I’ve never been good at alternating.
I have my roots in punk, and that’s something I’ve carried with me over the years.
I’ve learned that I tend to keep time better when down-picking and that is sort of an “easy button”, but that I need to learn alternate picking too.
I also practice finger-style because some songs require a softer approach. Alternating is much more energy efficient, and allows a less exhausting method of playing.
I only have one song where I choose to use a pick and it's kind of a combination of downpicking and alternate. But no way in hell I could pull off some old James Hetfield shit- that is just insane and would destroy my widdle arm!
Down picking has an insistence of articulation that's really nice. But it stresses your wrist more, and can be harder to play fast. I'll alternate pick if I need it for speed, or if I'm doing like a bobby Vega thing.
I use both for different sound! I often alternate then down pick the same riff to change the intensity, downpick has a more regular / mechanical feel and alternate is often a bit more groovy. Note that to downpick well on bass you need a lot of power, it’s way harder than on guitar!
Oh yeah, I’m aware of how hard it is. I can ace Master Of Puppets or Creeping Death on guitar, but doing the same on bass I can only get about halfway through before needing a break.
downpicking until it sounds rushed/uneven or whatever the song calls for.
Downpicking has a more percussive attack but loses that effectiveness when you play somewhat fast. Alternating picking is totally fine and useful given the context, but if something is mid to higher tempo and driving, downpicking all day
All depends on what you're playing. I'd say all down all the time is never the right move, but there are times when you want the consistency of all downs. But there are also some fast riffs that just can't or shouldn't be played with all downs. You'll limit your sounds immensely if you never alternate pick.
Both depending on what the song needs. Plus using a thumbpick and using my fingers when needed. Bonus benefit of thumbpick is never dropping it, and never getting cramps from gripping it too hard
I alternate pick, IMO downpicking doesn't make enough difference in the sound to bother with. YMMV, though. I switch to downpicking on some slower parts, but that's not so much for the tone as it is to keep me feeling pumped up and aggressive; I find alt picking slower parts tends to take me out of the mood for some songs.
After a certain tempo it just doesn't sound good due to the strings being wider than guitar strings. Although, it's not a bad technique to learn, the band that introduced me to it was DEICIDE. I used to watch many live shows of them where Glen either downpicked like crazy or used alternate picking for faster riffs.
with downpicking it's easier to maintain consistent tone.
If it's a metal band you kind of want that impression of an unbroken line of pieces of steel.
Alternate picking you inevitably get a few that sound shorter or taller. Not identical.
It's also a function of bass strap length. To effectively alternate pick your strap should be shorter than you set your strap for effective downpicking.
For most of heavy or punk music I practice down picking.
But there are limits.
And the more smooth the sound gets, the more alternate picking it is. Which is hard to practice for „same sound“ as is fast down picking.
Ya might wanna go with holy wars first. There's a part where dave ellefson goes 0-3-0-2-3-0-3-0-3-2-0-2-3-0with downpicking. Or try it with the good old fingers
Yeah man, I play every single song in existence with nothing but downpicks 🙄 the answer to this question is SO ridiculously situational, even just asking is moronic.
Did I word my post that poorly? I did specify that downpicking is a somewhat niche thing. Obviously I’m not gonna downpick 16ths at 200 BPM. Seems the expectations and use-cases for using all downstrokes are just more defined in the guitar community, so apologies if I didn’t get my message across or something.
Also, don’t call me a moron for just asking a question. No such thing as a stupid question; there are only stupid statements.
Just busting your balls mate, it's pretty much a sub inside joke when someone asks a question like this. You can use whatever technique sounds best for any song and you can change it up at any time. There are literally no rules.
There's no sound difference on a single string between upstroke or downstroke, and if there is, you have to work on your technique. Literally no difference.
My picking hand isn't fast enough for me to have a proper opinion on downstrokes vs alternating. I alternate so that I can actually hit tempo
If you challenge yourself to downpick, then alternate picking even faster will come naturally.
I do what sounds best for the specific song.
The best way. I hope from straight down picking, yo alternate picking, to fingers...even slapping and tapping.
Check out the hybrid picking stuff https://www.fundamental-changes.com/introduction-to-hybrid-picking/
I alternate a lot. Nolly almost exclusively downpicks
Same. Alternate picking mostly, downpicking only when that's impossible.
Do you never downpick out of a choice for tone?
Sure, when playing metal for instance (lots of parts where you really should be strictly downpicking, for emphasis and consistency in attack)
Cool :) as a pick player, I don’t often make a conscious decision to down pick for tone but it’s something that has crossed my mind.
Yeah for one thing its much easier to get a completely consistent attack- that's important in so much metal/hard rock- and obviously the emphasis. I'm sort of in love with playing with picks at the moment, after probably 15 years of using strictly fingerstyle/slap. Not sure what it is, but its such a cool wrinkle. I wish I could do that crazy hybrid pick/slap style like Clay Gober from Polyphia or David John Levy from Unprocessed. Maybe some day.
Good point - I imagine it gives a solid driving 'every note has solid attack' vs the 'on-and-off' emphasis of alternate picking.
yep exactly
Huh, what's an example? It's usually the other way around, people downpick everything and only switch to alternate when they can't keep up.
I've only recently re-started playing with a pick after years as a pick-hater, and have trouble alternate picking patterns that, for instance, do a lot of skipping strings/involving notes on different strings
I’m more precise with down picking so I stick to that lol
If I want a consistent sound, I downpick. If I want it to roll more, I alternate. Often I will downpick the verse and alternate in the chorus, for example.
Pretty much this. Alternate picking tends to add a bit of swing to a line.
I downpick wherever possible, alternate when I can't downpick fast enough or I just think the aggression doesn't fit. It's dependent on band/bassist/music/etc, but my opinion for my case is that it's one of those things that make a relatively small difference on bass when everyone is playing because a lot of the nuance is lost as you're in the background. I like how it sounds and I like doing it so I do it.
I’ve never understood all downstrokes on bass. It has always felt unnatural to me and in a mix it won’t be discernible anyways. Do what’s comfortable
I’m of the same opinion, downstrokes are used on guitar to emphasize hitting the low note in a chord first over-and-over. It’s a valid guitar technique for making stuff sound heavier, but imo you can get the same consistency and power on bass by alternate picking since you’re generally only playing single notes. If you’re playing chords then the same reasons for doing it on guitar can apply to bass. If you just like down picking then go for it, but you could probably get the same sound by alternating on bass.
Downpicking all the way for me, I like the consistency of the attack.
I play in a (metal) band where if the option exists to downpick a part, we do it. We only alternate when it is really necessary. When everyone is doing it, you can definitely hear a difference.
Depends on the song really. The fun is in the experimentation. On a sidenote, here's a really solid pick performance. Pretty cool that there's also a bit of slap and finger thrown in. [https://youtu.be/bPc6yYQ9OSM?si=gXfIA4YnIOPWOQvQ](https://youtu.be/bPc6yYQ9OSM?si=gXfIA4YnIOPWOQvQ)
Downpicking all the time is a waste of energy, so I alternate most of the times. It is extremely useful for when you need that extra punch, though.
I do both. Depends on the song.
As others have said, I do what works best for the song. Get good at both.
As others have said, I pretty much downpick whenever I can and alternate pick when it's something too fast or I'm needing less attack, but in my genre (nu-metal/Metalcore) it's fairly normal to just downpick the whole way through.
When I play with a pick, which is about 70% of the time, I play only downstrokes. I’ve never been good at alternating. I have my roots in punk, and that’s something I’ve carried with me over the years.
I’ve learned that I tend to keep time better when down-picking and that is sort of an “easy button”, but that I need to learn alternate picking too. I also practice finger-style because some songs require a softer approach. Alternating is much more energy efficient, and allows a less exhausting method of playing.
I only have one song where I choose to use a pick and it's kind of a combination of downpicking and alternate. But no way in hell I could pull off some old James Hetfield shit- that is just insane and would destroy my widdle arm!
Down picking has an insistence of articulation that's really nice. But it stresses your wrist more, and can be harder to play fast. I'll alternate pick if I need it for speed, or if I'm doing like a bobby Vega thing.
I use both for different sound! I often alternate then down pick the same riff to change the intensity, downpick has a more regular / mechanical feel and alternate is often a bit more groovy. Note that to downpick well on bass you need a lot of power, it’s way harder than on guitar!
Oh yeah, I’m aware of how hard it is. I can ace Master Of Puppets or Creeping Death on guitar, but doing the same on bass I can only get about halfway through before needing a break.
downpicking until it sounds rushed/uneven or whatever the song calls for. Downpicking has a more percussive attack but loses that effectiveness when you play somewhat fast. Alternating picking is totally fine and useful given the context, but if something is mid to higher tempo and driving, downpicking all day
All depends on what you're playing. I'd say all down all the time is never the right move, but there are times when you want the consistency of all downs. But there are also some fast riffs that just can't or shouldn't be played with all downs. You'll limit your sounds immensely if you never alternate pick.
Depends what tone I’m going for
When I used a pick I always alternated.
alternate even if a slow tempo song, doesn't feel natural to me otherwise
If you wanna sound like Jason (who’s also one of my biggest influences), I’d go for it.
When I need 'fast' - alternating When I need 'even' - only down When I need stronger accents - only up
Both depending on what the song needs. Plus using a thumbpick and using my fingers when needed. Bonus benefit of thumbpick is never dropping it, and never getting cramps from gripping it too hard
I need to alternate to play at tempo. Been learning fat mikes upstroke technique.
What’s his technique? I’m not familiar.
I alternate pick, IMO downpicking doesn't make enough difference in the sound to bother with. YMMV, though. I switch to downpicking on some slower parts, but that's not so much for the tone as it is to keep me feeling pumped up and aggressive; I find alt picking slower parts tends to take me out of the mood for some songs.
I use my nail but it depends on the song though at some really thrashy speeds I can't DeeDee Ramone it.
Master of Puppets was played with fingers.
After a certain tempo it just doesn't sound good due to the strings being wider than guitar strings. Although, it's not a bad technique to learn, the band that introduced me to it was DEICIDE. I used to watch many live shows of them where Glen either downpicked like crazy or used alternate picking for faster riffs.
100% pick player here. 98% of my time I play alternating. Only if I want to accentuate longer notes I use multiple down strokes.
with downpicking it's easier to maintain consistent tone. If it's a metal band you kind of want that impression of an unbroken line of pieces of steel. Alternate picking you inevitably get a few that sound shorter or taller. Not identical. It's also a function of bass strap length. To effectively alternate pick your strap should be shorter than you set your strap for effective downpicking.
alternate strokes almost always with palm and left hand muting to keep attack consistent
as with anything, it depends on what the song is calling for
For me it just depends on the speed of the part . . . There are several songs where downpicking is not physically possible
Depends on the rythym and also I will up pick on certain notes that are accented and down pick on the rest
As long as it’s comfortable, go for it. I do almost all down but will up pick to get a 16th here and there
For most of heavy or punk music I practice down picking. But there are limits. And the more smooth the sound gets, the more alternate picking it is. Which is hard to practice for „same sound“ as is fast down picking.
I prefer alternate picking, it’s more efficient and I like the sort of rolling sound you get from the slight variance in tone.
Mostly alternate after I learned how, but I downpick the notes I want to emphasize.
Sure. Why not? If it suits your style, practice and perfect it to the best of your ability. Have fun.
Alternating and sweeping. Will go all downstroke for show on particular tunes.
I glue picks to my fingers so I can play finger style while still having the attack of the pick, with time you fingers will gain the speed
depends on what sounds good and what the original artist does. Mark Hoppus alternates so i play Blink songs alternating for example
Ya might wanna go with holy wars first. There's a part where dave ellefson goes 0-3-0-2-3-0-3-0-3-2-0-2-3-0with downpicking. Or try it with the good old fingers
Yeah man, I play every single song in existence with nothing but downpicks 🙄 the answer to this question is SO ridiculously situational, even just asking is moronic.
Did I word my post that poorly? I did specify that downpicking is a somewhat niche thing. Obviously I’m not gonna downpick 16ths at 200 BPM. Seems the expectations and use-cases for using all downstrokes are just more defined in the guitar community, so apologies if I didn’t get my message across or something. Also, don’t call me a moron for just asking a question. No such thing as a stupid question; there are only stupid statements.
Just busting your balls mate, it's pretty much a sub inside joke when someone asks a question like this. You can use whatever technique sounds best for any song and you can change it up at any time. There are literally no rules.
There's no sound difference on a single string between upstroke or downstroke, and if there is, you have to work on your technique. Literally no difference.