It’s a finger pick.
Acoustic finger pickers and banjo players will use them.
They go on the underside of the finger - not the nail side - so that the curve of the pick curves up towards the tip of your finger, away from the string.
(I always thought they curved down, like claw-finger extensions, but that was wrong. It’s impossible to use them like that!)
After splurging on an assortment of different picks during the past few weeks, I have concluded that I still love the ones I purchased last April… the Dunlop Stubby.
I like them so much, I just ordered another sack of 24 of them (I don’t know where they keep disappearing to).
My fav is the 2.0, but they also come in 1.0 and 3.0 (no fractionals I guess).
I like them because they are small, yet big enough to get a good grip. The surface is scored for better gripping too. I can hold this pick in such a way so only the tip is exposed, and I can quickly move from string to string without tripping over any stings along the way. And it gives me a very nice attack.
Should have ordered more, none of us really truly know where they keep disappearing to. They just purrs out of existence soon as our backs turn this instance.
Thanks for that link on the stubby’s though. I’m going to grab me some because I need to grab some new picks for more variety after joining this forum & participating in this thread.
I realized I’m a simpleton when it comes to bass picks LOL
Hi guys, I wasn’t sure whether to start a new thread or not but I think this looks like the perfect place to ask for advice (let me know if you want to move it though). I want to start practising more with a pick but have been having real trouble finding anything that feels comfortable.
I’ve watched a range of videos such as ones from Josh, TalkingBass etc and even though they’re really informative I just can’t seem to get past the very basics of holding the pick and the movement. I only know plucking fingerstyle so have no experience playing with a pick in any capacity.
I’m hoping some people here could share some real-world advice on what worked for them when they started trying this way?
Gear:
Difficulties to overcome:
Any advice would be hugely apreciated! I’m just trying to get the groundwork down at the very least 
Thanks!
This is how I hold mine, with very little of the tip exposed. I’m fairly new at pick playing myself, so I can’t say this is correct, but it works for me.
I defer to the more experienced pickers.
@renouf do you own the B2B course? Josh goes through those aspects (how to position the pick, how to attack the strings, etc)
hey @renouf , this is exactly the right place for those questions 
here is the normal way of holding a pick, with two fingers :
(that’s not what I do, because of a bad habbit to hold the pick with 3 fingers. I highly recommend to learn the right way, with 2 fingers !)
it does not make a difference for me, but here it’s a matter of what’s comfortable for you !
you can try different angles, you will see that it changes the sound and the feel of the attack, this is a part of the pick technique really. the angle during the attack brings a panel of expression to your tone.
nothing special here, just bring a fast attack with enough power to move the big strings and it will work
@gcancella yeah I finished the course at the start of this year, so picking up the pick (love a bit of word play ) started from there but even with instructions from that, and a bunch of other videos, I just hadn’t managed to find anything comfortable, and the last thing I want to do is fall into any habit that causes strain!
@terb thank you for the detailed reply! I guess just like plucking with fingers it’s fine to hit the strings however you need to make the sound you want… makes total sense really. Even if most of the answers are “it’s up to you”, it’s still good to be told that so that you know you’re not doing something glaringly wrong!
*
I had a bit of a breakthrough during a long practise today though! And it was something so unbelievably simple that’s possibly just particular to me, or perhaps I was missing something obvious the whole time…
The main problem that was stopping me is whenever I felt like I was getting my grip and movement right, I’d feel strain in the outside of my hand/wrist and I kept thinking that it was probably strap height or something ---- I literally just shifted the bass more to the left than it would normally rest when I’m plucking (so that my right arm was more central and not sticking out like a mug handle). Bliss! Now hopefully I can start practising properly!
Picks are fun.
yeah the place on the string where you attack (and so, your right hand position) is critical. changing this parameter allows to change what I would call “the perceived string tension”. it also works with bare fingers plucking but it’s even more critical with a pick in my opinion.
I haven’t reached the part in the B2B course that talks about picking, but found some photos on this page of tips by Carol Kaye, who always used/uses a pick on bass, and has had a LOT of experience. See the first image in tip #92 on that page, and her various descriptions in tips #70 and 93, and also described on other pages in tip #103, and Beginning Pick Exercises in tips #26 & 27. Position of the wrist is important, to avoid injury if you do it a lot.
Interesting! It turns out that I’m like Carol (movement in the wrist, careful positioning) versus the other (and probably better) technique (move whole arm, keep wrist straight.) I think the whole arm technique is actually better for your arm health but I can’t do it with fast picking.
Her tip #103 sounds important there for doing it with motion in the wrist - keeping the wrist flat is key for avoiding RSI in general.
Good luck with that. 
I tried to use the whole arm and failed miserably it feels more suited for strumming.
I think that the whole arm technique and the wrist technique are very complementary and don’t serve the same purpose really. if you’re playing a heavy riff while standing : arm , if you’re doing a fast technical move while sitting : wrist
If anyone is interested, I just received these felt picks from Sweetwater:
I compared them with the standard picks I’ve been using
As you can see, the felts are bigger and a lot harder than the Maxgrip and the Fender Heavy. It was advertised as a softer sounding pick, but I can’t hear any difference.
maybe they will become softer after a break-in period ?
I don’t think so. There is no flexibility in them at all. I’ll keep trying them and let you know.
Are you sure they didn’t just mold cinderblock into a pick shape? They look like sponges but could also be cement. Interesting looking pick though, never seen one like that before.
