Ha ha, been there as well. I raise you a yellow one!
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OK, so I got a little pissed at all these little f’ers that keep telling me I can’t play with a pick.
I was looking at this groovy little bassline today and now think it might be a good, simple exercise in picking.
It is slow enough and fun enough that I can play poorly through most of the entire song in about 10 min, with a pick. Sounds like dirt, but each time it is getting a little better.
I think I am going to use this as my ‘learn the damn pick’ song.
(Excuse the dude’s makeup, its the only cover with notation of any useful kind with it.
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I think you may be suffering from PAS 
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Not a bad start 
My favorites are Ultex and Tortex 1.0’s. Depending on mood I like either material from 0.88 to 1.14.
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Samboat’s great - like Constantine, I entirely trust his transcriptions…
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Oooh! . . . I like that white pearly-looking one . . . 
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He seems great but….he charges a lot for each transcription ($6), where Con gives them freely. So have to do the back and forth thing watching him vs. just downloading. Which was easy on this one as its a pretty simple tune.
I know, that’s a cheap thing, but I am cheap in some areas and not in others.
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That (and the red/white/blue and blue pearly one) are the most expensive picks I have, they came with the Custom Shop bass. 
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I kept my Darkglass pick when I sold my Microtubes X. That was my spendiest one.
The girl I bought my SBV from left a box of picks in the gig bag too. I thought that was a nice touch
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What’s with the giant Ultex? Those look like a PITA to use. I definitely prefer standard size picks anyway. Didn’t get in to the Raptor at all.
0.88-1.16 ultex and tortex, definitely my sweet spot.
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For whatever reason, I seem to be having the most success with the Ultex 1.14 so far (the one with the rhino).
And I actually seem to be making some progress with palm muting. I think I’ve mostly figured out how my hand needs to be positioned, now I just need to muscle-memorise it. I started by setting up my hand to pick the A string and mute the E string, and then chugging for a couple of minutes to memorise the feeling in the side of my palm. Now I’m working on carrying over that feeling when crossing strings, and try to land in the correct position as quickly as possible. It’s going to take time, but I think I’m getting there. And I love the tone, so it’ll be worth it.
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I am actually liking the pita.
My hands dig it. TBD if I dig it more than a normal size yet.
For me the thickness seems to relate to tone vs. comfort, each thickness brings a different tone to the note, so I am not as much hung up on thickness. Even super thin has its place if the song warrants it.
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Thinner is definitely good for strumming.
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I’ve got a drawer full of picks that I’ve tried. It was a fun journey, but I’ve settled on the one in the upper right of your photo: Ultex 1.14. That’s my go-to pick now.
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Thought I’d record and post today’s pick practice, I’d appreciate feedback from the pick department. (Whether I’m doing anything wrong or weird, what I need to improve the most, etc.)
Things I’m aware of:
- Only doing downstrokes. Alternating picking is too much for me at this stage, I want to get comfortable with downstrokes first.
- Fret buzz. My basses are set up for plucking with low action, and I don’t want to raise the action just for the sake of picking.
- Some missed notes here and there. Can’t find the string with the pick sometimes, muscle memory is still under construction.
First video is with backing track, second is bass only:
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What you are doing may not look or feel normal, but it sounds good.
I don’t know the song, a few notes sound a little latent, but learning to double pick will smooth things up, while relaxing your hand somewhat.
I played with a pick as a kid, but started thumbing almost 25 years ago, playing more ballads, having to be more dynamic in music other than rock.
After double thumbing for so long, I am returning to picking now.
If nothing else, keep that song as a warm up exercise, and soon you will be up stroking with ease. Your left hand dosen’t travel far, so you can concentrate more on pick control.
I really like the finish on your bass. Its different.
Good luck, and have fun on your journey!
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