Hard picking

It's human nature to associate understanding with familiarity. This is even the case to address unfamiliarity; one tries to reason by drawing on fathomable practices but that's dangerous. The validity of this reasoning remains confined within one's personal understanding & reasoning, it may well not be the correct reasoning. This retort is my knee jerk reaction to some people who dismiss others who prefer thick, hard picks as bass players. It's not too long ago that I was testing a guitar at the stores when a fellow shopper drew near to ask how I've progressed to the standard of playing I am manifesting today (which is semi-pathetic, honest) so one of the factors considered was of course the choice of picks. I showed him my 3mm pick & he went, "Oh, this is for bass isn't it?"

There are reasons why I prefer thick picks:

1. Thick picks facilitate my playing style. This is my utmost important consideration. It even transcends the considerations for price & brand names. I'd embrace any thick picks out there that complement my playing style; most of the time, I'm playing hard-hitting stuff so that's the reason why thickness is important.
2. Thick picks supplement energy conservation, as far as I am concerned. It sounds contradictory; how can someone who plays 1,000 notes per minute even talk about energy conservation? But it boils down to one's playing style. I need to get from one note to another very quickly so there should not be any dissipation of efforts to overcome a thin pick that flexes with every note picked. Get it?
3. More often than not, thickness equals durability. In order to maintain my playing momentum, I need something to keep me going, endure my torturous feat till the end (of playing). I wouldn't want to pick a new pick every 10min or so because the ones I am using cannot see me through, it's a sheer indication of incompatibility.

So there we have it, my reasons for choosing stubborn picks are indeed not fueled by Satan; it's a playing quirk which I've discovered over the years. I urge you to consider the pick you choose to embrace instead of favouring the flavour of the moment. You could do worse by accepting just anything handed to you without even thinking why they should be a part of your playing. Lest we overlook, I'm reiterating the fact that this is a personal quirk, not a standard diagnosis of how things should be. Embrace the pick that you favour, don't let anyone tell you different. 

And yes, I play bass occasionally but I don't pick my bass, I use my fingers, like Jaco. :-)