Finger tips or fat pad????

[Music_for_life]

Let`s make different comparisons
For stright 8ths hard rock?? I choose tips of the finger
For jazz the fat pad
Bossa fat pad

In straight 8ths for a neat playing do you consider playing with the tip is better to emulate a pick

[sethlow3]

IMHO there is no such thing as "emulation of a pick"... put the headphones on and really see if the fingers (no matter how they are used, curved etc..) are anywhere close to what a pick sounds like. The attack is very different, as well as the overtones. The pick is it's own unique sound.

As much as I used to hold the opposite opinion, even non musicians will tell you that they hear an immediate difference. It's just undeniable IMO. The sound is just different, and I love it!

As far as using fingers curved or not... That Jaco tone can be better achieved with the fingers curved by the bridge and has a cool tone that has a lot of bite to it. The "fat pad" approach (used by many players including Victor Wooten) has a much fatter sound. I challenge others to try both live and the difference will be immediately clear to anyone's ears.

All 3 techniques have their place, but I tend to do the fat pad and pick more than anything because they are the most versatile to my ears. YMMV

[dbhokie]

I change it up based on my attack for the song, if I want it to sound a little more aggressive, and want the notes to pop out, bit funkier then I'll use the pads. If I want a warm kind of melting together type tone I'll use the tips, of course with muting to adjust both.

[tZer]

I can get a 'close to pick' attack with my finger tips. It's much easier to get a pick attack with a pick (no-brainer), but as for being able to emulate a pick attack without a pick - you can indeed emulate it with your finger tips. YMMV, of course - and of course there are some circumstances where a pick is simply the best way to achieve the sound required - citing Chris Squire's lines as exhibit 'A'.

But as for being able to get the immediacy and staccato aspects of pick-style, you can definitely come close with a tight, finger tip focused attack and unless you are really going for the full-on pick-style thing, you can get more body and other sonic goodness from finger tips that are difficult to achieve with a pick without adjusting eq.

If I have a song where I need to emulate a pick sound but also a more traditional finger-style sound, I opt for 100% fingers vs. switching between pick and fingers. I find the difference in sound between picks and fingers is too great to mix them up since I don't use pedals or other 'on the fly' eq modification.

[sethlow3]

Since we are talking about switching between pick and fingers... this is pretty similar to how I do it... enjoy!

YouTube - ‪Bobby Vega‬‏

[Russell L]

I play with the tips, but just a tad on the side toward the thumb. BUT...I also use my guitar-picking nails. Not too long, but enough to give a click. Sometimes it's a nuisance, and I'll lower the highs to get the click out, more than some folks would normally lower them. But, I sure can get some interesting tones this way. When I want a fatter sound I'll play closer to the fingerboard. Toward the bridge I can sound just like a pick. Best of both worlds, actually.

[sethlow3]

Again... the only way one can sound "just like a pick" is to use one. Simple as that. Even the great Entwistle, as cool as he was, just didn't have the same tone as the myriad of pick players out there. It just isn't possible.

Curved fingers is a cool thing, but fingers just don't sound like a pick. Mix and match basses, amps, and eq's there simply isn't a comparison. Pure physics won't allow for it...

[oniman7]

When I want a warm, kinda fat, round tone, I use my finger pads because they're softer. I use my fingertips for notes a little boomier, and when I want some aggressive attack, I use my fingernails. I grow them out for that.

[emblymouse]

The meaty side of the thumb gives a whole different 'cush'. It also lends itself to certain grooves, makes you keep it simple.
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