Different tone when picking with different fingers.

Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

I've been noticing that I get a slightly different tone depending on which finger I use to pick a note. The thickest tone by far is when I use my thumb. My middle finger gets the next thickest tone and my first finger has the thinnest tone.

My goal is to have the tone with my first finger to sound closer to the tone with my middle finger. I've tried various pick angles and haven't had much luck so far. The tone is more pointed and is less "round" than my other fingers.

Has anyone else encountered this? If so, I'd love to hear some advice on how you have dealt with it.

Thanks.

Brad Bechtel · From: San Francisco, CA

I have noticed the same thing with certain types of picks. For example, the ProPiks tend to be very bright, while the Dunlops aren't. Try a different type of fingerpick and see if that makes a difference.
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Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

Thanks for the tip. I've been using ProPiks lately because they are more comfortable for me. Come to think of it, I don't remember noticing this issue with Dunlops. I'll have to experiment when I get home tonight.

John D. Carter · From: Canton, Ohio, USA

These are some of the issues that I am trying to sort out. There are times when I can barely get a string to sound when playing 3 note chords. I have begun experimenting with different picks and what Brad says is very true. Tomorrow, I am going to buy some angled picks to see if I can get more control over the strings.

Don Kona Woods · From: Hawaiian Kama'aina

Brad says,

Mike Ihde · From: Boston, MA

Jerry once told me to use the thumb pick as much as possible to get the sweet sound and only use the finger picks when you really had to. Also, pick further up the neck around the 15th or so fret to get a nicer tone.

Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

Jeff Au Hoy · From: Honolulu, Hawai'i

Rather than pick at a stationary position (e.g. the 15th fret), try picking halfway between the bar and the bridge for a more uniform sound. If you just pick at the 15th fret, your tone will constantly change depending on the location of the bar.

Gerald Ross · From: Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

I agree with Jeff.

By picking halfway between the bar position and bridge you will get the added benefit of hitting the harmonic of the note(s) you are playing.

It will fatten up the sound.
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Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

Thanks for the feedback. As I mentioned, the strange thing about this is that I only experience thinner tone with my first finger. I might even try a different pick on that finger.

Regarding picking over the 15th fret, I find that my Supro only sounds good when I pick closer to the bridge. The tone gets progressively worse the farther away I go. It could be due to the string through pickup but I'm not sure. I'm not looking for a solution for this issue - it's just an observation.

Alan Kirk · From: Scotia, CA, USA

Different fingers have different weights and different strengths. That's what makes the difference in picking. Using different fingers to obtain different tones is one of the fundamentals of the North Indian tabla drum.

Michael Papenburg · From: Oakland, CA

That's a good way of looking at it. I'll have to think of it as a different color option rather than a problem that needs to be addressed. To be honest, it's a subtle difference anyway.

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