Which part of your fingertip do YOU use to fret a string?

[Appogee]

I know this seems a very bassic (sic) question, but I've started to wonder whether I'm fretting strings correctly.

Here's a fingertip.

Please tell me which of the letters best corresponds to the place on your fingertip where you press the bass string to the fretboard.

Thumbs up for helping!

 

[Lobster11]

I would say generally in the B-C-D range, but also emphasize that it varies depending on things such as which string you're fretting and what your other fingers are doing.

@SteveC has some nice photos demonstrating the variability; maybe he can re-post them to this thread.

 

[scott sinner]

Anywhere from b to f and it depends largely on what muting I am doing with that or the other fingers.

I got in the habit of two handed muting after hearing some live multitracks where one handed muting still had some stray harmonics ringing out. Probably only really an issue of how loud we were and wasn’t frequent. But I am rather militant with nothing coming out of the bass I don’t intend.

 

[SteveCS]

Excluding barre, mainly A/B, sometimes C and occasionally D-F. With the fretless bass they can all be used to produce subtle differences in tone and note 'shape', and with the barre anything goes:

 

[brianrost]

For me, it's B-C most of the time. "Correct" fingering is A but I have to really arch my fingers to do that. The one place where A has a real advantage is when playing a fretless bass in tune

 

[Appogee]

Thanks everyone for your helpful replies.

I'm mostly playing in the A-B zone. Watching some YoutTube tutors, they appear to be playing more in the E-F zone.

Interesting!

 

[SteveCS]

...
Watching some YoutTube tutors, they appear to be playing more in the E-F zone.
...

Can you give links to some examples? Sometimes context is everything ...

 

[DaveParker39]

Looks like I'm a C-D guy.

 

[Discount Bassy]

The shape of your fingertip can make a significant difference as well. Some folks have fairly flat pads with little meat/surface area at the tip (pointy-ish). Other folks, such as myself, have fairly fleshy fingertips with a built-in flattish pad that is against the fretboard with a moderate finger curve.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

I know this seems a very bassic (sic) question, but I've started to wonder whether I'm fretting strings correctly.

Here's a fingertip.

Please tell me which of the letters best corresponds to the place on your fingertip where you press the bass string to the fretboard.

Thumbs up for helping!

View attachment 5137203

As a bassist that played guitar long before I played a bass, I’m a B. I’m a C when plucking a string.

 

[Pdaddy1978]

C

 

[Killing Floor]

More B on index and spreads further on other fingers.

 

[Thegreatzambini]

This has seriously got to be one of the weirdest posts yet….

 

[jerry]

BCD area.

 

[spartan1620]

16.5 mm spacing - A to C to avoid other strings
18 or 19 - C to G because of extra space so no need to worry about it

They do sound differently, I assume because it’s more bone A to C and more pad C to G.

 

[King Harvest]

I’d say in the C-D area usually.

 

[BlueTalon]

C-D for me. Usually.

 

[bass12]

This has seriously got to be one of the weirdest posts yet….

It’s a very useful post. This is the kind of thing that DB players learn about, and pay attention to, but electric players often gloss over and largely ignore/leave unanalyzed (often to the detriment of their sound).

 

[bass12]

For me it depends on the finger, the string, the position on the neck and the musical context. Mostly A, B and C.

 

[Bar Band Bassman]

Pretty much any and all. Whatever works. Open hand, closed hand, one finger per fret, backing up the pinky with the third finger, barres. I'm not good enough to eschew any approach that gets the job done!

The Bar Band Bassman