I've never seen Aubrey Atwater's workshop; I'd be curious what picks she used. Yes, using your finger pads would produce a softer sound. The sharper the point, the sharper, brighter the sound. (Of course, the thickness of the material, the type of material used for the pick, and the angle the pick hits the string impact the sound.) Of the three I mentioned, the ProPik FingerTone might be the most satisfying, on the whole, for fit and sound. Their edges, like most people's fingernails, aren't pointed, and you can't frail, as I mentioned, but they won't fall off or wear out. They're also a