So you play the guitar. Do you have fingernails that are embarassing or are you proud of them? I don't know if it's just me but I think playing especially on accoustic guitar that the sound is much better from finger picking rather than using a plectrum in a lot of songs. I try and cut the nails down to their limit by working out what part of the nail actually is reflected in the dynamics and cut the rest off. The music shops are the only place you can really feel comfortable. What do you think about the matter?
Fingernails
- Thread starter Krystof01
- Start date
All a matter of personal preference, style and technique. I cut mine down as much as possible, cause I do use my left hand middle finger to pick at times (along with a pick), and I find with long nails I can't play right or worse rip the whole nail off. I've heard a lot of players who do use their nails and it sounds great for that fingerpicking style, folk stuff.
To each his own. Any technique can be perfected.
To each his own. Any technique can be perfected.
Treeline
New member
I try to have short nails on the left, long on the right, but I have the self discipline of a wombat and end up with medium nails on the left and broken nails on the right.
I expect that it becomes a real serious issue if you are studying classical styles; those students seem to learn the discipline to treat their nails as musicians' tools. I've never been able to do that. But I do find that (although I've always been a flatpicker) I now spend almost all my effort learning fingerstyle and applying it to everything. I think I'm breaking through some kind of mental barrier about it. Neat stuff.
I expect that it becomes a real serious issue if you are studying classical styles; those students seem to learn the discipline to treat their nails as musicians' tools. I've never been able to do that. But I do find that (although I've always been a flatpicker) I now spend almost all my effort learning fingerstyle and applying it to everything. I think I'm breaking through some kind of mental barrier about it. Neat stuff.
I cut my nails down and usually don't give it a second thought. If I were to try and grow them, I would probably wind up like Emeric says and rip the whole nail off while playing ... yeeouch!
But my brother-in-law, who is a classical/folk guitarist is very different about it. To say he is extremely meticulous about his nails is an understatement. He seems to always be filing them when I see him. It is worth it, though ... when he plays ... the sound he gets is excellent.
But my brother-in-law, who is a classical/folk guitarist is very different about it. To say he is extremely meticulous about his nails is an understatement. He seems to always be filing them when I see him. It is worth it, though ... when he plays ... the sound he gets is excellent.
I had nails for a while, but I'm not doing so much fingerpicking these days, and haven't touched the classical in a year or too.
I would always get comments from women- "oh you have such pretty nails..." I actually tried to gnarl them up a little, my teacher had the ugliest thumbnail- it was rediculus- but no matter how much I played mine looked manicured- almost feminine. It didn't bother me, I dug the comments actually. But as a maitenence man, those pretty nails were hard to keep! ("Oh I'm sorry boss, I couldn't fix the sink cause I was scared I'd break a nail."
)
-jhe
I would always get comments from women- "oh you have such pretty nails..." I actually tried to gnarl them up a little, my teacher had the ugliest thumbnail- it was rediculus- but no matter how much I played mine looked manicured- almost feminine. It didn't bother me, I dug the comments actually. But as a maitenence man, those pretty nails were hard to keep! ("Oh I'm sorry boss, I couldn't fix the sink cause I was scared I'd break a nail."
)-jhe
I keep the nails of my right hand clipped close just like those of my left hand. I like the sound of flesh on steel. Leo Kottke keeps his clipped also. A lot of players, Harvey Reid, for example, use finger picks on their right hand fingers. I hear they take some getting used to, but I've had players tell me that once they did get used to them, they could never go back.
