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Joined:
November 2008
Posts: 1119
Location: Michigan | If you are a finger picker, James Taylor has an interesting lesson on how he takes care of his nails to play day in and day out. Interesting, but a lot of time I would say...
Click on the Nails 101 video ...
http://www.jamestaylor.com/guitarlessons/ |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | Oh God no. No nails. Eeek. That's like... um well, actually it's like nails on a chalkboard to me (how convenient).
I keep them clipped back to borderline bloodletting. I rely on the meat on my fingertips. |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Yeah, I'm more of a picker and clip my nails down to the pink. Can't stand to feel nails on the board or the strings. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | when you clip your nails, don't cut them down to the meat. Always leave a little of the white. I had to see a doctor about this. |
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Joined:
November 2010
Posts: 125
Location: Derry NH | My left hand has the nails trimmed noticeably closer than does my right. Whenever I feel a nail hitting the fretboard, it oogs me out wicked bad. I had to take a cpl days off once on account of clipping w-a-a-A-A-A-a-y-y-y too close and drawing blood. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Just shy of the pink for me. I've found a good gauge is pressing up on the fingertip and the edge of the skin is even with the edge of the nail. Any shorter than that and my fingertips get sore from the nail digging in when I press down on the fretboard. Same with the picking hand. |
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Joined:
September 2003
Posts: 9301
Location: south east Michigan | Why do it yourself when you can easily hire a gang of small Korean women to do it for you? |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | We're talking about fingernails, Brad. |
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Joined:
April 2003
Posts: 608
Location: Caribou, ME | Back in '94 I did something horrible to my left index finger, slammed it in a door or dropped something on it, I don't even remember now. The nail went black and I lost it. Ever since, that nail is my barometer to clip my nails. Right now there's maybe a generous 1/16" sticking out past the pink and it feels like I'm snagging or bumping it constantly. Sends chills up my spine just being aware of anything sticking out, thinking I'll hit something and rip it off. I'll probably dig out the clippers once I hit 'add reply'. |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | I've seen women play with long nails, even on the left hand. I don't know how they do it. |
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Joined:
September 2008
Posts: 1281
Location: Ohio | Meat of the fingertips for me...I HAVE the sould of nail on a fretboard |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by nikon4004:
I HAVE the sould of nail on a fretboard This reminds me of something...... |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | ....I use these: AlaskaPiks exclusively for all my fingerpicking (with a regular thumbpick though) including banjo picking....
....my friend uses them for all of his classical guitar work including the one for the thumb.
They are GREAT! |
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Joined:
May 2008
Posts: 160
Location: Montana | I saw Dolly Parton play once on an interview. And like me, you might think, "how does she play guitar with such large, ......, fingernails?" Well she played open G tuning and simply barred the top couple strings with her index finger.
When I was in Matt Smith's quickie free workshop, a bunch of little girls with cute pink guitars showed up. Some of them had never ever touched a guitar before. Matt quickly (and I mean quick!) re-tuned everyone's guitar to open G and had everyone playing songs in no time. It was really sweet to see and actually quite fun. |
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Joined:
November 2006
Posts: 3969
| I'll be contrary to the majority opinion here (there's a surprise!) and advocate for fingernails. Of course, a lot depends on the dynamics of the song - sometimes you need the softer legato stroke of the meat of your finger, other times the staccato strike of your nail to bring out an important phrase. With nails I can do either, just by varying the angle of attack on the strings. Without nails I'd be limiting myself to far less expression. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | I was always too nervous to grow nails, plus I did thing like changing oil, working in the dirt and other manual labor that caused them to get dirty and break if they weren't short. For the past 5 years or so, I have no nail on the left hand and about 1/16 to 1/8 of white showing on each finger of the right hand. I've done pretty well on maintenance so that my fingers look like a fingerpicker, until I start playing.
I tried finger and thumb picks years ago, but never got the hang of it, maybe because I didn't try the right kind. |
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 4536
Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by G8r:
I'll be contrary to the majority opinion here (there's a surprise!) and advocate for fingernails. Of course, a lot depends on the dynamics of the song - sometimes you need the softer legato stroke of the meat of your finger, other times the staccato strike of your nail to bring out an important phrase. With nails I can do either, just by varying the angle of attack on the strings. Without nails I'd be limiting myself to far less expression. All the pros use nails or finger picks, i'm just too clumsy when I try...hit the wrong string, snag a string, twang when I mean to mute. But you, g8r, have the patience to learn the right way to play this friggin instrument, and it shows in your rapid improvement. More power to ya! |
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Joined:
March 2009
Posts: 416
Location: On the Coast - Halfway between SF & OR | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I was always too nervous to grow nails, plus I did thing like changing oil, working in the dirt and other manual labor that caused them to get dirty and break if they weren't short.
Current work being septic system maintenance, my nails stay short. But that aside, I've never tried growing them out. Use a thumb and 2 finger picks when playing a pedal steel but could never get used to them when playing an upright guitar. Something about the different hand position I guess. |
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Joined:
February 2005
Posts: 11840
Location: closely held secret | Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I did thing like changing oil, working in the dirt and other manual labor that caused them to get dirty And all this time I thought you were a lawyer. |
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Joined:
December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | I have nails the consistency of a 3"x5" card and have tried a couple of times to use hardener (Formaldehyde) and still can't get beyond the 1/8" without a big rip or split. It just ain't meant to happen. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 12761
Location: Boise, Idaho | Originally posted by Waskel:
Originally posted by Mark in Boise:
I did thing like changing oil, working in the dirt and other manual labor that caused them to get dirty And all this time I thought you were a lawyer. |
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Joined:
September 2006
Posts: 10777
Location: Keepin' It Weird in Portland, OR | Online guitar guru Justin Sandercoe states that he goes to the salon and gets those glue-on fingernails for pickin'.
Yeah, his friends rag him for it but he sez that it is really effective. (or affective) |
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Joined:
November 2009
| If God had intended us to play with nails, He wouldn't have given us fingerpicks. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4081
Location: Utah | Originally posted by Tim in Yucaipa:
....I use these: AlaskaPiks exclusively for all my fingerpicking (with a regular thumbpick though) including banjo picking....
....my friend uses them for all of his classical guitar work including the one for the thumb.
They are GREAT!
Kaki King uses the glue on extensions, which look fine on a chick but too metro- for a stud like me. ;) |
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Joined:
August 2003
Posts: 2246
Location: Yucaipa, California | FlySig,
…for me they are the perfect solution. You can keep the normal length "man nails" but still get great tone & response whilst fingerpicking.
The brass ones are a bit scratchy on roundwounds, but the plastic ones are great.
You even trim them to suit your style just like regular nails using clippers & nail files! |
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Nails 101
