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Post by slartibartfarst on Jul 26, 2020 7:48:41 GMT
As someone new to learning fingerstyle guitar I wondered what people's views are of nails. I'm trying to grow my nails but I suspect that on a steel strung guitar they probably won't last long. This raises a few questions for this noobie to the style.
1. Do you play with nails or not? 2. If you use nails on a steel strung guitar, do you use strengthener? 3. Do you use acrylic nails?
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Post by RodB on Jul 26, 2020 8:01:03 GMT
I use very short nails that are shaped to allow me to contact the string with the flesh of my finger before the nail releases the string to make the sound. I don’t notice any wear but have to keep filing / buffing the nails very couple of days as the length and shape is critical to both tone and keeping them strong and not vulnerable to accidental damage.
I have used products in the past to both nourish the nail and give a hard coat but I now find that this isn’t necessary. Maybe my diet has improved!
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Post by jubbo on Jul 26, 2020 8:31:16 GMT
I don't use nails in the classic way.
I play finger style with the pads of my fingers but add I some nail contact on up strokes.
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Post by Deleted on Jul 26, 2020 8:57:32 GMT
I bought some fingerpicks but I've not learned how to use them properly. I keep intending to watch some youtube videos but I haven't got around to it yet.
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Post by vikingblues on Jul 26, 2020 10:01:05 GMT
1. Yes I play with nails 2. I don;t use strengthener if it's steel string 3. I don't use acrylic nails.
The closest I've got to not using nails was a period of time when a problem with the skin on my thumb meant i used a thumb-pick. After teething problems that worked OK when I found Fred Kelly picks made of Delrin - much more like the sound of a real thumb and not the harsh platic sound of so many picks. Did once try finger picks - not good at all.
When I trim my nails the part that tends to pluck the string is cut so that it extends just slightly past the finger end. I then let it grow till the sound starts to suffer or I feel there's more danger of a broken nail. The sound from the longer nail gets worse the longer it gets. I also use a Wolfram Precision Crystal nail file (recommended by Tony McManus) to keep the nails smooth - makes a hell of a difference to the sound.
The nail can also be used for variety of sound by playing down on the string with the back of the nail. Tony McManus of course plays very rapid bass line triplets with alternating sides of his thumbnail!
Mark
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Post by ianlp59 on Jul 26, 2020 10:25:27 GMT
I use acrylics, my natural nails just aren't strong enough, so i was really glad when nail salons re-opened. I also use a thumbpick.
There's no "right" way to do any of this, just what works for you.
Cheers,
Ian
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Post by fatfingerjohn on Jul 26, 2020 10:58:13 GMT
Nails for me. And solved my constant splitting with religious use of 'Nail Envy' Nail Strengthener MATT. Brilliant stuff, 1 bottle about £10 last me at least 6 months with the help of a little nail varnish thinner when it goes a bit sticky.
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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 26, 2020 11:48:42 GMT
Nails are very important to give you a wide range of tones and clarity. No nail playing originates with playing gut strings.
I have very thin nails, so use acrylics or, presently, false ABS nails. The important thing is flesh and nail contact, not just nail... look at Scott Tenant's "Pumping Nylon" for very useful advice. You need to become an obsessive nail buffer, every time you pick up the guitar, not just recently.
Here's a vid I made with the basics on producing a good tone with nails, I hope it's useful:
Good luck.
Jonny
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colins
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Post by colins on Jul 26, 2020 13:33:25 GMT
Nails are very important to give you a wide range of tones and clarity. No nail playing originates with playing gut strings. The important thing is flesh and nail contact, not just nail... Jonny I did play gut strings on both my lutes and for Spanish 19th century guitar music, and played with a touch of nail. If I needed to extend or reinforce them at all then I used sections cut from table tennis balls as the tone produced was very similar to natural nail. On steel strings I did use a thumbpick occasionally, but preferred the dynamics of flesh and nail.
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Post by skyetripper on Jul 27, 2020 8:21:23 GMT
I use my nails and always have - I've always struggled with plectrums and strumming for some reason. I used to find them breaking a lot but I've largely eliminated this by almost never cutting them and using a glass file to keep them to a length that suits me. I also moisturise my hands regularly for a recurring skin problem and this also seems to help strengthen the nails or at least makes them less brittle. I don't play professionally so I don't have much problem with them wearing out, but I do a lot of gardening and working on old cars which isn't a good pastime for maintaining nails!!.
I used to grow them quite long when I was younger, but now I only have them maybe 1.5mm past the end of the nail bed at most, and use the pad / nail technique people have been mentioning above. I've been interested in the table tennis ball option (Clive Carroll has a good video on how he uses them), but so far haven't needed to try it.
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jul 27, 2020 9:38:50 GMT
Nails on three fingers and usually a thumbpick. My natural nails seem to do well; never used fake ones, but when very occasionally necessary I'll repair a split/small break with superglue/epoxy. Never used any strengthener or other products. Just lucky I suppose. I usally trim them back to about 1-2 mm once they get to about 4mm beyond finger end. Looking after them and being careful with them is important - keep them well smoothed at the edges and take extra care with manual tasks. Hope your nails work out better than you anticipate, slartibartfarst! Keith
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Post by slartibartfarst on Jul 27, 2020 16:09:51 GMT
All interesting stuff!
As I've always played electric lead guitar in bands, this feels like starting from scratch again but I am enjoying the experience, which I guess is the important thing. In the past I tried thumb and finger picks when trying fingerstyle playing. I hated the finger picks! I liked the sharp tone well enough but I just didn't feel connected to the guitar at all. I got on with the thumb pick better and I could imagine getting used to that but as I didn't have any fingernails to speak of at the time, I ended up with a massive volume difference between the bass strings and the treble strings.
At the moment my nails are longer than they've ever been and they're still only just starting to pass the end of my finger tips so I have a way to go yet. I'm going to try playing with nails first of all and I may experiment with a thumb pick again but if my natural nails don't work out, I'll look into getting acrylics fitted. I may get acrylic nails fitted anyway while my natural nails are growing.
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Post by Akquarius on Jul 27, 2020 20:05:30 GMT
1) yes, except when one of them decides to break in a moment of carelessness like atm 2) no 3) no
playing guitar when I had to file the other nails down because one is missing isn't fun. It just doesn't feel and sound right for me. Especially plaing triplets with just my fingertips is useless. That's purely subjective, of course. I tend to switch to other instruments in nail-less times. a worst-case scenario is no nails and a cold. No guitar, no flute, no harmonica.
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Post by jonnymosco on Jul 27, 2020 21:52:03 GMT
All interesting stuff! I may get acrylic nails fitted anyway while my natural nails are growing. I'd advise against acrylics or false nails, they ruin your nails, they become very thin. Opt for another option short-term perhaps. Best wishes Jonny
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Post by leoroberts on Jul 27, 2020 22:13:03 GMT
1. Yes 2. Sometimes 3. No. It's easy to tell when I've broken a nail - I'll be strumming angrily
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