Finger Nails

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Finger Nails

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berha

Posts: 8
Joined: Aug. 29 2008

Finger Nails

Hi Guys,

I have a serious problem with nails .. i tried different shapes of finger nails.. i tried short for a short term (when i started playing

) .. currently, i have long finger nails .. what do u prefer guys long or short nails .. anyone recommend something i should do with my nails ..?

Regards

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 3 2009 17:44:49

Black Sheep

Posts: 9
Joined: Jan. 26 2009

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

I tried long when I first started... Edward Scissorhands stuff... but it slows you down. So I shortened them and worked on developing the callous where the nail meets the skin and I get faster picardos than I do with long. The grip is good too. I can put a little expression into playing. All except the 'pinky' which is grossly long and freaky. I find that easier for Rasqueados and picking little colour notes out.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 3 2009 18:13:21

John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

Generally short nails will make your playing more precise and they won't break as easily and if they do break, you don't have to wait so long for them to grow out.

I have the fingers one after the other longer with the ring longest about 1/8", thumb also 1/8". I usually play on the inside corners of the nails half-nail half-callus, that works for me.

Just try out different things and see what works best.

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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 3 2009 23:53:45

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to John O.)

I am like John i prefer as short as posible...just a litlle edge ...enough to make sure atleas 65% of what hitts the string is meat.. feels more in control

also for extra feel i like not using absoluteley anything on my nails..its been good i play for classes bang the guitar all day...they dont brake as often ...maybe once every 3 months..the A fingher from tapping too hard ( or doing glope over the top with the back of the nail)..and takes about 2 days for it to grow to what i need anyway..probably because i keep it as short as posible and drink alot of dairy products..

I havent broken a I or M nail in about 2 years

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 4 2009 1:22:05

John O.

Posts: 1723
Joined: Dec. 16 2005
From: Seeheim-Jugenheim, Germany

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to Florian)

At a workshop Rafael Cortés said he uses nothing which is amazing if you listen to the strength in his playing. He claims if your nails break, it's due to bad technique.

He's probably right, I start banging out the rasgueados hardest when I lose concentration, with the correct technique strength is less important.

Being the space cadet I am I have gel tips making my nails 1-2mm thick

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Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 4 2009 1:47:09

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to Florian)

quote:

also for extra feel i like not using absoluteley anything on my nails

don't you get little scratch marks on the nails from rasgueados?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 4 2009 2:42:21

Florian

Posts: 9282
Joined: Jul. 14 2003
From: Adelaide/Australia

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to at_leo_87)

quote:

don't you get little scratch marks on the nails from rasgueados?

no..nails are just normal

quote:

He claims if your nails break, it's due to bad technique.

yeah dont know for sure..but it wouldnt surrprise me if that was true, or atleast a combination of that and you have allowed the nails to get too long

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 4 2009 5:20:49

berha

Posts: 8
Joined: Aug. 29 2008

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

today i tried to shorten my finger nails i couldn't play anything .. i feel that my hand is too weak .. especially in rasgueados .. i am gonna try to practice on short nails ..

i have serious problem with picados .. the sound i produce is not continuous ..

i ll see what happens after practicing for few days on this new shape

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 4 2009 13:45:01

verasalero

Posts: 10
Joined: Dec. 1 2007

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

I have a .pdf thesis (not by me) concerning tone production on a nylon stringed guitar. It goes into the physics of it through the first few chapters, then moves on to application.

Finger nails being rather subjective things, there are few hard and fast rules to it, but by gaining a better understanding of how it all works will no doubt help you to find the "right" shape.

pm with email if youd like a copy =]

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 5 2009 11:48:05

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

quote:

today i tried to shorten my finger nails i couldn't play anything .. i feel that my hand is too weak .. especially in rasgueados .. i am gonna try to practice on short nails ..

i have serious problem with picados .. the sound i produce is not continuous ..

i ll see what happens after practicing for few days on this new shape

.

you'll get used to it. just shorten it a little each week, each time shorter than the last. that way, it'll give you some time to adjust.

here's a good reference taken from sal's site: www.nylonguitarist.com

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 5 2009 16:32:56

andresito

Posts: 377
Joined: Feb. 20 2007
From: New Holland

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to verasalero)

quote:

ORIGINAL: verasalero
I have a .pdf thesis (not by me) concerning tone production on a nylon stringed guitar.

My old boss was telling me once about how in music college to play classical guitar he had to carefully file each nail to the right shape to try and get exactly the same sound from each finger

... what a chore!

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 5 2009 17:12:57

MarcChrys

Posts: 121
Joined: Jan. 11 2009
From: England (West Yorkshire/Lancashire)

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to at_leo_87)

THat's a handy diagram (no pun intended!). Though not sure I agree with the pinkie 'never' being used to play notes - I was using my little finger in a downward arpeggio the other day and it came in most handy.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 1:07:20

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

im sure the pinky can do a lot if we train it. try a e,a,m,i tremolo for fun!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 8:00:49

KenK

Posts: 43
Joined: Aug. 6 2005

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to John O.)

quote:

At a workshop Rafael Cortés said he uses nothing which is amazing if you listen to the strength in his playing. He claims if your nails break, it's due to bad technique.

I almost never break a nail while playing, but always when I'm doing anything else.
Maybe I have good technique on guitar but bad technique in living.

Just got my 1st of acrylic nails.
They are great!
Why did I wait so long to finally go for it?

Ken

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 9:16:25

srshea

Posts: 833
Joined: Oct. 29 2006
From: Olympia, WA in the Great Pacific Northwest

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

More important that the length of the nails and how many millimeters they extend past the fingertip is the actual shape of the nails, specifically the edges. This thread:

Nailz

really hits the nail on the head (hey-o!), and was a breakthrough for me.

I haven’t checked the Pumping Nylon video that Ricardo and others frequently recommend, but the book Art of Classical Guitar Playing by Charles Duncan has a really good chapter on nails where he goes into quite a bit of detail about different nail types, arching, “ramping”, etc. The book’s not really worth buying for that alone, but definitely worth checking out at the library.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 13:49:49

El_flaco

Posts: 44
Joined: Jan. 28 2009
From: Pacifica, CA-US

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to verasalero)

Thanks for the file versasalero

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 15:54:35

Exitao

Posts: 907
Joined: Mar. 13 2006
From: Vancouver, Canada

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to srshea)

quote:

ORIGINAL: srshea

More important that the length of the nails and how many millimeters they extend past the fingertip is the actual shape of the nails, specifically the edges. This thread:

Nailz

really hits the nail on the head (hey-o!), and was a breakthrough for me.

I haven’t checked the Pumping Nylon video that Ricardo and others frequently recommend, but the book Art of Classical Guitar Playing by Charles Duncan has a really good chapter on nails where he goes into quite a bit of detail about different nail types, arching, “ramping”, etc. The book’s not really worth buying for that alone, but definitely worth checking out at the library.

Pumping Nylon describes angles and different nail types. It's worth looking at for the diagrams.
Some nails are flat (mine) some are curved (these tend to be stronger, shaped like an arch), some hook up or down (these ones need to be kept short enough to stop the hook from interfering with play).

IRC he is one of the people who suggest wrapping a piece of sandpaper around your guitar strings, hold your guitar at the angle you usually play and drag your nails accross it as though you were playing, the angle it shapes your nails at is likely to be ideal for your playing style.

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 22:14:59

at_leo_87

Posts: 3055
Joined: Aug. 30 2008
From: Boston, MA, U.S.A

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to Exitao)

quote:

Pumping Nylon describes angles and different nail types.

i just read that nail section from pumping nylon today. interesting stuff. do you keep your nails as short as he recommends?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2009 22:36:04

rombsix

Posts: 7807
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to at_leo_87)

Probably the most comprehensive videos about nails I've come across.

Check out his videos about fake nails too.

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Feb. 6 2012 14:22:18

rombsix

Posts: 7807
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to rombsix)

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Ramzi

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 8 2016 21:32:51

Aretium

Posts: 277
Joined: Oct. 23 2012

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

I have found 2/3 ways.

1. Get some micro mesh paper and wrap it around a string and play in the same position you would. Then polish.

2. File exactly 45 degrees in one direction, your finger is perpendicular to the string.

3. The third way is exactly the same as the second, you place the file under the nail as far as it goes, put the finger 45 degrees and then file in the direction of your finger if that makes sense.

I use methods 2/3 combined. Occasionally I will use 1 if I have not taken care of my nails in a while.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 9 2016 23:27:26

Moloko

Posts: 63
Joined: Sep. 19 2015

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

I used to have long nails too a long long long time ago, you need to get used with shorter nails, that's for sure, it won't happen overnight. In my experience i found that a round shape is easier to play, since you don't have to take a lot of care looking your right hand angles, it's ready to go at any angle, besides, the nail gets easier to break or wear out and produces a poor sound. I mean, its a good shape if you have a bad technique (i used to have round nails)! A flat shape (like some fellas described above) has a big round tone and it makes the nails much more difficult to break or wear out, but it's not so easy to get used at the beginning because of the odd edges of the nails, that is, you need to improve your technique to get used to it, but it is worth it!!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 10 2016 4:54:51

Moloko

Posts: 63
Joined: Sep. 19 2015

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to John O.)

quote:

At a workshop Rafael Cortés said he uses nothing which is amazing if you listen to the strength in his playing. He claims if your nails break, it's due to bad technique.

Wow, i find it difficult to believe, since it doesn't sounds like it, you can compare other players playing with no nails on youtube, it's a very distinguished sound!

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 10 2016 5:01:29

ramon roman

Posts: 21
Joined: Nov. 9 2012

RE: Finger Nails (in reply to berha)

yo berha. here is what works for me. watch this guys shapes.

on my index finger I shape to number 3.

on my middle and ring I shape to number 4.

this seems to cut down drag you get when you use the whole nail.

Pinky I just leave a little long.

I use some stuff called BONDINI and apply three or so coats to thicken just the tip 1/3 of nail.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Sep. 10 2016 18:39:01