It took five years to happen

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rombsix

Posts: 7824
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

It took five years to happen

Hola mis amigos,

It was around midnight the other day, and I was practicing the famous i-a-i (with golpe) Chicuelo technique. I kept on going, over and over and over. It started to get a little more solid, and faster. I had just realized a week from then that I had just hit the five-year mark on being a guitarist (first year classical, last four flamenco). It occurred to me: what is up with all those nail-care threads that everyone keeps reading and commenting on? Why was nail care so important? I had been playing for five years, and NEVER had any of my nails hardly gotten chipped or cracked. I once asked members of the foro if I had bionic nails, and the answer was YES. It was just not normal for someone to go on playing for that long a time and not have a SINGLE nail problem. Well, I guess I was the victim of my own self-envy, as I was going on with that i-a-i-golpe on and on and on and it finally happened. I felt something snagging on the strings. It was weird. I started looking at the strings but found nothing jutting out or wrong with them. It then occurred to me. What if it was the dreaded nail problem everyone talks about? I had a look at my A finger, and there it was. A crack that had gone into the nail about 2 mm deep. I had been saying to myself when I was playing that my A nail was too long, and that it was snagging onto the strings. But it was midnight, and I just wasn't in the mood to go and file it down. Well, I guess I paid the price. I had to file it down all the way. It was way shorter than all the other nails, and thus made it annoying when I played (especially when using that technique in tarantas where you play and arpeggio and then drag the A finger from high E to low E across all six strings - what is that called by the way?) The moral of the story is: never be careless enough not to file down a "too-long" nail. And one more thing: I am now a believer that I no longer have this gift of bionic nails. I just hope this incident is not one of many I will come across from now on.

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 9:11:02

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 9:33:08

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

Hi Romb....It's a bitch when that happens, isn't it?
In fact you can add that to the "Guitar Related Mood Disorder" triggers.
Do you have a cat?

One thing you could try rather than trying to fix it, is to file all your nails back as short as the broken one and use the next couple of weeks practising like that.
It can be quite interesting playing around with extremely short nails and looking at how you have to adjust your technique.

cheers

Ron

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A good guitar might be a good guitar
But it takes a woman to break your heart

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 11:09:39

fevictor

Posts: 377
Joined: Nov. 22 2005
From: Quepos / Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

For some of us its a combination of weak nails and what we do when not playing guitar. Working with tools and trying not to chip a nail is next to impossible. Sometimes the slightest nick in the nail will catch on something and break or tear the nail.

But anyway...hows it feel to be human?

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 11:14:48

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

I have to say my nails have been bionic so far. I have never had to use anything on my nails. I have only broken a thumbnail twice in five years and a pinky nail once.

I have to attribute this to protein. I'm not an expert but since I workout regularly, I consume a large amount of protein daily. Maybe this is the reason. There was a time when I had to stay out of the gym while recovering from an injury. I didn't consume much protein during this time and this is one of the times I broke a nail.

Maybe it's just coincidence. Regardless though, I'm grateful. Nail care is just another thing to worry about.

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Tom Núñez
www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 12:28:04

DoctorX2k2

Posts: 211
Joined: Jun. 14 2006
From: Quebec City, Canada

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to TANúñez)

Tom, working out does increase bone calcification so it is probably the reason. Proteins don't make much sense for nails

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 13:20:35

TANúñez

Posts: 2559
Joined: Jul. 10 2003
From: TEXAS

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to DoctorX2k2)

Thanks DoctorX2k2. I figured it had something to do with it. Along with the protein I also take many different supplements, vitamins and minerals.

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www.instagram.com/tanunezguitars

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 14:05:26

Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

quote:

ORIGINAL: rombsix

especially when using that technique in tarantas where you play and arpeggio and then drag the A finger from high E to low E across all six strings - what is that called by the way?

I think it's called "arrastre".

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 14:19:26

Ron.M

Posts: 7051
Joined: Jul. 7 2003
From: Scotland

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to Georg)

quote:

I think it's called "arrastre".

Ouch! ....That sounds painful....
Like a technique to make you sing in a higher register or something.

Ron

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A good guitar might be a good guitar
But it takes a woman to break your heart

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 14:58:43

Georg

Posts: 405
Joined: Feb. 5 2006
From: Germany

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

Now I looked it up, so I definitely know that it's called arrastre.

Ron what you think of is called cante chico

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 15:20:18

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

I always file my nails to a round form and not too long. And i would say that i have strong nails .....but.......once in about 2 -4 weeks , it always happens that a right part of my index finger nail breaks. And it is always this part !!

It never happend that other nails break. I dont know why it is always this part of my i-finger

And so i have to fail back all my nails and wait again

This pic is only to show you which part i mean. this is not my hand.

really strang! any idea why ?

Images are resized automatically to a maximum width of 800px

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REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 15:31:55

koella

Posts: 2194
Joined: Sep. 10 2005
From: holland

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

Yes I do.
It's caused by the many up and downstrokes of the indexfinger. ( especially in buleria compas )
I have the same trouble.

The (living !) part gets thinner and thinner on the right side. By the time the nail grows out it has become very weak there. I had the same problem when using a pick (

) and strumming chords day after day in a funk band.

I put some ordinary adhesive tape on it now when I practise things like buleria rythm.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 17:24:00

Arash

Posts: 4495
Joined: Aug. 9 2006
From: Iran (living in Germany)

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to koella)

quote:

up and downstrokes of the indexfinger. ( especially in buleria compas )

indeed...this must be the reason...on second thought
In fact i practice bulerias much more than other palos the last months..

Thanks for the info....i will try out that cellotabe thing....

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 17:41:17

Ricardo

Posts: 14862
Joined: Dec. 14 2004
From: Washington DC

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

Put on some glue. You will wear down the glue before the nail. After you wear off the glue, put more on.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 17:52:19

rombsix

Posts: 7824
Joined: Jan. 11 2006
From: Beirut, Lebanon

RE: It took five years to happen (in reply to rombsix)

Romerito: I hear ya mate. Welcome to flamenco!

Ron: I did have a cat for five years. But then he ran away one day. That fat furball! Also, I did file the rest of my nails down. I started playing with short nails, and now I feel like i'm gonna get blisters on the tips of my right hand fingers... I have very sensitive skin ...

fevictor: It feels screwed up being human. Would have preferred staying superhuman ... at least when it comes to nail strength!

GuxDiBux: Thanks for the "arrastre" tip mate.

DocX2k2: Man, how come you know all that stuff and we are both early med-students? Either my university stinks, or you're a genius!

Ramzi

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Ramzi

http://www.youtube.com/rombsix

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Nov. 26 2006 18:43:07

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