If I do not want to have long Rt hand nails, is there a technique change to play

Costs are rising and times are tough.
Please consider a donation to keep this
place going.

Welcome to one of the most active flamenco sites on the Internet. Guests can read most posts but if you want to participate click here to register.

This site is dedicated to the memory of Paco de Lucía, Ron Mitchell, Guy Williams, Linda Elvira, Philip John Lee, Craig Eros, Ben Woods, David Serva and Tom Blackshear who went ahead of us.

We receive 12,200 visitors a month from 200 countries and 1.7 million page impressions a year. To advertise on this site please contact us.

You are logged in as Guest

Users viewing this topic: none

Printable Version

All Forums >>Discussions >>General >>

Page: [1]

Message

<< Newer Topic Older Topic >>

darylcrisp

Posts: 69
Joined: Mar. 30 2008

If I do not want to have long Rt han...

I already play steel string fingerstyle. Assuming I do not want to grow my right hand nails or use glue-on nails(due to my job and other sports i do), is there a technique change you do while playing to attempt to get the most sound from the fingers?

Long fingernails have always aggravated me and i have, since childhood, kept them very short, I just don't think I could be comfortable having them.

I realize nails give you a much sharper/louder tone and I suppose more speed.

thanks
Daryl

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 3:15:27

Pgh_flamenco

Posts: 1506
Joined: Dec. 5 2007
From: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

RE: If I do not want to have long Rt... (in reply to darylcrisp)

Aaron Shearer does not recommend long fingernails for people who are just starting out on classical guitar. I read another book that suggests not growing your fingernails until after you have developed some technique. The nails can actually get in the way until after a person has developed some finger strength.

This is my opinion. I hope others with more experience offer their opinions, too. Nails don't seem to be critical for rasgeaudo and other strumming techniques. They add to you tone and volume in picado--a coating of superglue seems to add to this effect as well. To play tremolo nails are critical--without I can't make the technique work. Your nails might not have to be very long, but the shorter they are the more accurate you have to be--and developing accuracy can take a long, long time.

At this stage I think you can put off growing and maintaining "long" nails for a year or two depending on your technical emphasis. You could take this time to experiment. Also, you might find that your nails break easily and are usually short because of this or that they do not have to be noticeably longer than you've kept them in the past. Finally, the freakishly long nails you might see in videos of famous, professional players seem to me to be a failsafe option for live performances.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 3:34:34

HemeolaMan

Posts: 1514
Joined: Jul. 13 2007
From: Chicago

RE: If I do not want to have long Rt... (in reply to darylcrisp)

my nails are short. you dont have to have manacles of doom or anything. just a bit of nail.

think of it this way, the finger is the sound, and the nail is the punctuation. you pretty much need both.

there are guys who dont have thumb nails.

i prefer shorter nails because it helps me get a really aggressive raw tone wihtout having to worry if they'll tear off.

i wouldnt worry about them too much. just keep a little nail, sports arent that big a deal... unless you play frisbee lol

_____________________________

[signature][/signature]

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 3:40:21

ToddK

Posts: 2961
Joined: Dec. 6 2004

RE: If I do not want to have long Rt... (in reply to darylcrisp)

If you can just live with the nail being even with the fingertip, you're
fine.
That's not long at all.
Since they dont stick out past the tip, you dont really need to worry
about them that much. And even if one snaps, it only takes a week
or so to grow them back even with the fingertip.

I used to use longer nails, until Ricardo lent me Pumping Nylon,
and i heard Scott Tenant say, "if they're past the fingertip, they're too long"

At first i thought "NO WAY" that can not be right!!!!

Ive come to realize, he's so right.

Took me a long time to adjust, but shorter is better as far as im
concerned. Better tone, better control.

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 4:30:40

Arash

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

RE: If I do not want to have long Rt... (in reply to darylcrisp)

I agree with Todd

But .....i have problems with short thumb nail.
If it is too short (like my other fingers / even with the fingertip), then i
have 2 problems:
1) i can not get the sound i want and expect when playing Pulgar
2) sometimes i miss the string or hit it only with the flesh and the sound is terrible (too classic)

Maybe (i am pretty sure) it is just a matter of practicing as i can see that it
works for Ricardo (He has a short thumb nail) and some other guitarists.

No problem with the rest of my fingers. With short nails you can play faster
(specially picados) and you get a better sound (The good Flesh & Nail Sound)

But i feel very comfortable with my "little bit longer thumb nail + short i,m,a,e nails)

_____________________________

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 10:24:58

duende

Posts: 3053
Joined: Dec. 15 2003
From: Sweden

RE: If I do not want to have long Rt... (in reply to darylcrisp)

hey, why not play like Toddk ? Pick and fingers.

_____________________________

This is hard stuff!
Don't give up...
And don't make it a race.
Enjoy the ray of sunshine that comes with every new step in knowledge.

RON

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Apr. 22 2008 10:28:27