Ricardo -> RE: Trouble Shaping my Middle Finger Nail (Sep. 26 2007 16:06:11)
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BUT, you know how he says it's supposed to be "slanted"? Well, do you make the same slant for all your nails or just some? IT depends on how you play. THat guy plays with a straight wrist so he attacks at an angle, so he needs the "ramp" to go up away from the thumb. But I play more square to the strings like most flamenco players, but of course when playing pulgar and index I change postition. I ramp up away from thumb on the index, and cut that thumb side corner so it won't hook when I do p/i flamenco style. The right edge is not so high that I let the string get caught underneath when planting picados straight on. If it were much longer, the string WOULD catch under there. After you shape, you "play on the file" as if it were a string. Just a little bit, that really helps. M finger is straight across pretty much, I only play straight on to the string. If my fingernail were not curved like is in picture 1, planting the finger on the string might make it get caught under the edge. Like I said, the GLUE makes the curve a bit more exaggerated, so the string sits right on the straight edge of the nail. Again if the nail were much longer, the edge of the nail on either side might catch the string. Also when I do picado, I play with my m finger bent a little bit so tirando and picado have the same "planting on the string" feeling. "a" finger is always attacking bent or curved so I realized when experimenting that the RIGHT side edge, near the pinky, was catching on the string to much, but the left side not at all. So I need a longer thumb side edge, and much shorter pinky side edge. So I think that finger has the most exaggerated "ramp", but again because the angle I play it is opposite to the Scott Tennant ramp. And it does not look like a ramp because the nail is so darn curved, more than the other nails. Again if I play with that classical guitar angle wrist, that thumb side edge would hook under the string, so you have to be careful not to change your postion of playing too much. Of course "a" finger is used just for arps and tremolo. (I played "Spanish Dance no 5" by Granados, and you know those octave harmonics? Well I have to be carefull pluking with the "a" finger, not hook that edge. Hope that makes sense to anyone that played some classical.) For the other questions, I think if anyone has nails that look like mine from the first photo, curved a bit, then this filing flat thing will work for you somehow, you just need to experiment and let the nails grow out. As oneofthesedays said, even though the nails have not come out yet, filing flat right away you start noticing improvment. Like buddha, I would not say SPEED so much as the feel of the string and tone. YOu dont' feel resistence and the sound is more crisp and full. Ricardo
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