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After having read many discussions on nails shaping and filing and there seems to be various opinions about whether they should follow the shape of the finger or be files straight across with more white on the sides than the middle. The latter being how paco does it. However I noticed a pic of paco in an interview and here is a pic on his right hand. Note the index finger its quite a clear shot....not straight across by any stretch of the imagination....very ramped.
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At least you know what his nail shape really is. There are many guitarists such as Nino de Pura and Tomatito who do file flat but others who have oval and round shape such as Fyty Carrilo, Paco Lara and Ramon jimenez . ...and they all get a great sound very similar. I guess it goes to show that it depends what suits the individual. PS Santiago who is Paco Laras younger brother has one of the fastest picados I have heard and he uses mamama for it ..check out his videos...I would find that very cumbersome because the tendon ties those two fingers together.
PS Santiago who is Paco Laras younger brother has one of the fastest picados I have heard and he uses mamama for it ..check out his videos...I would find that very cumbersome because the tendon ties those two fingers together.
After having read many discussions on nails shaping and filing and there seems to be various opinions about whether they should follow the shape of the finger or be files straight across with more white on the sides than the middle. The latter being how paco does it. However I noticed a pic of paco in an interview and here is a pic on his right hand. Note the index finger its quite a clear shot....not straight across by any stretch of the imagination....very ramped.
The straight edge is not visible from above the nail, you file from underneath and you can ONLY visualize the straight line from the angle exactly that you filed at. You need a 3D video. In any case the ring finger shows it more clearly how he might seat the nail on the string due to filing flat. Finally, we have no idea if his nails are ready to go at the time of this photo...he might have to get a file on em right away...as he explains in La Busqueda and and it shows with dozens of nail files lying around....”a micromilimeter off with your nails will mess up your playing”. Or something like that. It’s much more noticeable when filing in a string line each day than when simply contouring for length, where the player can let nails grow for days.
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I used to file along the shape of the finger, then maybe a year ago after reading some threads here I started to shape my nails more straight. Basically I now file the straight line more or less perpendicular to the finger, with reducing the straight angle just a bit on the sides. I am not sure which is better, maybe now I have less problems in finding the right length (and shape), but sometimes also I have the feeling that it's worse than before, and also depends on which technique I play I guess. Additional problem with my nails and finger tips is that they are I think quite deformed (I was biting until 16 or 17 years of age when I started playing the guitar). For example, on the m finger the left side of my nail is lower than the right side (imagine a stick bended in the middle).
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