Hey Everyone!
In the years that I've noodled around on the guitar, I've done very little fingerpicking. Since I've been at TG though I've become very interested in learning some of these great fingerpicking tunes. I've seen threads recently regarding nail care and have noticed Neil's nails on the videos, which brings me to my question.
What if you have short nails? I believe I could grow mine out but can't due to my job. I work in a hospital and am in daily hands-on contact with sick people. My hospital has a policy against long nails for people in contact with patients for a number of reasons, the biggest being for sanitary purposes.
Ok, that being said, my choices seem to be playing with fingertips or using finger picks. Fingertips seem to give a somewhat muted, low volume sound instead of the ringing sound of nails or picks, but I believe I've heard Neil discourage use of finger picks.
I'm ready to start working on these songs but would like any suggestions on which way to go here, or if there's something out there that I'm missing.
Thanks,
Scott
Fingerpicking Question
Scott- many of us can't use natural nails. I mangled my middle finger in a farming accident and can't grow a nail. Other people don't grow thick enough or hard enough nails to hold up long term.
You correctly indentified your two choices; finger picks or using the pads on the end of your fingers. I use both and both seem to work okay. I wish I could get the crisp sound that Neil gets from his nails because it sounds really natural. But I can't.
I use ProPik metal fingerpicks because I can bend them to fit snuggly. They're excellent picks but they are almost too bright.
Which leads us to using just the ends of your fingers. Initially, you will get a softer sound, which isn't all bad, but the more you play the more you will build up a callus on you fingertip and the sounds will sharpen noticably.
Neil mentioned that his friend Laurence Juber, a ridiculously talented guitarist, uses just the ends of his fingers. I couldn't even tell it sounds so good.
So there's hope for us yet! Try to build up your fingertips and I think you will be able to get past this problem. But try finger picks just to see if you like them. They take a long time to get used to.
Good luck and happy playin' :cheer:
You correctly indentified your two choices; finger picks or using the pads on the end of your fingers. I use both and both seem to work okay. I wish I could get the crisp sound that Neil gets from his nails because it sounds really natural. But I can't.
I use ProPik metal fingerpicks because I can bend them to fit snuggly. They're excellent picks but they are almost too bright.
Which leads us to using just the ends of your fingers. Initially, you will get a softer sound, which isn't all bad, but the more you play the more you will build up a callus on you fingertip and the sounds will sharpen noticably.
Neil mentioned that his friend Laurence Juber, a ridiculously talented guitarist, uses just the ends of his fingers. I couldn't even tell it sounds so good.
So there's hope for us yet! Try to build up your fingertips and I think you will be able to get past this problem. But try finger picks just to see if you like them. They take a long time to get used to.
Good luck and happy playin' :cheer:
BigBear wrote:
To start with the sound will be soft because your fingers will be soft, but they will soon begin to harden up (just like they do on your left hand) and the sound will improve.
Bear has it.Which leads us to using just the ends of your fingers. Initially, you will get a softer sound, which isn't all bad, but the more you play the more you will build up a callus on you fingertip and the sounds will sharpen noticably.
To start with the sound will be soft because your fingers will be soft, but they will soon begin to harden up (just like they do on your left hand) and the sound will improve.
Hey Scott, I have been using my naked fingers for picking for 30 years and yes it does have a more muted sound. Many times that's not necessarily a bed thing, especially late at night when the wife's trying to sleep. I have used finger picks when I needed more volume but it takes some adjustment time to get used to the extended length of the picks, at least it does for me. It's not a long time but it does require a few days to become comfortable. The adjustment back to just fingers seems quicker.
I have a very good friend who plays weekend gigs locally and he has acrylic nails put on his right hand. They look completely natural, except for the added length. He has to have them done every 2-3 weeks because of the natural growth of his own nails. It maybe a bit pricey for most of us but, he does it because he supplements his income with his playing.
I am lucky in that I have pretty tough nails. However, it is a chore keeping them up. It seems that one or more are always getting split or broken. I don't really try to protect them that much. Life's too short to add to the list of worries my nails. :laugh:
OK. The long winded part is over, I would strongly recommend that you give finger picking a go. It has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing for me. Experiment with and without picks and see what feels and sounds the best to you.
Sorry for being so long winded
Give it a try and enjoy the ride,
Steve
I have a very good friend who plays weekend gigs locally and he has acrylic nails put on his right hand. They look completely natural, except for the added length. He has to have them done every 2-3 weeks because of the natural growth of his own nails. It maybe a bit pricey for most of us but, he does it because he supplements his income with his playing.
I am lucky in that I have pretty tough nails. However, it is a chore keeping them up. It seems that one or more are always getting split or broken. I don't really try to protect them that much. Life's too short to add to the list of worries my nails. :laugh:
OK. The long winded part is over, I would strongly recommend that you give finger picking a go. It has been one of the most enjoyable aspects of playing for me. Experiment with and without picks and see what feels and sounds the best to you.
Sorry for being so long winded
Give it a try and enjoy the ride,
Steve
How short does the Hospital dictate, as its a bit of a fallacy that nails need to be really long for fingerpicking, one sight recommended to look at your Nails with the palm facing towards you, you should only see about 1 - 2mm past the flesh tip of the fingers. Too long and you get string drag. Also when they get too long they are more susceptile to breaking or cracking. Tops should be rounded and smooth filing inside edge as well as outside edge. The thumb mail should be slightly longer as its dealing with the Bass strings a bit more heavy duty stuff.
Thanks guys for the input. I appreciate it!
Dennis-Yeah we try to wear gloves any time we're in contact with patients but sometimes for one reason or another it doesn't happen. Also, the gloves are very thin and I have seen nails poke through the tips.
Chas-I believe they would be considered long if they extend past the tip of the finger, but I will have to check on that. You're right, I was thinking the nails had to be pretty long. I might be able to get away with 1-2 mm.
For the time being, though, I will take Steve, Bear and Mark's advice and start toughening up my fingers. Just wanted to get some opinions at the start and make sure I wasn't missing something.
Scott
Dennis-Yeah we try to wear gloves any time we're in contact with patients but sometimes for one reason or another it doesn't happen. Also, the gloves are very thin and I have seen nails poke through the tips.
Chas-I believe they would be considered long if they extend past the tip of the finger, but I will have to check on that. You're right, I was thinking the nails had to be pretty long. I might be able to get away with 1-2 mm.
For the time being, though, I will take Steve, Bear and Mark's advice and start toughening up my fingers. Just wanted to get some opinions at the start and make sure I wasn't missing something.
Scott
I have been listening to some "slack key guitar" playing lately on Youtube. It's origin I believe is from Hawaii in the 1830. Most of what I've seen use a regular acoustic guitar and alternate tunings and many players use thumb and finger picks. I just ordered several types of thumb and finger picks as it seems you can really get more sound and variety using thumb and finger picks. I am just learning finger picking so I thought I might as well start with thumb & finger picks so I will have the broadest range of playing possibilities. They may well all end up in a box with other picks I ordered but I'm going to give it a try. Gary
I've always fingerpicked with my fingertips, as my nails are apparently too tasty to resist if I let them grow and ripen. Since I'm nearly always playing for my own amusement, the acoustical impact isn't so important to me, and some stuff sounds better with fingertips, I think. The guitar you're playing matters in this context, too.
I switch between using a pick and finger picking with out finger picks about 50 / 50. Just reciently add a thumb pick to my finger picking while using nails on the fingers. Getting use to the thumb pick is a bit of a challange, but I find it worth the effort. I find that with practice I am more accurate is striking base strings with the pick plus I get a more balanced sound, as I often get too much thumb flesh fingerpicking with the pick, which mutes the base strings considerably. Dont know if I will continue with the thumb pick however, it does take a whil to get use to it, and I still find them a bit uncomefortable. But over all I think it would be worth the effort. May teachers I have spoke with agree. I think Dave Mathews use a thumb pick. Another strike against using nails is my wife HATES long nails on men, especially thumb nails. Happy wife,,,,, happy life.