Hi Neil & all,
I have been a member of this site for a couple of years now and have learned more here in 3 years than the previous 30 years on my own. A very sincere thank you.
Here's my question: I have had fake fingernails on my right hand for a couple of years and it is/was absolutly ideal for my playing. Sadly, after 2 years I became extreamly allergic
to whatever the material/chemical is and have been almost a year to fully heal.
Do most players use just the fingertips with fingernails cut very short and an amplifier?
I prefer the sound of meduim steel strings but if I have to get a nylon string guitar I certainly will.
thanks in advance, Glenn
Fingertips or fingernails?
Hi Glenn,
I am happy that you have seen so much progress because of the site and Neil' s teaching. Any chance you could post a video of something you learned here?
I have never used artificial nails, so I have no suggestions for an alternative product. My nails are a curved a little, so if they are long, they will grab the strings rather than pulling them. Ideally if they are flat you could have them fairly long, if they do not break easily. Because my nails are curved a little, I have to keep them fairly short. I file them so that they are just above the tip of my fingers. I keep the thumb a little longer so that I can hit the bass strings harder. I use medium / light strings ( E_A_D are medium size while the other ones are light). The length of the nail I describe make it so that the nail rarely breaks (mind you, I do not work much manually).
Marc
I am happy that you have seen so much progress because of the site and Neil' s teaching. Any chance you could post a video of something you learned here?
I have never used artificial nails, so I have no suggestions for an alternative product. My nails are a curved a little, so if they are long, they will grab the strings rather than pulling them. Ideally if they are flat you could have them fairly long, if they do not break easily. Because my nails are curved a little, I have to keep them fairly short. I file them so that they are just above the tip of my fingers. I keep the thumb a little longer so that I can hit the bass strings harder. I use medium / light strings ( E_A_D are medium size while the other ones are light). The length of the nail I describe make it so that the nail rarely breaks (mind you, I do not work much manually).
Marc
Glenn- this is a classic question! Unfortunately, I have a mangled middle finger nail from a tractor accident so natural nails are out and artificials seem too expensive and too much hassle. So I use my fingertips or finger picks. Neither is a great solution. I can't get a crisp sound with finger tips and finger picks are almost too harsh. Natural nails are definitely the way to go if you can swing them. Any other method is a compromise.
Watch the Neil and Laurence Juber duo of Black Magic Women. Juber just uses his finger tips I believe and there can be no disputing his skills. Amazing!
Finally, not everyone can use nails in a professional work environment. In my profession, construction and engineering, it might be frowned upon.
Good luck with this always challenging problem. Let us know what works for you!!
Cheers! :cheer:
Watch the Neil and Laurence Juber duo of Black Magic Women. Juber just uses his finger tips I believe and there can be no disputing his skills. Amazing!
Finally, not everyone can use nails in a professional work environment. In my profession, construction and engineering, it might be frowned upon.
Good luck with this always challenging problem. Let us know what works for you!!
Cheers! :cheer:
I think you can use only your finger tips and use a bit of volume with the amplifier a great example is Vanessa here and she does that I believe,,but I also know she has let grow her nails for an experiment(maybe for the uke)...Its aslo very nice to have a nice nylon string guitar.
I never heard a bout being allergic for that stuff but I geuss it could be,,,maybe you ask James Taylor!!!!
Willem
I never heard a bout being allergic for that stuff but I geuss it could be,,,maybe you ask James Taylor!!!!
Willem
I've been using acrylic nails for the past few months, and loving the result. No more broken, fractured, mangled nails -- just the pure, unmuffled tone I want when fingerpicking. To Rick's point about cost and hassle, it's valid. I have to go to a salon once every three weeks for maintenance, at a cost of $10. To me, that's a small price to pay and a minimum of hassle in order to get the sound I want out of my guitar. But I recognize that not everyone feels that way.
Thanks Marc, that's very interesting using 2 weights of strings, never occurred to me. I will certainly post something down the road.
I do a lot of carperter work and keeping 4 fingernails in tact is difficult for me but shorter nails certainly improve my odds. thanks again. Glenn
I do a lot of carperter work and keeping 4 fingernails in tact is difficult for me but shorter nails certainly improve my odds. thanks again. Glenn
Hey Glenn,
It's nice to hear from you on the forum. You have been very quietly standing on the sidelines all this time.
I personally prefer the sound of nails and prefer playing with them rather than artificial ones or just finger tips. (I don't use an amp) I find them especially important on my nylon-stringed guitar because I don't use a pick when I'm playing it. I actually love the sound of the nylon strings (as well as steel strings) and I'd recommend you check one out for the sound alone. You can actually get nylon string guitars with thinner necks than your normal classical if you're worried about that.
I've posted many a thread about my woes when I've lost a thumb nail (bowling incident, handy-woman wear and tear, general life nail stress ...) and how pathetic the bass notes sound to me when that happens. Actually... I was comparing thumb nails with one of the TG regulars recently, mine was VEEERY long in comparison ... in good Aussie form I believe I made a Crocodile Dundee-eske "that's not a knife, this is a knife" type comment.
B) ... well Karma had it's way and the next day my nail caught on something and was torn about half a centimeter across, right at the bass. Ooops! I tried to fix it with superglue...which worked for a couple of days and then....wamm! I caught my nail again, it bent right back (OUCH!) and then torn 2/3 of the way across and down into the pink. I had no choice but to cut it off completely.
Since then I've been whinging about pathetic bass notes (I hear groans from the person I've been whinging to) and testing out thumb picks again. I dislike thumb picks especially because the motion is all wrong. I have been making a little progress in getting used to them though.
While trialing thumb picks again, I tried aLaska pics
If this photo works, It shows various sized ones that I have. The biggest I use for my thumb. The beauty of these picks, is that they feel very similar in action to your normal finger and thumb nails. They actually sit slightly under your nail so you can feel how you are playing better and control them. They feel a little tight at first, but not uncomfortable. I also find that the sound isn't as harsh as other finger and thumb picks I've tried. They sound more like natural nails than other plastic ones and especially metal ones (of course). Consider trying them.
Here is the site where you can get more information. http://www.alaskapik.com/ including a images of what they look like when they are on.
Good luck. Sorry about the allergy woes. Don't lose heart, there are other options available that may work out OK for you.
It's nice to hear from you on the forum. You have been very quietly standing on the sidelines all this time.
I personally prefer the sound of nails and prefer playing with them rather than artificial ones or just finger tips. (I don't use an amp) I find them especially important on my nylon-stringed guitar because I don't use a pick when I'm playing it. I actually love the sound of the nylon strings (as well as steel strings) and I'd recommend you check one out for the sound alone. You can actually get nylon string guitars with thinner necks than your normal classical if you're worried about that.
I've posted many a thread about my woes when I've lost a thumb nail (bowling incident, handy-woman wear and tear, general life nail stress ...) and how pathetic the bass notes sound to me when that happens. Actually... I was comparing thumb nails with one of the TG regulars recently, mine was VEEERY long in comparison ... in good Aussie form I believe I made a Crocodile Dundee-eske "that's not a knife, this is a knife" type comment.
B) ... well Karma had it's way and the next day my nail caught on something and was torn about half a centimeter across, right at the bass. Ooops! I tried to fix it with superglue...which worked for a couple of days and then....wamm! I caught my nail again, it bent right back (OUCH!) and then torn 2/3 of the way across and down into the pink. I had no choice but to cut it off completely. Since then I've been whinging about pathetic bass notes (I hear groans from the person I've been whinging to) and testing out thumb picks again. I dislike thumb picks especially because the motion is all wrong. I have been making a little progress in getting used to them though.
While trialing thumb picks again, I tried aLaska pics
If this photo works, It shows various sized ones that I have. The biggest I use for my thumb. The beauty of these picks, is that they feel very similar in action to your normal finger and thumb nails. They actually sit slightly under your nail so you can feel how you are playing better and control them. They feel a little tight at first, but not uncomfortable. I also find that the sound isn't as harsh as other finger and thumb picks I've tried. They sound more like natural nails than other plastic ones and especially metal ones (of course). Consider trying them.
Here is the site where you can get more information. http://www.alaskapik.com/ including a images of what they look like when they are on.
Good luck. Sorry about the allergy woes. Don't lose heart, there are other options available that may work out OK for you.
Glenn, for a long time, I had to accept the sound of finger tips (flesh) on strings, but never really like the volume. I tried for years, to grow my natural nails out, but just when I like them, snap, they are gone. Dennis gave me the guts to go to a nail salon and have my right hand fingers done with acrylics, and I love them. I do construction like stuff in my job, and the natural nails won't last a week without help. These falsies take a pretty good lickin, and keep on pickin.
$10 every three weeks is well worth it, to get the sound I like.
Scott
$10 every three weeks is well worth it, to get the sound I like.
Scott
Hi again all,
I really appreciate all the imput everyone. This is a great resource for me as I live way up in Northern New Hampshire (US). Fake fingernails are for me ideal but I just can't use them anymore. It's odd because I can drink the water in Mexico, whiskey with the best of them and even survive the ridicule of "getting my nails done" from my buddies.
In the past month, I have been delighted to see Doyle Dykes and Tommy Emmanual live and even went to an after party with Doyle. I was determined to talk to him about him about this but couldn't politely work it into the conversation.
thanks again everyone, Glenn
I really appreciate all the imput everyone. This is a great resource for me as I live way up in Northern New Hampshire (US). Fake fingernails are for me ideal but I just can't use them anymore. It's odd because I can drink the water in Mexico, whiskey with the best of them and even survive the ridicule of "getting my nails done" from my buddies.
In the past month, I have been delighted to see Doyle Dykes and Tommy Emmanual live and even went to an after party with Doyle. I was determined to talk to him about him about this but couldn't politely work it into the conversation.
thanks again everyone, Glenn