#16
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I've tried nails many times over the years, but always go back to mostly flesh with just a hint of nail. My nails are quite strong, grow well, and I know how to care for & shape them. I listen to Segovia, John Williams, and many other classical maestros, and they get such exquisite tone & dynamic range with nails; however, when I play with just nails, the tone I get is somewhat harsh and just not pleasing to my ear (whether nylon or steel string). I'm sure much of that is technique (or lack thereof); but to be honest, I like the tone so much better that I get playing with mostly flesh, that I have no desire to put in the time to improve my technique just to get good tone using nails.
As listed on Rob MacKillop's site, there are extraordinary players using just flesh, so at the end of the day--as with most things--it comes down to personal preference and what is important to you & your ears as an individual. For me and my playing, the main pluses of playing with mostly flesh are improved tone, increased tactility, and far less chance of breaking a nail. I play strictly for my own enjoyment, and occasionally the enjoyment of friends & family; therefore, the loss volume and maybe a bit of dynamic range is not important to me. So IMHO, while conventional wisdom may indeed be conventional, it is not always universally wise. Just my 2-cents...
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Martin 000-28EC '71 Harmony Buck Owens American Epiphone Inspired by Gibson J-45 Gold Tone PBR-D Paul Beard Signature Model resonator "Lean your body forward slightly to support the guitar against your chest, for the poetry of the music should resound in your heart." -Andrés Segovia Last edited by drplayer; 05-26-2016 at 08:02 AM. |
#17
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I keep my nails at 3mm. Any longer than 3mm they chip or break. Any shorter than 3mm doesn't work for me.
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Relearning after a 30 year break. -- Cordoba C5 (2015) Yamaha FS700S (2014) Conn F-1512 (1977) Epiphone EA-250 (1973) |
#18
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Thought I would chime in...
I have been a massage therapist going on almost 19 years. So, I cannot have long nails. It is just part of the job. In my opinion if you can do so, you should. Why limit yourself? |
#19
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Quote:
you could always use something temporary, like rico nails. |
#20
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Hate filing nails. Sorry, old school troglodyte so nail-filing looks kinda old school sissy. Besides, I could not get the shape right. Am an recidivist nail biter. Kept poking my eyeballs whilst changing my contacts. So, nail-less for me.
The flesh only sound has its own charms. Soft, round, sweet, lyrical, sounds more like a classical instrument is supposed to sound, in my opinion. You lose the percussivity of nails, the scratch, scrape, attack and brightness. I don't know. Playing with flesh harkens back to a romantic old age. It is like my friend, the piano tuner, says: loosen the hammer felt to simulate the sound of flesh on bone on the strings, not hard metal mallets. Hell for me is hearing nails on carbon strings lashed to a double-top with lattice-basketweave-bracing. The horrors. I am old. I look for a dulcet tonal palette. YMMV. Last edited by Jabberwocky; 07-25-2016 at 11:39 AM. |
#21
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I always keep my nails on both hands very short and use the flesh of my fingers on my right hand. Nails probably produce a different sound but I've never found them necessary to play in a classical style. For me it's all about the enjoyment of the music.
In any case, I cannot have them long due to work. Frigging hurts if they are bent back when they are caught while using tools. |
#22
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If I keep my nails even with my flesh I can change the angle of my wrist, thus changing the angle of attack, and play with just pads. But without nails there is no counter strategy to acquire that sound. And there IS a certain evocative sound that a nail gives on the rest stroke which cannot be duplicated with pads alone. It is, after all, a plucked instrument, like a quill plucking a harpsichord, and not a piano where padded hammers drum on strings.
Which method allows you to control the slience between the notes better? It's not even close from a practical consideration. You need nails AND pads. Cat scratch fever baby, or you're just drumming.
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Some Martins Garcia #2 classical Cordoba C10 Luthier Series Tacoma Olympia OB3CE acoustic bass "I don't care what style you want to play. If you want to master good guitar tone, master preparation, attack and release first." ~ Paul Guma |