Finger nail question for finger style players.

[spencermm]

Did you grow out your nails on your picking hand?
Considering it. I can't do the finger picks thing. Looking for pros/cons for growing them out before I decide if I want to give it a go.
Thanks,
Spencer

I have grown them out and I found I didn't like the sound of my nails. Tried fingerpicks and found I didn't like that sound either. So I'm back to bare fingers (with big callouses!) and happy. YMMV.

[JoeCharter]

I grew fairly long nails because I really like the tone and playability I get out of them. That being said, I know of plenty of fine players who play with their fingertips and/or very short nails.

The one thing to be careful of when growing nails is to properly polish them as it makes a world of difference to create a warm and round sound, even when played loudly.

[ombudsman]

I have them at a length that allows me to play guitar with them but not interfere too much with playing upright bass or bass guitar with fingers. They're about 1/8", or 3/16" if I'm lucky. I file them with an etched glass nail file, which is easier and much better than any other method I have tried.

[Mellow_D]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

I have grown them out and I found I didn't like the sound of my nails. Tried fingerpicks and found I didn't like that sound either. So I'm back to bare fingers (with big callouses!) and happy. YMMV.

If you're not using fingerpicks, or your fingernails, does that mean you're picking using the actual FLESH of your fingers?

I always thought fingerstyle playing required either fingerpicks or your own fingernails.

[Gcunplugged]

+1 for nails just long enough to get good purchase on the strings. Otherwise, they get in the way when I'm doing almost anything else with my hands.

[DaBoz]

I keep mine just long enough so that depending on the angle of attack I can play with or without nails.

Same with my thumbnail, it's fairly long so I use the tip if I want nail or the side of my thumb if I do not want nail.

[pf400]

The advantage to having longer thumbnails is that you can vary your tone greatly. Picking with the the nail only sounds sharp and bright, picking with the fleshy part (you can easily change the angle of your thumb) sounds very warm, and attacking the string with the part where your nail meets the flesh, ie the side of the thumb, gives an "inbetween" response. Growing my thumbnail so that the white part is about 1/8 of an inch long gets me that choice.

My fingernails constantly wear down and build back up. When they wear too low it feels awkward, painful even. Just a day or three of practicing songs that sound best with a pick, allows the nail to grow back in.

I went into a nail salon and had acrylic applied to my nails and I loved having strong, just long-enough nails for 7 weeks. I'll go back if and when they wear down too much again. Problem is that the real nail tissue under the acryllic gets soft....it 's awkward for awhile once the acryllic pops off and you have to pick with the weakened part of the nail.

All this being said, nails grow in at different rates and different thickness for different people, so what works for me may not for you. Only way to learn is to try for yourself. Search "nails" on this forum or "fingernails" or "acryllic" and you'll find lots of input on this important topic.

Originally Posted by Mellow_D

If you're not using fingerpicks, or your fingernails, does that mean you're picking using the actual FLESH of your fingers?

I always thought fingerstyle playing required either fingerpicks or your own fingernails.

You can pick a guitar anyway you please! I know a guy who strums with the knuckle of his index finger (his finger looks like hell). Weirdest thing I've ever seen but it works for him. And yes I just use my (calloused) finger and thumb tips. Two of my favorite teachers Woody Mann and Stefan Grossman play bare fingered and so do many others. Mississippi John Hurt did too.

[spencermm]

Originally Posted by DaBoz

I keep mine just long enough so that depending on the angle of attack I can play with or without nails.

Same with my thumbnail, it's fairly long so I use the tip if I want nail or the side of my thumb if I do not want nail.

Hey Boz, your point spoke to a question I had. So you can play with the flesh or the nails? The finger angle in playing with the flesh- is it different than the angle you used when you did NOT have the longer nails? I was thinking your finger approach to the string would have to be way different.
I love hearing that you can do both.
I wonder if it would be a pain for you to post a pic of your nails to this thread. I SERIOUSLY don't want to put you out, so if its a pain don't worry about it.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by spencermm

Did you grow out your nails on your picking hand?
Considering it. I can't do the finger picks thing. Looking for pros/cons for growing them out before I decide if I want to give it a go.
Thanks,
Spencer

Hi spencermm...

I made the choice about 45 years back to play all flesh. Can't work with fingerpicks, & I'm not going to carry more gear around.

I have needed to do semi-manual labor (chop/split wood, shovel walks, mow lawns etc) for the past 45 plus years as well as play guitar.

So for me the solution is all flesh, short nails. It has served me well.

it's easy to try growing them out and if it doesn't work to file them back down.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by Mellow_D

...I always thought fingerstyle playing required either fingerpicks or your own fingernails.

Hi M_D...

Ask Laurence Juber.

There are actually a lot of us who play all flesh without nails at all (or even thumb picks). I play all flesh, with a hint of nail once in a while for accents. I also strum sometimes with the backs of nails, and sometimes with the flesh of the thumb.

There are also some who combine flesh, short nails, thumb picks and sound great too.

Don't remember seeing a list of requirements…

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by spencermm

...I wonder if it would be a pain for you to post a pic of your nails to this thread. I SERIOUSLY don't want to put you out, so if its a pain don't worry about it.

Hi spencermm...

I hope DaBoz posts pics too...here's a shot from inside looking up at my hand, and one on top looking inward...





Hope this adds to the discussion.

[spencermm]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi spencermm...

I hope DaBoz posts pics too...here's a shot from inside looking up at my hand, and one on top looking inward...





Hope this adds to the discussion.

Nice! That's not long at all. I was hoping I wouldn't have to have Nosferatu nails

[RustyZombie]

Originally Posted by spencermm

Nice! That's not long at all. I was hoping I wouldn't have to have Nosferatu nails

You don't have to have long nails to fingerpick with them, and shorter they are the less likely you are to accidently break them. Some players prefer to grow them out longer for a variety of different reasons.

One thing I have found to be easier with longer nails is tremolo. When I first started learning tremolo it sounded really choppy, because my fingertips would inadvertently mute the string before my nails sounded the next note.