The opposite of what you expect

[Mikeleric]

I am a man. I used to always have long fingernails on both hands. I never liked to cut them. I remember one time when I was 4 years old running around at home so my mother would not catch me because I was afraid to get my nails cut and she was threatening to cut them. Another time I witnessed an accident where my mother was trying to cut my brother's fingernails and she cut one nail too close and his finger bled a little.

I ended up sacrificing the nails on my left hand to help me play guitar, in about December 2012- January 2013. I am right handed, I play the way you would expect, plucking the strings with my right hand and pressing the frets with my left hand.

I found a classical guitar teacher, I started seeing him once a week starting the last week of March this year. I have been doing well... The teacher is a man. His fingernails are at least as long as mine. I never even gave a second thought about my fingernails and guitar playing until I went to some salsa dance group classes recently and some people made weird comments about them and this one girl said I scratched her and yesterday another girl admitted that she was reluctant to use me to practice the dances because of my fingernails and that it is just common courtesy to cut your fingernails. Some women at this event do have fingernails that extend past flesh under the nail plate but none quite as long as mine. Currently My fingernails on my right hand are 2 to 3 eights inches past the point there they can be cut at. I just measured, I had not even been paying attention to specially maintaining them for playing guitar except that I know I had to cut them shorter than the length they used to be before I started playing guitar.

It has occurred to me that at the moment I wouldn't know how to play guitar well if I had to sacrifice my fingernails.

[Dave T]

Tell the ladies who object you are studying classical guitar. They will be impressed and probably stop complaining. (smile)

And congratulations on having finger nails. I play nylon stringed guitars exclusively but only with finger tips. If my nails get long enough to reach the end of my finger tips they split, crack and break. And yes, I've tried all the supposed remedies. Nothing works. So your lucky. Maybe God wanted you to play guitar. (smile again)

Dave

[BernebeM50]

I also play classical guitar and for the past 25 years have had longer nails on my right hand and shorter on the left. I do get the occasional question about them or funny look. I tell them that I play classical guitar and they still look confused. I guess not a lot of people know about playing classical guitar. It doesn't bother me though as I play for myself. When I do play around others the confused looks go away and they often ask me to teach them how to play as well. I wouldn't worry about it as it is a small sacrifice to pay for playing such great music.

The only hard part is keeping them from snagging or breaking when I do other things. Nothing ticks me off more than clumsily breaking a nail and having to wait for it to grow back long enough to play normally. I can't play with just my finger tips, it sounds so dull and it throws me off.

[Bax Burgess]

Long nails tend to creep me out, but I have them on my plucking hand, each one custom shaped to counteract finger curvature and fingertip differences - snaggle-tooth look to them. They're a joy when perfect, though, as of late I've been concealing them during everyday transactions.

[martingitdave]

Well, you have a conflict between common custom, your preferences, and guitar playing. Pick one and forgo the others. Can't have everything.


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[riffmeister]

Follow your muse, ignore the naysayers.

[mc1]

i say bring the guitar and play some salsa!

if you can't do that, bring a picture of a famous latin guitarist's hands.

[Rondoraymundo]

I've been playing classical for 35 years. I have found through a lot of trial and error, and, looking at the function of the nails to begin with, that when my nails get longer than a 32nd past my fingertip...I begin to lose the clean sound that I need for preparation attack and release. Without preparation attack and release I can't control the silences between the notes....maybe others can, I can't.

Scott Tennant' s book, "Pumping Nylon" has got a very accurate (IMHO) decription on nail length.

I usually keep my nails from just even with my fingertip flesh to a little bit longer.

[Jonny C]

Show them your short-nailed left hand and say "This is my lovin' hand"

Should do the trick

[BernebeM50]

Originally Posted by Rondoraymundo

I've been playing classical for 35 years. I have found through a lot of trial and error, and, looking at the function of the nails to begin with, that when my nails get longer than a 32nd past my fingertip...I begin to lose the clean sound that I need for preparation attack and release. Without preparation attack and release I can't control the silences between the notes....maybe others can, I can't.

Scott Tennant' s book, "Pumping Nylon" has got a very accurate (IMHO) decription on nail length.

I usually keep my nails from just even with my fingertip flesh to a little bit longer.

Yes, that is how I keep my nails as well, except for the thumb nail which is about 1/8" past the tip.