#31
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Another related subject that has not been addressed here, when using nails, what happens when you switch from thumb nail to a thumb pick? I do this often and I have to use a different technique as the angle that I hold my picking wrist must change to accommodate the different attack angle when adding a thumb pick. I find it difficult to add the thumb pick and then keep the angle of attack for the fingers so the nails do not scrape along the ribs of the wound strings. My wrist tends to flatten out when using the thumb pick forcing my attack more to the sides of my finger tips instead of directly at the tips when not using the thumb pick. I have to angle my wrist up to keep my finger tips from scraping. I'm curious if anyone else has experienced this and has any other tips to make this adjustment.
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#32
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What does it mean, this "nail salon" thing? Don .
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#33
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It is safer to use a thumb pick. The "flatening" you referred to is the reason. Your wrist is more straight. The angle you have to assume to use the thumb nail is more angular and so will cause problems for some people, its a fact. I too like the sound better with a thumb nail but sound is minute and no one else will hear it. It is better to keep playing and not have the ultimate sound.
The "nail salon thing", some people are unwilling to work at nail care so opt to get plastic glued to their nail so they have to do nothing to care for the nail except go to the shop. |
#34
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I'm going to work with nails as short as I can get them for now. I'm primarily using flesh anyway. That way if I still find the nails to be a pain, the adjustment to "no nails" won't be quite so extreme but I'll give it some time first. I have a thumb-pick on my desk but I really can't imagine ever getting used to that.
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#35
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Right...works for you is the thing. If nails work for you...great. If flesh and a thumb pick work for me...great. If all flesh works for someone else...great. Whatever works for the OP...or anyone...great. It's like the old Outback Steakhouse saying..."No Rules...Just Right" That really applies to all things guitar/guitar gear/guitar playing. No Rules...Just Right And some guys go to a salon and have their nails done professionally. I had a friend who would do that once every month or so. He had brittle nails and found the salon did a better job of working on them than he could, using various techniques. Plus...I hear there is good gossip in those places to boot! {;-) duff Be A Player...Not A Polisher |
#36
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Experiment a bit and find the tone you like.
I play fingerstyle myself. I play 1-2 hours daily 7 days a week on acoustic steel strings. I keep my nails slightly longer then most people would consider to be "trim". I have giant sausage fingers so without my nails I dont get much attack at all. I have to file my nails daily to keep my tone. I hit them fast with a super fine metal file and then buff them smooth with a cheap fine buffing block. Takes 2 minutes tops. If I miss a day my tone gets super bright and scratchy especially on the wound strings. I use Acrylic Gell when I feel like it. The most durable but ironically takes the most time to maintain as daily filing is required and the nails can be much thicker. Super strong though and you can change the thickness of the nail to what ever you like. More commonly I use super glue. My nails sound great. Problem is they wear down and break constantly in my line of work. I apply super glue gell, not normal glue, it has to be gell to the tips of my nails and only a tiny portion of the tips. Then I dip the tips in backing soda and it dries the glue instantly. Then I file and buff them to do what I need. The glue is super easy to file/buff and the daily filing is also very fast. *Its important you only apply the glue to the ends of your nails. Applying glue or any covering to your nail will cause it to thin and bend into a hook over time. If you want to keep your nails healthy then dont cover the entire nail. Only a weeks or 2 of growth max. If you want fast, easy and super cheap go with super glue gell and experiment a bit. |
#37
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#38
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Good post by jerzey. Playing is important enough to to him/her toexperiment finding out what works and then to take the few minutes a day to do it. I dont understand those that want to just pick up the guitar and play without any effort given to their nails.
I agree with not covering your nails. I did that once and my nails which are usually tough were whisper thin when the nails came off. If your going to put something on just cover the tips. He/she mentioned that using gel, I think he means superglue gel, you can get different thickness for different sounds. You can do that with Drug store plastic nails as they are different thickness. You just have to start trying them out to see which ones you like. It easy and safe if you use glue dots. I would never recommend attaching the nail by covering your nail with glue. I started with really thick nails that gave me one tone but Ive worked on trying different products enough that I know that I like really thin ones. |
#39
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I have been playing with Propik Fingertone fingerpicks for 10 years. They allow you to get some of the roundness of the flesh of your fingertips along with the power, projection, and clarity of pure fingerpicks. They also give you some tactile feedback. They don’t require maintenance, don’t take long to get used to, and are a great alternative to nails. I don’t see any downside. The tone is fantastic. Not brash in any way.
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#40
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I’m a casual hobby player and my play time may vary a lot day to day. Meanwhile my nails grow fast and i don’t always want to file them before playing
Particularly with limited time. So i vary between just nails and Alaska picks. One guitar sounds good with just nails and is forgiving of slight nail length changes, my others need more consistent contact so do better with the picks. If I were performing, I’d probably go all Alaskas all of the time. |
#41
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I had no problems adapting to a thumb pick and I could have chosen any number of suitable thumb picks. (I currently switch between Herco's and Dunlop's).
However, the same can't be said for fingerpicks. (Experimented with just about every finger pick you could imagine that go over and under your finger in all manner of shapes, sizes and material, and nothing ever felt "just right"). In the end, I resigned myself to using metal Dunlop banjo fingerpicks not because they sound better, but because they're mostly adaptable. (Refuse to grow nails and bare flesh doesn't fee right). |
#42
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donlyn gave relevant info.
I used to struggle with this issue for years to play fingerstyle : my brittle nails used to bite under the strings and break. When I took lessons, I discussed this much with my teacher. We corrected my hand posture and fingers motion and I adjusted my nails geometry : I am quite pleased with the results.
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#43
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The downside to using premade fake nail coverings is they cover large portions of the nail and use glue to attach. That glue is not going to last long and you will be replacing the fake nails often. . Any time you cover the nail it will thin the nail. That is why most people who go that far will just go get a real acrylic gel coating usually at a salon. The reason fingerstyle players are using the super glue gel method is because: 1-You only cover a very small portion of the nail allowing for normal healthy nail growth. 2-It costs pennies 3-It takes very little time 4-The glue adds great durability to the nail slowing down the wear and allows you to keep the original tone from the nail. 5-It is the safest, most healthy option vs fake nails or other nail coatings and by far the cheapest with the least amount of care required. |
#44
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It's very quick to apply as you say, and is very strong + works great for a few days, but despite trying this numerous times the results were always the same, I couldn't handle my nails crumbling away bit by bit so I went back to false nails + glue (which unfortunately have their own problems).
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#45
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Alaska Piks are not “plug and play”. You’ll probably have to trial and error to find the shape profile you like. I reduce the stock thickness probably 65-75 percent and then file smooth with a Wolfram diamond file. I have Scott Tennant’s “Pumping Nylon” and in that book he has good guidance on the best plan shape you want the nail to be that could be useful for you. The bottom line is I have only about 1 mm showing over the tip of my finger and that amount gives me excellent clarity. Alaska Piks are worth the effort in my opinion. AGF’er and fingerstyle wizard Eric Skye is an Alaska Piks user also.
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