Fingerpicking- nails or flesh?

[sully]

Does everyone grow long nails? Do some people use flesh?
Do most pickers here use steel string guitars, or nylon?

[Imapickn]

Yes..

[ME@VT]

Yes..

sully,

It comes down to how you like to play. I personally hate fingerpicks (except the thumb pick) whereas some people like them. I can't feel the strings when I play with them, and that bothers me. I grow my nails out a few millimeters so that I can get the 'click' on the strings from hitting the nail, but I don't grow them out very VERY long. That is just my taste.

As for strings... it depends on the sound you like. I like both nylon and steel sound, but I have a steel guitar so that is what I play the most. Some find nylon easier to play fingerstyle with, some down. You should try out each and see which one you like.

Bottom line. There is no right of wrong way to play fingerstyle. It all comes down to your personal preferences Find something you like and stick with it.

Hope that helped,

Devon

[Livingston]

I grow my finger nails out about 1/16 to 3/32 of an inch. I grow my thumb nail out a little more. There's a little maintenance involved, in terms of keeping at the right length and shape. I finger pick my steel string and nylon string guitars and I much prefer finger nails over finger picks.

The only downside is breaking a nail. There our fixes for broken nails, but I'm not expert on repair.

Good luck.

[meridian]

See, now for me it is definitely a combination.

I keep the nails on my right hand just long enough that you can see them from the palm side of the hand. If I grow them any longer they break and then I'm in trouble.

So it is definitely "flesh with a nail chaser" in my playing.

[woodyboyd]

nails & steel.

[phuufme]

Flesh and steel. I mess up when I use picks or nails when playing fingerstyle.

[elterrell]

I bite my nails, so I have no nails at all. I like flesh on steel/nylon. The callouses on my right hand are about as tough as my left hand (I really like to dig in). I use a pick for electric/flatpicking, but often times I will just use my fingers.

[architectx]

Steel and nylon - depends on what song I'm playing (and where sometimes too).

Acrylic nails on 3 fingers (a good 1/8" long). Fred Kelly Speed Pick on the steel strings, my natural thumb nail on the nylon.

[Fingerworks]

Hey Sully,

I grow my nails of my first, second and third fingers about 1/8 of an inch and my thumb about 1/4". I find that I use a combination of flesh and nail to get a good full wound with nice attack.

[TimB]

Originally posted by meridian
See, now for me it is definitely a combination.

I keep the nails on my right hand just long enough that you can see them from the palm side of the hand. If I grow them any longer they break and then I'm in trouble.

So it is definitely "flesh with a nail chaser" in my playing.

Likewise tho' it doesn't prevent me from making mistakes.

-=Tim=-

[min7b5]

Bare fingers.
I use cheap soaps and baby powder to keep them dry, which I feel gives me a little extra articulation.

[Ace43]

I tried growing my nails but they just seemed to get in the way. I keep the right hand nails as short as those on the left hand and have seen no callous development so far. I get all the volume I need (and probably more than my family wants--you can hear doors closing when I start to play) and there is virtually no problem with maintenance.

[Livingston]

Originally posted by min7b5
Bare fingers.
I use cheap soaps and baby powder to keep them dry, which I feel gives me a little extra articulation.

Hey Eric,

I'm surprised to hear you use bare fingers. Your recording sounds so crisp, I assumed you had nails.

By the way, regarding the cheap soap - can you elaborate? Why cheap soap as opposed to other kinds of soap. I assume you condition both hands using the soap/powder method. I'll have to try that.

[min7b5]

Originally posted by Livingston


Hey Eric,
I'm surprised to hear you use bare fingers....

...regarding the cheap soap - can you elaborate?

Traveling around and staying in less expensive hotels, I noticed the little paper wrapped soaps they leave you in your room really dry out your skin. I just looked at my stash, and the ones I like the best are from Courtyard By Marriott, in small print they say they are Dial anti-bacterial. This is as opposed to the soaps that my wife keeps in our bathrooms that have moisturizing oils and so on in them and probably cost $5 a piece. So whenever I’m playing out of town I stock up. Often I’ll use a little baby powder after they are dry. As for the recording, using a small guitar (712 ) helps. And using new strings ( polywebs ) helps too.