Flesh or nails?

[roadbiker]

A question for the fingerstyle players...

Do you use the fleshy parts of your fingertips, did you grow you fingernails, or do you use fingerpicks?  I've been practincing travis style and  thankfully I'm getting better at fingerstyle playing. I've grown the fingernails on my right hand about 1/8", but I can't get used to having long(ish) fingernails. They get in the way of doing other things, and I find that I don't always use them anyway. I'm thinking of just clipping them off and sticking to using the flesshy part of my fingetips, although I have to admit that using fingernails does produce a cleaner, less muddy sound. I don't want to grow them much longer than they are, and I'm wondering if they are long enough to really be effective. Advice and opinions gladly accepted.

Thanx, Jim

[Doug W]

I think you gave the answer in the question:

I have to admit that using fingernails does produce a cleaner, less muddy sound.

If they produce a tone you are happy with, then they are long enough.  I play a little of both classical and fingerstyle, and keep the nail extension to a bit less than 1/8".  I find the key isn't so much the length, as the shape - I find a slightly squared off shape with the end of the nail just even with the very tip of the finger, gives me a good compromise between decent tone production and avoiding having the nails get in the way of other activities.

[bo1142]

I have a bad habit of biting my nails, so I just use my fat fingers

[cjd-player]

I much prefer the tone of fingernails compared to bare flesh.  I keep mine no longer than 1/8 inch; 3/32 is just about perfect for me.  Too long and they start to get in the way of playing.   About 4 years ago I started using acrylics (nail salon) on my three picking fingers to keep the nails from breaking while doing other things.  I haven't looked back.

I use a Fred Kelly Slick Pick on my thumb rather than my thumbnail.

Lots of folks do really well with just bare fingers, so I think it's just a matter of personal preference.  Having the long nails does sometimes require a bit of thought and consciousnes while doing other things in life.

For example, I don't bowl, and the nails make it pretty much impossivle to play bass guitar with your fingers.

I know some professional musicians who play in the symphony orchestra, and they don't ever play any sports where their fingers could get damaged.  So it's a matter of choices regarding what is important to you.

[DennisG]

I'm with cjd on this -- I just recently got acrylic nails for the first time, and they're fantastic.  Aside from their durability, which is off the charts, the tone I get from my picking is so much better than what I got when using fingertips.

[cigarfan]

I'm trying to get used to using fingernails as well. Fingerpicking for me has always been a fleshy thing. But trying to learn fingerstyle and get the clean sound, I think nails are the ticket. I have found it troublesome to keep my nails at the desired length and shape. Seems I am always catching and breaking one on something (usually not guitar related) and it takes a while to get it back.

If my skill level gets to the point where I'm comfortable playing fingerstyle for others, Maybe I will try the acrylics.

Just curious, once you learn with fingernails, is there another learning curve when you move to acrylics?

[roadbiker]

Hve you oever noticed James Taylor's fingernails? They are freakish looking to me, but apparently effective. My guess is that he doesn't bowl much either...

This conversation reminds me a little of the Seinfeld episode in which George became a hand model

Jim

[cigarfan]

LOL Jim

Yeah, if I get the acrylics, gonna go with some of those sparkly things on em' like my daughter wears.

That'll get em' talkin'

[DennisG]

Just curious, once you learn with fingernails, is there another learning curve when you move to acrylics?

There's a widespread misconception about acrylics that they are some kind of plastic nail that gets glued on to your regular nail.  Acrylics actually start life as a powder.  The manicurist dips a little brush into water, then dabs it into the powder.  The powder reacts with the water and turns into a gel that the manicurist spreads onto your existing nail where it dries into a rock-hard surface.  So acrylic nails don't add length to your nails.  They just add hardness and durability.  My nails no longer chip, break, or wear away from guitar playing.  Once a month I go back to the salon to get a "fill" when my nails have grown out a bit.

[cjd-player]

Just curious, once you learn with fingernails, is there another learning curve when you move to acrylics?

For me there was no additional learning curve as far as playing goes.  There is a change in tone - just like moving to a heavy pick from a light pick - the tone gets woodier.

There is a change in the way you file your nails, and I still experiment with that from time to time.  With the acrylic on, the nails become quite thick - almost 1/16 of an inch.  So how you file and polish the edge will effect tone.  If you leave them fairly sharp, the tone is brighter and they are not as smooth on the strings.  If you round and polish the bottom edge (your actual nail) the tone is warmer and you fingers release off of the strings more easily.  Again, just think of guitar picks.  Alter the thickness and edge bevel and the tone changes.

The other learning curve is learning to be comfortable in the salon.  That took a while for me.  The technicians told me about a couple of other guys who also get their nails done for guitar playing, but I have yet to meet one in the salon.  Now it's fun to watch the lady customers try to hide their stares as they wonder what the heck I'm doing there.    

[Edward]

It's all about the tone that  you want.

But for me: Nails.  Whenever I break/split a nail (man I feel weird saying that aloud ) and I have to cut them, I don't care for the tone and simply grab a pick (of which I am a 95% player anyway).   No right or wrong here; it's all about what you want to hear.  At least it's a tonal experiment you can do that doesn't cost anything

Edward

[pieterh]

Nails always, unless I break one. If it is the thumb or first finger nail then I switch to hybrid style with a pick and the remaining 3 fingers. It does demand a slight change in style and the angle of the nails to the strings is different - less exact if you get my drift. I don't have big fingers but I guess as I've been playing with nails for at least 30 years nail-less fingers just feel like that they can't get between the strings properly.

[roadbiker]

I've also been experimenting with a thumb pick. It's a bit of a challenge when you're used to using the bare thumb, but it has a much cleaner sound.  Anyone ever try these (the metal ones)? I can't imagine that metal picks sound good on steel strings.



Jim

[Scriptor]

Anyone ever try these (the metal ones)? I can't imagine that metal picks sound good on steel strings.

I use these for banjo ... I could never get the right feel for finger picks on guitar ... and if I were to try, I'd go with plastic rather than steel for guitar ...

[Iplay2]

I tried to grow my nails to give it a shot once...when my wife finally stopped laughing and offering to paint them, they went away.

I have thought about finger picks.  Chris Proctor uses them, and they seem to sound pretty good on all of his recordings.  Then again, Chris Proctor could make a pice of cardboard and duct tape sound good.