The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    I’d like to take a second to share a small tip with my fellow guitarists who use their natural fingernails for picking. The best way I’ve found to shape and smooth the edge of my nails is with a glass file AND better still- wet filing. This small attention to details is well worth the minute of time it takes. Ok, that is allWet glass filing-img_9858-jpeg

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  3. #2

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    No news for the typical classical guitar player I think (nothing like joining a CG forum if you want to discuss nail care with 50+ yo males ) but is there an actual point to being this, excusez-le-mot, maniac?

    I mean, if you play with nails they serve basically the same function as a pick - and who keeps their picks in shape with this level of attention? Not to mention applying it to new picks? Plus, how many notes do you have to play before that careful edge has been busted by the strings (typically cut right off with the kind of nails I have..)?

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    No news for the typical classical guitar player I think (nothing like joining a CG forum if you want to discuss nail care with 50+ yo males ) but is there an actual point to being this, excusez-le-mot, maniac?

    I mean, if you play with nails they serve basically the same function as a pick - and who keeps their picks in shape with this level of attention? Not to mention applying it to new picks? Plus, how many notes do you have to play before that careful edge has been busted by the strings (typically cut right off with the kind of nails I have..)?
    I find if I keep this up that they don’t break at all, and less catching on the strings (nickel rounds) means they stay smooth longer. The 1.52 Clayton Raven flatpicks I use are indestructible, so no special care required.

  5. #4

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    I'm a 70 year old male who just started doing hybrid picking a few years ago. I'm very happy to take any tips I can from a player like Mark. I'll give wet-filing a go. Didn't know about that. Thanks Mark!

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by Mark Kleinhaut
    I find if I keep this up that they don’t break at all, and less catching on the strings (nickel rounds) means they stay smooth longer. The 1.52 Clayton Raven flatpicks I use are indestructible, so no special care required.
    I can only conclude that this site doesn't have a smilie that corresponds to your caressing style of playing

  7. #6

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    These days I generally play with a thumbpick (Herco flatpick style tortoiseshell or Fred Kelly Bumblebee) and index/middle/ring fingernails. I found I have to keep my nails quite short because they tend to hook; they're also a bit on the fragile side, unfortunately. I have to pay a lot of attention to maintenance to avoid tearing a nail, which then takes weeks to grow back to solid usability since they always break off down to the quick. I use a glass file, although I've never tried wet filing. I have a four grit polishing board that will bring them to glass smoothness along the edges. This makes a surprising difference in terms of tone.

    I tried professional salon nails and they just didn't work for me; the sound and feel was nice, but the nails were built up so thickly that they didn't fit very well between the strings. Then I tried using glue-on tips at home, those were just constant maintenance problems although I did, again, like the sound and feel. So I've just gone back to using my natural nails and hoping for the best. I keep those around just in case I break a nail and have to go play somewhere, but then it takes even longer for the nail to recover ultimately.

    When I use a flatpick, it is a D'Andrea Pro Plec 358. Or is it a 354? The little tiny teardrop. Then I still use hybrid picking so nails are a constant issue. It's all Ed Bickert's fault.

  8. #7

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    I simply use the very tip of my fingers, backed by nails that are just long enough to catch a bit of the string if I want a bit more bite - and in that case there's no need for them to be glass smooth. My technique is partly inspired by the one Michael Watts uses but probably a rather crude version of it as I like to dig in and he doesn't.

    FWIW, regular filing of the business end cannot possibly make them stronger. All growth happens in the matrices at the base of the nail.

  9. #8

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    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    ... is there an actual point to being this, excusez-le-mot, maniac? ...
    I think the word you're looking for is "obsessive", not "maniac".

    We inhabit a world where many players think that the particular chemical coat used to protect some dead wood object without notable acoustic properties is a vital rather than peripheral issue, and where many of those same players like to have the finish on their dead wood objects damaged so as to look old as an exercise in stolen vintage. "Maniac", indeed.

    I think a player offering, in the spirit of being helpful, his observation that wet sanding of fingernails yields a smoother result than dry sanding is worthy enough, and is more useful than many comments. Maiora premunt.

  10. #9

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    Quote Originally Posted by dconeill
    I think the word you're looking for is "obsessive", not "maniac".
    No, no, but maybe I should have spelled it maniaque to remain in style with the rethoric searching-for suggestion that was actually meant to imply tongue-in-cheekness.

    You were talking about wooden plank objects roughly shaped like a guitar, right?

  11. #10

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    Being classically trained, I pay a lot of attention to my fingernails. The bad thing is that on steel strings, the strings tend to roughen the edges of the nails and frail them. I use glass files and sandpaper to get rid of the issue. Wet doesn’t work for me, I tried.


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  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by dconeill
    ..."stolen vintage"...

  13. #12

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    I recommend these particular files: Wolfram Precision : Crystal (wolframslides.com)

    And these to buff them after: The EDGE Super Shiner 10pk (thenailcompany.co.uk)

    I need to buy more of the latter.

    I'm not sure what wet filing is, maybe Mark could explain (just out of curiosity, since I am fully satisfied with my nail regimen. )

  14. #13

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    [QUOTE=James W;1366365

    I'm not sure what wet filing is, maybe Mark could explain (just out of curiosity, since I am fully satisfied with my nail regimen. )[/QUOTE]

    I literally have the file and my fingers under running water while I do it

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by RJVB
    I simply use the very tip of my fingers, backed by nails that are just long enough to catch a bit of the string if I want a bit more bite - and in that case there's no need for them to be glass smooth. My technique is partly inspired by the one Michael Watts uses but probably a rather crude version of it as I like to dig in and he doesn't.

    FWIW, regular filing of the business end cannot possibly make them stronger. All growth happens in the matrices at the base of the nail.
    Correct, filing and polishing the business end doesn't make them stronger. It makes them less likely to catch and tear. And, at least in my case, keeping them shorter (1 mm tapering to 2 mm I & M, 2 tapering to 3 mm on A; no long nail necessary on P because I use a thumbpick) also makes them less likely to get broken from running into things in the world. I keep them short enough that classical guitarists might consider it a nail-less technique. FWIW, Joe Pass also kept the nails on his picking hand quite short at about 1 to 2 mm. From your description, that might be about how long your nails are, as well.

    I find that polishing the edges as smooth as I can does have a beneficial effect on the tone that I'm looking to get. It is analogous to using smooth polished plectrums versus ones with a matte finish: the polished edge introduces less pick noise.

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by Cunamara
    From your description, that might be about how long your nails are, as well.
    That would really depend from where you measure the length and, in practice, on the shape of the fingertips (= how much "overhang" that length gives). I keep mine ramped like banjo players apparently do (again, according to Michael Watts).

    Hah, and I forgot to mention that I don't do much nail filing, but do have to file my skin