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I've noticed this problem for quite some time now and have only just thought to see if anyone has any tips or ideas to help. All of my nails on my right hand are grown out for playing classical guitar, but I play more jazz than anything and have been playing three hour dinner gigs every week for a six or seven months now (First gig playing jazz). After three hours of comping with my fingers the nail on my third finger has a pretty drastic dip, and as a result the tone out of that finger while playing classical is very tinny and unbalanced in comparison to my other fingers. Since I'm gigging every week my nails never have time to fully return before they are damaged again.
The only nail that is usually hurt at all after this is my 3rd finger (ring finger), so I'm thinking that I may need to adjust my technique in order to reduce the wear on it? My nail is also naturally at a pretty sharp angle which I'm also suspecting plays a role in the process. I also find it interesting that this is usually the only nail damaged for the whole night. My first and second fingers have little to no wear after these nights. I'm playing an archtop with Thomastik 13's with a 14 on top.
Does anyone have the same problem and if so what solutions have you found that work? Any advice at all is welcome as I'm pretty determined to find a way to fix this. Thanks.
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04-05-2015 03:09 AM
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I used to play a Country and still do a lot of hybrid picking so like to have some nail for bite. So I put on a couple coats of nail hardener on like... Diamond Strength Instant Nail Hardener | Sally Hansen
A lot of people use ceramic nails depend on how big a nail you want.
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+1 on nail hardeners but some are only a lacquer which wears off.
also use
Nutra Nail. Keratin and calicum liquid that actually gets into the pores of the nail. Use after shower in morning and forget about it. It will take about 14 days but you will notice an improvement.
Nutra Nail 5 to 7 Day Growth Calcium Formula | drugstore.com
++++i have also found pink nail polish prevents nail breakage ( must be pink) but it might be out of the question for some :-)
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Are you using flatwound strings? They seem to help as well.
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Lighter gauge strings and softer attac will help...I think.
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Nail shape and length may be a factor. I see many classical guys with pretty long nails. I tend to keep mine on the shorter side and am able to play steel strings and bass without problem. It took a while for me to finally know what shape and length worked best (for each nail).
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How about trying taped flatwound strings. I a believe La Bellas are taped.
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I've tried some nail hardeners with no luck unfortunately. They end up wearing at the tips and just becomes what looks like a clear coat. I'll have to try out that Nutra Nail stuff. I haven't heard of it. That pink nail polish might be a little much for me, but if it works, it works haha.
Originally Posted by lumena
Originally Posted by Bikewer
I am hoping to not change string gauge or type, I really enjoy the tone of the gauge I have now. And yes I am playing flatwounds. As far as a softer attack goes, they may be a big factor in what tears my nail up. The only figure that is damaged is my ring finger, and that stays on the plain strings 100% of the time with chords. Originally Posted by kris
Do you still get a fairly full tone out of your classical guitar? I have a feeling I'll just be experimenting with different shapes and lengths until I finally find one that suits me the best. Originally Posted by Dave70
Thanks for the help guys, I'll be figuring something out in the near future.
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Keep the nails relatively short. You only need a thin semiluna of the nail extending beyond the flesh of the end of the digit. And my advice would be to avoid any artificial crap on the actual nail that could potentially damage the nail essentially.
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Yep, my classical guitar tone is fine. I agree with targuit about avoiding artificial stuff on the nails, but I heard about something called onymyrrhe that Rico Stover uses. You may want to check that out. I got lucky and my nails are naturally strong. Originally Posted by omfgzeroftw
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Pores of the nail? I don't know about you, but my nails don't have pores. Never have.
Originally Posted by lumena
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Oh yes they do. You might want to recheck your research. Originally Posted by FourOnSix
Pores of the nail? I don't know about you, but my nails don't have pores. Never have.
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Try this product. It's name overstates things a bit but it definitely helps me:
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Go to the nail salon and ask for gel nails. I've been using for the past 4 years and work really well!
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Ok, I've done so and found nothing to corroborate your claim. What is your source of info? Originally Posted by Flyin' Brian
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The man to ask would be Martin Taylor. But I suspect he would say he just has naturally good nails and makes no effort with them. Along with his naturally perfect technique, naturally perfect ear, naturally perfect ability to arrange beautiful finger style jazz tunes like no one else on earth. Do I sound jealous??
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Any students of his care to comment if he teaches any nail-related tips ? Originally Posted by md54
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Martin Taylor uses gel. The sort that's applied and then hardened under UV.
I understand that it lasts 3-4 weeks before falling off.
His wife is trained in nail care.
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So it's simple guys. Have Martin Taylor's brain and hands transplanted then marry some one trained in nail care.
Job done!
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Get a Godin Multiac nylon.
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I read somewhere that William Ackerman, the founder of Windham Hill records and an outstanding fingerstyle guitarist, finally gave up and has artificial nails put on at a nail salon.
I am still au naturel. I think the 2 keys are keep them not too long--about a mm beyond the tip of the finger, and avoid contact activities like frisbee, catching a football, etc. I have learned to be careful reaching for car doors and doorknobs, and do a lot of stuff with my left hand.
I break a nail about once every couple of months. I don't have too much trouble with wearing them them down just by playing, but then I don't play 3 hours at a time and I use a pick about as much as my fingers...
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I am primarily a classical guitarist but also play jazz guitar and use my fingers for comping. I typically use much more flesh of my fingers on jazz guitar than on classical. I'll put my finger tips on the strings further away from the actual nail and pluck at an angle that avoids hitting the nails with much force. This combined with plucking much more lightly than I normally do on nylon strings allows me to play without nail problems. I also keep relatively short nails which seems to help.
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