Fingernails

[mutepointe]

I just watched the YouTube video of Paul Dooley - Strathspey (gan anim), 'The Wild Irishman' & 'Mattie's Wedding'. That was very nice music and I can see where the fingernails come in handy. I play guitar and even with finger picking, I have to keep my fingernails trimmed as much as possible. The fingernails on my non picking hand are the ones that especially annoy me but they all have to go. I'm OK using finger picks but only the metal ones. I think the plastic ones sound kind of plastic. What happens when Paul breaks a nail, does he get artificial nails? I've seen video of Dolly Parton play the guitar with those fingernails of hers and I wonder how she accomplishes anything. What do you folks do about fingernails? Are you playing stringed instruments where they come in handy with one instrument and are a bother with another instrument?

[Tim2723]

Seriously? A lot of finger-style guitar players use artificial nails. Seriously. They don't paint them of course, but they work as attached fingerpicks. Never tried it myself, but I've read a lot about it on other forums.

I remember watching Dolly play guitar on TV once and she seemed to have the strings tuned to an open chord. She was just strumming the open chord and barring across the whole fretboard with one finger, moving to the fifth and seventh frets to get three basic major chords. Her fingernails must have been three inches long!

[Jose' Scotte' Este']

I play some fingerstyle guitar and use my nails on my right hand to sort of "grip" the string to get a certain tone that I like. I crack or break a nail occasionally and it drives me nuts, because then the string hangs up on my nail when I am playing and makes an awful tone. I then have to cut my nail and wait for it to grow back to play the way I want to play. I tried using some nail hardener, and it seemed to help some, but my nails were very shiney, and I had to keep re-applying the stuff. I have never tried using finger picks.

[mutepointe]

The man who gave me my first set of finger picks said that when you first start to use them, they will feel like you are wearing boxing gloves on each of your fingers. That is too true and that goes away.

[Redwolf]

I just watched the YouTube video of Paul Dooley - Strathspey (gan anim), 'The Wild Irishman' & 'Mattie's Wedding'. That was very nice music and I can see where the fingernails come in handy. I play guitar and even with finger picking, I have to keep my fingernails trimmed as much as possible. The fingernails on my non picking hand are the ones that especially annoy me but they all have to go. I'm OK using finger picks but only the metal ones. I think the plastic ones sound kind of plastic. What happens when Paul breaks a nail, does he get artificial nails? I've seen video of Dolly Parton play the guitar with those fingernails of hers and I wonder how she accomplishes anything. What do you folks do about fingernails? Are you playing stringed instruments where they come in handy with one instrument and are a bother with another instrument?

Do you mean the harper Paul Dooley?

Wire harp is traditionally played with the nails. If one breaks, though, sometimes you have to rely on the skin of the finger until it grows back (it's a very uncomfortable feeling, though, let me tell you!). Some harpers do use picks (Alaska picks seem to be the most popular, but I've never been able to get used to them). My teacher has, in the past, had to use an artificial nail (like the kind you buy in the drugstore to enhance your own nails). Those feel a bit more natural, but have a tendency to go flying when you least expect it!

I never worried about my nails before I started playing wire harp! Now I'm constantly filing, putting on nail strengthener, etc. Fortunately, the nails don't have to be all THAT long...just long enough to stick out past the end of the finger. I'm able to strike a balance between having enough nail to play wire and not having so much that it interferes when I'm playing my lever harp.

Redwolf

[mutepointe]

Here is the link to the video that I watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEymeFxWhx0
I cannot remember what took me to that video but it was something and someone on this website, so thanks to whomever. That video is totally beautiful.

[Redwolf]

Here is the link to the video that I watched.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEymeFxWhx0
I cannot remember what took me to that video but it was something and someone on this website, so thanks to whomever. That video is totally beautiful.

There are some links to wire harps on the "Traditional String Instrument Video" thread...I bet that's where.

He's a wonderful musician, isn't he? If I can ever play even a third that well, I'll call myself pleased.

Redwolf

[chrisoff]

I keep my fingernails really short, but that's mostly because I bite them than for any musical reason.

However I do prefer the sound I get when there's a little bit of length on them to catch the string a bit when fingerpicking. I can't get used to the slip on picks at all.

[O_Gaiteiro_do_Chicago]

Fingernails have always been an issue for me, growing them is the easy part. I play a few instruments that have different nail requirements. On my left hand I have nails for playing sarod, but I've had to keep them short enough so I can still play fiddle. On the right hand I have long nails for Paraguayan harp and charango but I have to keep them short enough so I can play accordion. It's a delicate balance but more than worth it for the tone that can be achieved. I never could get used to finger picks, and anyways I'm more likely to loose a pick than my actual nail. If you eat well and take biotin and gelatin it's possible to grow nails easily. The main factor that causes nails to split are rough edges and deep ridges on the surface. I fix this by always keeping the well buffed, especially at the tips.

[Redwolf]

Fingernails have always been an issue for me, growing them is the easy part. I play a few instruments that have different nail requirements. On my left hand I have nails for playing sarod, but I've had to keep them short enough so I can still play fiddle. On the right hand I have long nails for Paraguayan harp and charango but I have to keep them short enough so I can play accordion. It's a delicate balance but more than worth it for the tone that can be achieved. I never could get used to finger picks, and anyways I'm more likely to loose a pick than my actual nail. If you eat well and take biotin and gelatin it's possible to grow nails easily. The main factor that causes nails to split are rough edges and deep ridges on the surface. I fix this by always keeping the well buffed, especially at the tips.

Me too. I carry files everywhere with me now, and as soon as I get a snag, out comes the file.

Can't do the gelatin though. I'm a vegetarian. A good nail sealer pretty much takes care of things. Fills in ridges, and lends strength to the nail.

The nice thing about playing two different kinds of harp is I don't have to worry about pressing against a fingerboard. It's easier to strike a balance than it would be if my other instrument were something like guitar or fiddle.

Redwolf

[crookedtune]

I agonized over nail-length for years when learning clawhammer banjo. I eventually came around to just keeping them short on both hands. I clawhammer and fingerpick with whatever part of the anatomy hits the string, which is usually just the flesh of the fingertip.

Over time, your style and attack adjust accordingly. To me, the nail-care thing just wasn't worth it!

[Redwolf]

My biggest nail issue is with the fourth finger (ring finger) on my left hand. For some reason (perhaps because it's on my non-dominant hand, and is a finger that tends to be a bit weaker, and thus less used, than the index and middle fingers), it grows very fast. I have to trim it at least once a week.

With the different hand position on lever harp, the nails rarely become a problem, but that fourth fingernail will occasionally grow long enough that it will snag the string as the finger comes off. That doesn't really hurt anything (pedal harp players would turn purple with indignation at the thought of using a nail on a string, but it's not an unusual practice at all among folk harpers), but it does create a different sound, and one that might not work well with the sound I'm trying to create on that instrument at that time (and, of course, it increases the chance of that nail tearing), so I do try to keep on top of it.

Redwolf

[burnsbyrne]

All flamenco guitarists and most classical guitarists use nails on the right hand. Classical and flamenco guitars use nylon strings which are not as hard on the nails as metal strings. Even with the nylon strings, though, nails can be broken, usually at the worst possible time. Flamenco players keep a longer thumb nail than classical guitarists because they use the thumb like a flat pick to make up and down strokes.