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I do a lot of both plucking and back of nail downstrokes* - and they look awkward for either. It's hard to imagine how they'd work into my style, though. ProPik® Finger-Tone Finger Picks - Guptill MusicThose look interesting. That said, I've also started just giving that part of me control to make musical choices now and, whaddya know, it seems to have a better feel than my top brain does at times.
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I sort of had to make a bargain with the 'muscle control' parts of my nervous system: I get my intellect involved in learning something new but then get out of the way of my 'subconscious/motor system' when it comes time to perfect it. I do use a combination of fingertip and nail, for the most part, I think.
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(Of course, as always, it's important to know what to leave out a lot of times you only want one thing happening at once, it's all about the situation and knowing how to approach it.) After all, it can really only do one thing at once. I used to be a pretty reasonable flat-picker - but once I started playing mostly finger style in the late 90s, the flatpick seemed like such a slowdown. It really throws me back when I have to file them back (typically after losing one, see grown-man-cry passage above).Īnd woe-is-me when I try to switch to flat pick. My style is pretty dependent on my nails. That said, while I've certainly had (too many) occasions to play both my classicals and my steel-strings and electrics with pretty much no-nails, it's certainly not my preference.
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The one thing you didn't mention is the pain of seeing a grown man cry when he breaks a nail. But a guy like Tommy Emmanuel can do amazing things with those.You have to be tough.Īll your observations about the hassles of having one hand with long nails are pretty true. It sometimes happens with the thumb and I hate how that sounds.īTW, I tried the finger picks but it felt so weird that I decided not to pursue that. But I don't think the nail ever hits the string. Maybe it plays a role that I hit the strings with the fleshy part that is very close to the nail, so it gets some nail support. So I always play with the flesh of my fingers. I play piano as well which is surprisingly unpleasant if your nails are long. Also much easier for basically anything else you'd may want to do with your hands. Mine break quite easily too so I guess it's just not for me. I always found the hassle of maintaining one's nails too much to be bothered with. With the right strings on you will stumble upon a LOT more sweet spots to incorporate in your tone harvesting in how you hit the thing.ĭo people really manage to play with their nails on a steel string guitar? I have no idea how they do that. Exaggerated perhaps, but sure is what happens. and yes, getting the 'right' string on the specific guitar is important as anything, as it either makes the guitar a hotbed of beautiful tones to be carved out or a sea of blandness. Get in, make your style! Feel it out until things happen that sound 'right' and add them to your behaviours and the style will grow naturally.ĮDIT. How, where, with what you hit the thing IS the sound. They help, sure, but this is where it happens. THIS is where your guitar tone/style comes together, not with what mic or pre you use. Fat, fundamental heavy notes up towards the neck, thinner, more harmonically loaded/shiny ones towards the bridge. Set/armed like that I can get all the tones I need by either varying the angle of finger I grab the string with and/or where on the string I grab a note. If you file into it, you lose some of that. Ideally don't file once the slop is on and hard, as the way it hangs/hardens over the edge is what gets the bell sound. Also be VERY accurate in how you file them down before you put the stuff on and go super fine last as to make it smoooooooth edged. 3 coats of that makes the nail get a bell-ish tone out of the string instead of a nasty scrape. So, basically the nail is shaped so the side that is towards the bottom is filed away more than the rest.Īnd then for recording see through nail varnish/topcoat makes all the difference.
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Mine involves some nail that is shaped so at an angle I can grab the string with skin but if I straighten out the attack angle I get nail.