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Hello, everybody! For your reading pleasure (I hope so!), I have
revised an article on fingernail care for guitarists that I wrote
in 1996 for the Soundhole website. A few things have changed since
then, so I thought I would pass them along. I'm still an advocate
of the flesh-and-fingernails approach, but I realize that there
are about as many opinions on how to pick as there are players.
I'll pass along what I have learned in my 30+ years of playing and
teaching, plus what I have learned from spending time with some
of the greatest pickers in the world.
First I wanted to let you know about a number of exciting things
that have happened recently. In October of '98 I hosted the first
annual Accent On Music Guitar Camp just outside of Portland, Oregon.
I had the great fortune of having English fingerstyle virtuoso John
Renbourn (of Pentangle fame) as my teaching cohort. We had a relatively
small, select group of students from around the country for an intense
week of guitar study and performance. At the end of the week John
and I performed a joint concert open to the public. What a great
time!
Among other things at the camp, I had an entire week to observe
John's talented hands and his approach to fingernails. He grows
his normal nails out substantially, but doesn't pick with them.
He glues contoured pieces of ping-pong balls to the underside of
the natural nails. This gives him consistent tone from one finger
to the next, and the nails' support behind the ping-pong balls as
he picks. John is also very careful with his hands in everyday life;
something all fingerpickers should be aware of.
Another exciting recent occurrence for me was playing live on
NPR's "West Coast Live" program with my guitar quartet, the Acoustic
Guitar Summit. The program was broadcast across the country the
weekend of November 21st. We played three tunes from our debut
CD, which was just released in October. Pretty exciting! We also
gave our annual Portland, Ore., show early in December to an enthusiastic
and sold-out house. To find out about the CD and my other guitar
instruction products, please call us at 1-800-313-4406, or look
elsewhere on our website.
I also gave a joint concert in Seattle in November with ace fingerpicker
Rick Ruskin. Among other tunes, we did a bang-up version of Chuck
Berry's "Rock-N-Roll Music" for guitar duet. More great fun.
Back to Top Tone Production for Fingerpickers
We guitar players are funny creatures. When we get together, instead
of talking about dominant 7th chords and minor subdominant modulations
(what?), we often talk about our fingernails. Some of us are blessed
with rather strong nails, and have a light-enough attack that the
guitar strings don't rip our nails to shreds. But there will be
a time in everyone's guitar-picking career where the point of attack
on the strings--whether it be your nails, skin, or fingerpicks--will
give you trouble.
How do you deal with this? I've been picking with my nails since
1970, and I've had the opportunity to ask some of the greatest players
on the planet their perspective on the subject as well. Here are
some insights and recommendations:
If your use fingernails to pick, make sure that you touch the
string first with the skin of the fingertip, and release the string
with the nail. If you touch the string only with the fingernail,
you will likely produce a thin, twangy tone, compared to what the
skin can produce. Think of it this way: As you pick, your skin touching
the strings provides the richness of tone, and the nail provides
the brightness, and some extra volume, perhaps. If you want to produce
a really great tone, that's the way to do it.
Also, be as relaxed as you can be with both hands. Many players
have too much tension in their hands as they play. This leads to
poor tone, fatigue, and inaccuracy. It can also lead to shredded
fingernails. Use only as much muscle as required to pick and fret
the strings.
Back to Top Nail Care
When I first started fingerpicking, I used fingertips without
nails. I had a very soft sound, without much projection. I remember
a friend introducing me for an unamplified performance by saying:
"Mark's a really good player, but you have to be really quiet to
hear him because he plays so softly."
That comment prodded me into learning how to project my sound.
First I tried metal fingerpicks and a plastic thumbpick. I used
those for a few years, and they worked well. But they were a nuisance.
I would lose them, or not have them when I wanted to play, and so
on. And the inherent metallic clacking of fingerpicks bothered me.
Then I heard someone play with skin and fingernails. It was a beautiful
sound. So I put my picks away (except for my thumbpick, which I
used for another 15 years) and proceeded to grow my nails.
Knowing nothing about fingernail care, I was surprised early in
my fingernail experimentation when I broke one throwing a pass in
a touch football game. Trying to play fingerstyle guitar with one
nail missing is like driving down the freeway with a flat tire.
I then set out to discover how to repair and strengthen my nails.
People suggested that I eat gelatin to strengthen my nails. So
I dutifully made jello--although I hated it--and ate it daily. I
quickly tired of making jello, and got even more tired of eating
it, so I looked for other nail-strengthening possibilities.
The first solution (literally) that I found is still my favorite,
even though it is no longer on the market. It was a light-blue-colored
protein fortifier that came in a nail polish bottle. It was marketed
as "Wonder Nail" by Revlon. This liquid solution actually soaked
into the nails and was invisible within minutes of application.
No shiny nails that I would have to explain in the grocery store
line! I believe it was organic as well, so I wasn't dealing with
any chemicals that I didn't want in or on my body.
For me, Wonder Nail really worked. I used it twice a day for three
weeks, and my nails became so hard that they wouldn't break! If
I caught one on something, the nail would tear away from the skin
before it would split! Ouch! I hurt myself a time or two before
I learned to be careful. After that I used the product three times
a week to maintain the hardness.
Had I known that Revlon was going to discontinue the product,
I would have bought a lifetime supply. But, unfortunately, it seemed
that my mother-in-law and I were the only two people in the country
who used it. If any of you out there find some leftover stock lingering
in a drug store, please buy some for me.
There certainly are other products available that you can try
if you need to strengthen your nails. One is "Onymyrrh," a 100%
organic liquid that has been used for decades to strengthen horses'
hoofs. It is made by DeLore under their Natural Additions line.
Spread it on, rub it in, wash your hands (it's a little sticky
at first), and you can't see it at all. (Item #ON-6P, American
Intl. Ind., Los Angeles, CA 90040). After a few months of using
Onymyrhh you'll be ready for the Kentucky Derby!
Please be aware that these products and ones like them may not
work for you. The Mayo Clinic Family Health Book states: "There
is no scientific evidence that gelatin capsules, calcium tablets,
or other vitamin or protein products improve and strengthen your
nails." Here are a few more suggestions for developing healthy
nails: eat a healthy diet, get enough sleep and exercise, and wear
rubber gloves when you wash the dishes and the car.
Back to Top Damaged Nails
Even though I have strong nails, I do crack one, or break one
off occasionally. When that happens, I try to salvage as much
of the nail as I can. My latest scheme for a cracked nail is to
cover the crack with a thin silk patch, moistened in cyanoacrylate
(crazy glue). The product I use these days is called "Silk Save-A-Nail" by
Jonel. It is available at most pharmacies and grocery stores.
To repair the cracked nail with the silk patch, start by cutting
out a piece of silk that covers the crack generously. (Try to cover
as little of the natural nail as possible, however.) Put some liquid
glue on the nail, place the silk patch over it, then position it
with a tool (a wooden stick, or instance). Let the glue dry, then
put more glue over it.
When the glue is completely dry, the silk patch is as hard as
a rock. My cracked thumbnail--which takes a lot of abuse--held up
very well recently with a silk patch. I put two patches of silk
on that crack to really reinforce it.
If a cracked nail is beyond repair, but still a usable length
after the damaged part is trimmed away, I often will trim the other
nails back to approximately the same length as the damaged one,
so that I get the same kind of attack on all of the strings.
If I can't salvage a broken nail, I glue on an artificial nail.
This is an ugly process, and can actually be dangerous. So be very
careful if you proceed with this. I don't like to glue on artificial
nails, but a badly broken nail can take 2-3 weeks to fully grow
back, so. . .
Back to Top Artificial Nails
What you will need: Artificial nails, crazy glue, nail clipper,
emory board, eye protection, a small wooden stick (like a pencil).
Warning: Crazy glue is highly toxic and extremely adhesive. You
don't want it on your skin, in your eyes, or in your bloodstream.
Also, your natural nail becomes soft and weak underneath where
the artificial nail is glued. So only cover a bare minimum of
natural nail, not the entire nail. Wear eye protection when you
use crazy glue. You don't want it in your eyes!
Attaching an Artificial Nail
First, trim your natural nail back so that it is smooth, and does
not protrude past the end of your fingertip. Since you are going
to glue the artificial nail on top of the natural nail, you need
the natural nail to be short so that it doesn't come in contact
with the string before the artificial nail does.
Next, trim the artificial nail to the contour of your fingertip,
so that it protrudes off the end of your finger about 1/4 inch.
(Once the nail is glued on, you can trim it further with a clipper
and an emory board so that it is the right length. Don't glue on
a nail that is too short!) Before attaching the artificial nail,
file down its back edge until it is paper thin. (The "back" edge
is the part that is closest to your cuticle.) That will keep the
artificial nail from hanging up on a string if you ever strum with
the backs of your nails.
Now you are ready to put one small drop of crazy glue on the center
of the nail near the tip. Don't use too much glue. If you do, it
won't adhere properly, or will ooze out and make a big mess.
Once the drop of glue is on your fingernail, lay the fake nail
on it. The glue will spread underneath the artificial nail. Use
a small wooden stick to hold the artificial nail on your natural
nail as the glue spreads and dries. (The stick is often provided
in an artificial nail kit.) If you use a finger to push, you'll
probably glue your hands together! Crazy glue is incredibly adherent
and attaches in an instant. If a little oozes out from under the
artificial nail and touches another finger, your fingers will stick
together. If you glue your hands together, peel them very slowly
and carefully away from each other. You can lose skin quite easily
doing that. You can also melt the glue with 15 minutes or so of
exposure to regular acetone polish remover.
Once the nail is attached, you may have to squirt a little more
glue under the edges of the artificial nail if the glue didn't spread
far enough. Push the edges down with the stick. Then use the emery
board to smooth the back edge flat, and to make the artificial nail
the right length and contour.
I find that the glue lasts a week to 10 days if I am playing a
lot. When the glue weakens, the nail starts peeling off, or pops
off all at once. A flying nail is always a surprise if you are in
the middle of a performance. You can avoid that problem by making
sure the artificial nail is glued on securely before you go onstage.
If my natural nail is still not functional when the artificial
nail comes off, I simply glue the artificial nail back on with more
crazy glue. Artificial nails will stay on longer if I am not playing
as much--if I'm in article-writing mode, for instance, or in Hawaii
on vacation. (I've only been there once, but I'm anxious to go again!)
Like most things, the process of attaching an artificial nail
takes some practice to master. You may glue a nail on crooked, or
in the wrong spot. If that happens, try trimming it so that you
can pick with it. It won't be easy to take off for awhile. In any
case, move slowly, and be conservative with the glue. That will
help you avoid problems.
Replacing a badly damaged nail in a matter of minutes is a great
feeling for fingerpickers. Once you master this process, you will
enjoy the feeling of going quickly from a limping, flat-tired
fingerpicker to one who is rolling on what feels like a new set
of wheels.
Back to Top Other Solutions--Ping-Pong Balls, Nail
Salons, and Fingerpicks Some great players use ping-pong balls as artificial nails. John
Renbourn, as I mentioned, cuts fake nails from ping-pong balls.
The late Chet Atkins and Michael Hedges did also. People who use
ping-pong balls like the consistency of the material, and feel that
it gives them an acceptable tone from the guitar. Renbourn travels
with a small pouch in which he keeps his ping-pong balls, along
with the fingernail accessories he needs to shape and attach them. Another product that uses material similar to ping-pong balls
is Player's Nails from Balcon Music (67-11 Yellowstone Blvd., Suite
1C, Forest Hills, NY 11375). When I had the great fortune of spending
a day with James Taylor for the Frets Magazine cover story I did
with him, I introduced him to Player's Nails. James' name is still
in the Player's Nails ad. Some of these players glue the artificial nail underneath the
natural nail, which provides some support for the artificial nail
as it is picking the strings. I don't use this method for this reason:
if my natural nail is long enough to glue an artificial nail underneath
it, it is nearly long enough to do the actual picking of the string
itself. But, you should make up your own mind through experimentation. Master English fingerpicker Martin Simpson visits a nail salon
on a regular basis to have his nails "done." This works well for
him, but, again, I suggest that you be wary of covering up your
entire nail. Another solution is fingerpicks. When I started with these, I
used Dunlop steel fingerpicks, which I filed to a dull point. These
days I use them only if I must play a 12-string vociferously. Some new picks have come on the market recently, including the
AlaskaPik, a plastic pick that fits over the fingernail and acts
like fingernails. Taylor Guitars artist Chris Proctor uses these.
Another product is the ProPik, a metal fingerpick with the flange
hollowed out so that your fingertip actually touches and feels the
string. These can be found at many retailers.
However you pick the strings, make sure that you have relaxed
hands and a relaxed head. That is the secret to good playing! Have
fun!
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