Fingernail Treatment ?

Frankiestylee

What do you use, if anything, to strengthen your fingernails for the aul fingerpickin? I imagined some clear matt varnish would be the answer but I asked some girls and was scorned with a bit of a "what would the point in that be?!" type twirl.

Karl Hungus

I don't fingerpick myself, so nails are kept short, but there are some vitimins you can take, I believe it's a "Hair & Fingernail formulae" or something along those lines.

Voodu Child

I dont fingerpick myself either, but i know guys like Eric Roche (RIP,one of irelands greatest) used to use fake fingernails. Like the actual girly type as far as i know...

Dord

Frankiestylee wrote:

What do you use, if anything, to strengthen your fingernails for the aul fingerpickin? I imagined some clear matt varnish would be the answer but I asked some girls and was scorned with a bit of a "what would the point in that be?!" type twirl.

I was in Boots before and they had this stuff you put on your nails to strengthen them, looks like a good idea if you're gonna be using them to play guitar.

leninbenjamin

i have no problems picking with my own normal fingernails. the longer you let them grow the more likely to break they are.... so just keep them as short as you possibly can for the picking.

teacher of mine told me not to pick with the nail before anyway, but rather to use the skin on the very tips of the fingers, and that the nail serves to reinforce the skin, so not to have to nail too short.

fish-head

Yeah I fingerpick all the time and never use my nails..

It wasn't me!

It's a tonal thing really, but I prefer the warmth of picking with fingertips rather than nails for the most part, though I occasionally use my nails, depending on the situation or song or whatever.

Creamy Goodness

eat more keratin in your diet.

eddyc

Try not to get you fingernails wet also, that means no doing the dishes , baths etc. Of course you can get them wet , just not for prolonged periods of time.
There are many nail hardening solutions you can get, but make sure that you remove it every night with a moisturising varnish remover, your nails need to breath otherwise thay will get damaged.

Frankiestylee

Righteo, gonna hit up boots for some vitamins and varnishy stuff. Nice.

As for whether or not to use fingernails, meh, I'm completely self taught and have some weird habits. I've tried playing with shorter nails and I just can't play some of the faster stuff that I want as easily as with nails. If I was on a classical guitar it'd be grand, but it's a normal western so I dunno, I just don't have the skill to go fingernailless. I also have a weird way of strumming where my fingernails get used instead of a plec, so they get worn down in weird ways.

Thanks all for the replies

leninbenjamin

Frankiestylee wrote:

I just don't have the skill to go fingernailless.

meh, i've found it's pretty easy to change playing/picking style, it's not really a skill, more a case of familiarity. you're still moving your hands at the same rate anyway.

i never even thought about how i fingerpick before reading this thread either, i've found i have tendency to do both. i use the skin to pluck the string but kind of flick it with the nail as my finger leaves the string... so i do both dunno if that's usual or anything.

Frankiestylee

Yeah I do both aswell, but I can't do both if my fingernails are stupidly short. I tend to use the skin for warmer softer tones and fingernails if I'm doing something fast&distinct. The aul acoustic guitar is pure sweetness, viva who ever came up with it

68 lost souls

I used to use a nail hardener thing but realised that it means that they were getting more brittle. Just keep playing with nothing and they get naturally thicker to stop themselves breaking.

Frankiestylee

68 lost souls wrote:

I used to use a nail hardener thing but realised that it means that they were getting more brittle. Just keep playing with nothing and they get naturally thicker to stop themselves breaking.

Ah, I've kinda heard that before. See, they're not breaking at all at the mo, but they're kinda dipping in the middle when they get to a certain length so it goes from helping me to pick to actually catching the strings and hindering me. Meh, I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing but with some vitamins and more milk. I still don't know how you can pick with no nails at all though, I've been trying it and tis a bit too deliberate for my liking.

Quattroste

There is nothing you can do about the dipping Frankie. This happens me. I like to use my nail instead of a pick and you would wear the nail thinner so that you could actually bend it down in the middle like soft plastic. This then leads to that part breaking or and the string catching on the tougher part at the sides. I'm trying to use a plec etc!

Frankiestylee

Quattroste wrote:

There is nothing you can do about the dipping Frankie. This happens me. I like to use my nail instead of a pick and you would wear the nail thinner so that you could actually bend it down in the middle like soft plastic. This then leads to that part breaking or and the string catching on the tougher part at the sides. I'm trying to use a plec etc!

I'm glad I'm not alone, but no, don't do it, don't go to the plec side!
Heh heh, ah no, I've started playing with a plec etc, but most of my stuff was written doing it with my fingers so for the mo that's the way I prefer to play it.

Johnny Storm

How about putting a coating of superglue on the nail?

Voodu Child

Johnny Storm wrote:

How about putting a coating of superglue on the nail?

Just don't pick your nose straight after...

Johnny Storm

Rofl

Frankiestylee

voodoo_child wrote:

Just don't pick your nose straight after...

But what if I've a need-to-go booger?! Nah... that's far too risky!

68 lost souls

There is a best of both worlds situation that a few of my mates can do but I cant ever get ot right, using a pick and fingers at the same time. Its using the pleck with your thumb and index for the E,A and D and your other three fingers for G,B,E. Feels too weird for me.

My imdex fingernail is now flat instead of rounded like all my other nails as a result of using my nail to play for 5 years instead of a pleck. Looks really weird aswel having one hand with shirt nails and another with long.