Nail Care

Posted Wed Feb 4, 2009 in

One evening a week or so ago, Deb tweeted about a manicure. It set me off on one of my free associations that lead me to remember about guitarist fingernails.

My nail care has been pretty standard for the last twenty years. I use a Diamond Deb file to get the basic shape correct (rounded) and the length right (just beyond the fingertip). The Diamond Deb file is better than a standard nail file because it actually cuts the nail and doesn’t tear it.

Once I’m satisfied with that, I use 400-grit sandpaper (dry type) to polish out the cut marks. When the nail is smooth as glass, it will not make that raspy nail sound on the strings, either nylon or steel. That’s the tone I prefer.

I use two basic attacks on the string. One is a slicing motion that I achieve by angling the right hand slightly. The produces a nice fat sound (dolce), which can be regulated by right-hand position relative to the bridge. Closer to the bridge produces a brighter/harder tone; toward the sound hole/fretboard produces a rounder tone. The second attack is more direct and brighter tone (ponticello) that is also regulated by the position of the right hand respective to the bridge. A really hard tone can be achieve with the ponticello attack at the bridge.

But, all in all, the polish of the nail is what permits a beautiful tone. Genetics (nail strength and shape) have a lot to do with nail tone too, but I’ve been able to get a pleasant sound using the technique described above.

And now you know more than you wanted to know about fingernails and guitars.