Nails and guitar

[Kaylee]

So I love to play music, I play bass, acoustic guitar and ukulele to a fairly decent level and before coming out to people used to love nothing more than sitting in a park/field/garden/kitchen and making some tunes, and there's nothing like the feeling of getting of stage and being told how awesome you just were!

However, since I started getting more seriously into getting my transition underway I haven't been in the mood.  Also I decided to try growing my nails out and seeing how they look/feel, turns out I love having pretty nails, and they're great for scratching the cat with!

Now my heads in a better space I really want to get back onto playing regularly, I've tried a few times recently but the nails make it near enough impossible to properly fret an instrument.

I've contemplated just having my right hand longer, but don't think that'll help due to my playing style (cue random demo vid, thats me in the Spidey hoody)



As you can see I like to use my right hand to get a percussive beat going, and doing jingly finger picking.  Plus I'd feel a bit daft with nice nails only on 1 hand.  I can probably bear to trim everything down a bit, but I'd still end up damaging nails every time I played. 

Does any one have any tips for keeping nails in good condition while abusing them on a daily basis?

(Sorry if this is in the wrong place, but I couldn't think where else this would fit!)

[Jamie D]

The old stand-by was consuming gelatin, but that is pretty much a myth.  As is taking biotin.

Your best bet?  Slap on some nail-hardening polish.

[Cindy]

What classic guitarists do. 

Gel nails.

I get mine done every 6 weeks cost $25 and are cured under UV, perfect nail polish and as hard as ......nails!

I love them.

I don't play guitar though.

Ahh one question? Why do you play guitar wearing a Spiderman costume?

[Kaylee]

Gel nails.

mmh interesting idea, I assume they can be done to spec length wise?

Ahh one question? Why do you play guitar wearing a Spiderman costume?

It's not a costume, it's a hoody that zips right the way up to form the mask, best hoody ever!

Closet I've ever gotten to a Spider-man costume is this   (yes, I am that much of a geek, but at least this was for Halloween!)



   

[Cindy]

Cute!!!

Any spec length on any finger in any colour!

However, they are just about permanent once you start. They are removed and renewed with a grinder! I have no idea what my original nails may  be like! I don't want to know either.

[RosieD]

I have exactly the same problem. So far about the best idea I've had is to stick to slide. There is still some fretting involved but nothing that can't be worked round. The higher action on the slide guitars helps a bit to.

It means limiting the number of styles available though so I am not entirely sure how long I will be able to last before the Tele gets insistent about being tickled.

Rosie

[nikkit72]

Nails and guitar = disaster no matter how flat you try and fret. As Rosie said, slide is about the only way to go. Seems to work really well for Bonnie Raitt.

Best hack off some copper pipe and start learning some Elmore James.....

[Ltl89]

I've been playing guitar since I was 11.  My suggestion to you is to keep the nails on your fret hand short.  In reality, it depends on your playing style, but shorter nails always makes it easier.  It's impossible to do sweep arpeggios at fast speed when you have nails getting in the way and even fretting a chord can be more complex than it needs to be.  As for your pick hand, keep it whatever length you want.  I switch between electric and classical, so I need to keep the nails on my left hand short and the ones on my right hand long. 

[CalmRage]

my father always kept his nails long, although he may have simply been lazy, but he picked with his overlong, yellowed, mouldy looking disgusting nails.

Edit: I doubt his nails were even human. They never broke off, even though they looked like they were decaying.

[kira21 ♡♡♡]

my father always kept his nails long, although he may have simply been lazy, but he picked with his overlong, yellowed, mouldy looking disgusting nails.

Edit: I doubt his nails were even human. They never broke off, even though they looked like they were decaying.

Zoot Allures!

(sorry I couldn't resist!)

[Kaylee]

Thanks for the tips guys, unfortunately I generally don't play with a plectrum and slide's not really my style so it's both hands to be massacred I think...

I've been informed of shellac, so I'm going to look into that or gel nails to try and protect them (I do a lot of raking with the right so hopefully something good will come of this heartbreaking situation!)

[CalmRage]

Thanks for the tips guys, unfortunately I generally don't play with a plectrum and slide's not really my style so it's both hands to be massacred I think...

I've been informed of shellac, so I'm going to look into that or gel nails to try and protect them (I do a lot of raking with the right so hopefully something good will come of this heartbreaking situation!)

i wish i had a bottleneck, i used to slide with my fingers, but somehow i no longer can. I have become much slower in just about everything (meds?)

[KabitTarah]

I've been playing guitar since I was 11.  My suggestion to you is to keep the nails on your fret hand short.  In reality, it depends on your playing style, but shorter nails always makes it easier.  It's impossible to do sweep arpeggios at fast speed when you have nails getting in the way and even fretting a chord can be more complex than it needs to be.  As for your pick hand, keep it whatever length you want.  I switch between electric and classical, so I need to keep the nails on my left hand short and the ones on my right hand long.

This. I'm learning ukulele and this is the rule for all players, female or male! The right hand must have long hard nails because you don't carry a pick. The left I keep tightly trimmed.

It also helps explain things to the cis people, since that's weird for the cis-male.

[WFane]

I'm a bassist/guitarist and I have to keep my nails pretty short because of it. I don't like the sound of finger picking with nails on bass, and if I have polish on while playing guitar, my index finger usually gets a spot chipped of, because I tend to brush the string with my finger before the pick hits it.

If you want your nails to grow faster, eating a fiber bar every day helps. It helps with your hair as well. The only drawback is that it makes you fart... which isn't very ladylike.

[RavenMoon]

I play bass and guitar... also started around the same age. I must keep my nails very short. I play with both my fingers or a pick, depending on what I'm doing, mostly fingers on bass, and pick on guitar. I just can't play if my nails are anywhere near the tip of my finger!

So I plan on keeping them short. I always thought girls with short painted nails was cute.

[TerriT]

I have given up and just accept short nails. The other thing is that the tops of my fingers and cuticles get thrashed as well.

You could try playing a nylon string classical guitar where you can get different tones depending on how you pluck the strings. Most classical players shape their nails to work better. Personally I prefer the softer tones I get when using my fingertips, but that's not really traditional. Also the strings are a lot softer and the fretboard is much wider so you have more space to work with. I prefer my classical

Here's an article with some pics.

http://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/fingernails-on-classical-guitar/

[Ltl89]

I have given up and just accept short nails. The other thing is that the tops of my fingers and cuticles get thrashed as well.

You could try playing a nylon string classical guitar where you can get different tones depending on how you pluck the strings. Most classical players shape their nails to work better. Personally I prefer the softer tones I get when using my fingertips, but that's not really traditional. Also the strings are a lot softer and the fretboard is much wider so you have more space to work with. I prefer my classical

Here's an article with some pics.

http://www.thisisclassicalguitar.com/fingernails-on-classical-guitar/

That's all true, but I would still argue it's best to have short nails on the fret hand.   Since the nylon strings are much easier to fret, long nails are more noticeable and tend to interfere.  Of course, you are right that most classical guitar players shape their nails on the "pick" hand.  It's almost impossible to play faster pieces without the nails to help along.  Personally, I like the Segovia method of using the nail and the fingertip for plucking, so I keep my nails shorter than other players.  I'm more of an electric player nowadays, but I do love my classical guitar even though I suck at it. 

[WFane]

I have frets 10-24 scalloped. I did that a long time ago because I wanted to play faster lol. It kinda worked, but the main difference is that I don't feel the fretboard. So I can solo, but no bass, or chording on guitar lol.

[Lara the Lover and the Fighter]

I had the same problem so I started playing piano.  Then I missed the missed the guitar so much that I cut my nails. It sucks pressing on the fretboard with your nails.

[decepticonLaura]

wow, i knew i would find myself not as alone as i thought on this forum, , but i didn't stop to think there would be so many girls with such similar situations
before i started hrt my nails grew naturally incredible, though i chewed them nervously something chronic. and that worked for my guitar playing...
now they grow terribly and splinter everywhere, and i console myself with the knowledge that i can still play guitar.
either way, i offset their shortness with really nice polishes
sure they chip every time i play, but i'm a PUNK, MAAAN! that's how we roll!
so it has all worked out pretty well overall ^_^