Chris from tonebase shares TEN essential nail tips that will make you the envy of all your guitar friends. Read on for his take on shaping, maintaining, and strengthening your nails, ideas gathered from almost twenty years as a classical guitarist. Watch instructional videos & receive personalized feedback from the artists featured in this post including Bill Kanengiser, Thomas Viloteau, and Marco Tamayo, exclusively on tonebase Guitar.
1. Find a nail shape that works for YOU, not everyone else
Examining hundreds of other guitaristâs nails (as fun as it is to do) will not help you figure out what to do with your own. The fact is, your shape shouldnât be determined by what David Russell or anybody elseâs nails LOOK like. The perfect shape should be found by how it FEELS when you play.
âIs there too much or too little resistance? Is my nail too long and therefore difficult to get through the string? Is it too pointy and giving me bad tone?â These are all much more valuable questions than âWhat do David Russellâs nails look like?â And frankly, heâs been asked this way too many times, so if you really have to know, just look at this picture!
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2. Try different nail products until you find the one that works.
I canât tell you how many âstrengtheningâ products I went through before I finally found one that worked. For me, it was a random CVS brand. For you, it might be something totally different â Sally Hansen, OPI, Nutra Nail, etc. Youâll know itâs the right one because it will work. When I started using it, I immediately noticed a difference and havenât badly broken a nail since (knock on woodâŠ) However, everyoneâs body is different so try a lot of different brands and find the one that works for you. Then, youâll be set for life.
3. If youâre practicing a lot, protect your nails with tape.
The tape trick was a godsend for me when I was preparing for my senior recital and practicing around eight hours a day. If you havenât read David Russellâs blog on this, I highly recommend giving it a look. Itâs tricky to do at first and requires some skill, but when your nails are grinding down to nothing from the ridiculous scales in Concerto de Aranjuez, youâll be happy you learned how to do it.
4. Donât get TOO obsessed with your nails.
I know this one seems counterintuitive to this post, but itâs actually the most important. I used to shape and buff my nails EVERY day before beginning my practice sessions. It got to the point where I couldnât start playing until every finger felt perfect.
Apart from wasting a ton of time, this routine made me dependent on having perfectly shaped nails to play well. Of course, like many aspects of performing, itâs rare that your nails ever feel perfect when youâre out on stage. They are always a little too short or not quite the right shape. For me, this meant I was always concentrating on how bad my nails felt which made me feel like I was playing badly as well.
Eventually, I stopped doing my nails every day and now only pull out a file and sandpaper if theyâre too long or in major need of a buff job. Knowing that I can play well whether my nails feel good or bad has been a huge boost to my ânail confidenceâ and I definitely recommend maintaining a healthy relationship with your nail file.
5. Watch Bill Kanengiserâs video on nails.
If you havenât seen it yet, Billâs âgiant nailâ video is absolute genius and breaks down EXACTLY what is going on when your nail plucks a string. Check it out:
6. Bring a nail buffer EVERYWHERE.
I canât tell you how many times Iâve chipped a nail and been saved by the old, disgusting piece of sandpaper Iâve had stashed in my wallet for the past ten years. Itâs been a lifesaver countless times, and every time I think about throwing it out, three days later Iâm using it again and so thankful I still have it. Sandpaper is the easiest to have on hand, but itâs worth also keeping some extra buffers in your backpack, purse, or anything you carry around on a regular basis. Trust me.
7. Start doing everyday things with your LEFT hand.
In the past, my biggest broken nail culprit came from everyday occurrences. Iâd reach into a bag with my right hand and, like some cruel magic trick, come out with a torn nail. Another regular break would happen when I would reach for a door handle and smash my finger into the door instead. Call me clumsy, but these activities arenât an issue for me anymore because I do them with my left hand!
All it takes is instilling a mental note in your head to do dangerous nail activities with the hand full of nails you can afford to lose: your left! Iâve even taken this as far as learning to rebound a basketball and bowl exclusively with my left hand.
8. Donât file your nails too short.
This seems obvious, but itâs a mistake weâve all made. Youâre hanging out backstage, feeling good, and doing your nails before a concert. You decide you want to play really fast tonight, so you take a little more off than usual. Suddenly, youâre on stage and itâs like thereâs nothing there! I always try to leave an extra millimeter of nail to help me feel more secure and give my nails a little more âgripâ to the string.
9. Watch Thomas Viloteauâs video.
Thomas is the perfect example of why you shouldnât simply copy another guitaristâs shape. His nails are completely unique to HIS playing style and would never work for anyone else. In this video, Thomas demonstrates how he found his own shape and how you can do the same.
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10. Watch Marco Tamayoâs video.
Ok, one moreâŠ
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I hope you found these useful and learned a thing or two. If I missed anything or if you have a tip of your own, email us at team@tonebase.co!
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