Strengthening nails for fingerstyle?

What's Hot
zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
Do any of you fine people have any tips for strengthening nails for fingerstyle playing please? I'm really getting into acoustic playing and would appreciate any tips you have, thank you.
Tomorrow will be a good day.
0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
«1

Comments

  • I'm sure that the robustness of your fingernails is pretty much genetically determined. Playing fingerstyle, on steel strings, can be challenging for your nails if they are not naturally robust. Having said that there are many ways to adapt if you are not blessed with eagle-like talons! Nail salons can apply acrylic nails to your picking hand, and there are many players who use them. Or, you can go the DIY route like John Renbourn, for example. He glued bits of ping pong ball to his fingernails and managed to get a very fine sound; with the additional advantage that, during a tour, he could repair any nail breakage easily without having to find a nail bar. Other players have used layers of fine tissue paper and lacquer.

    Some of my favourite players use flesh only and get a great sound - it's just a question of building up a hard callous on the pads and tips of your fingers.

    You can also check out all the various finger picks that are available. These give you a different sound with more volume, but can be pretty tricky to use. 

    Hope that helps
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • TheMarlinTheMarlin Frets: 7746
    edited January 2019
    I have nails like a newborn child. Very fine, very thin. I play with my fingernails, but they snap
    and break regularly. 
    I‘ve tried nail strengthening nail polish stuff, but it doesn’t help, and easily chips off. 
    As said above. It’s genetics, some people have proper claws, I’ve got fine nails and hair.
    Ho hum. 
    i might have to invest in those slip on nail picks. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • RolandRoland Frets: 8592
    I’ve done it in the past, but don’t do it now because I rarely play strummed acoustic. Instead I developed a finger picking style which uses more flesh, and doesn’t rely on nails, and now use a plectrum whenever I can.

    I did look at acrylic nails. The advice I was given was that they thin and weaken the real nail, making life worse once you take them off.

    FWIW my recipe was nail hardener, with tissue paper to minimise it chipping, applied at 24 hours before a performance. First trim your nails. Apply a coat of hardener, and let it dry. Cut a single layer of paper tissue to the shape of the cuticle, place it over the nail and brush over with nail hardener. Flatten if necessary to avoid any fold or ridges. Let it dry, then trim the outer edge to shape. Final coat of hardener. Let it dry for 24 hours to harden right off. File any rough edges. As you can see it was a lot of effort, and still only lasts a hour or so. I’m not a professional player, and I’m not sure it’s worth it. 
    Tree recycler, and guitarist with  https://www.undercoversband.com/.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • TheMarlinTheMarlin Frets: 7746
    When I tore a nail down to the quick, I glued it back with tea bag material, super glue (two layers) and two coats of nail hardener. Peeled it all off and replaced weekly 
    that was strong, but damn ugly. 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • SnagsSnags Frets: 5327
    Get a glass nail file, and use it regularly to keep them at an appropriate length.  Just keeping on top of that once a week or so seems to make mine a bit tougher, and thicken up slightly. If you get a nick/snag in one, deal with it before you start fidgeting on it and end up peeling the whole thing off (a life-long nail biter/picker writes!).

    Also, don't let them get too long - at least for me, if they get beyond a certain length then they often end up getting nicked just at the base of the white bit, and the whole 'playing part' ends up tearing off.

    Also, basic stuff like generally looking after yourself (decent diet, rest etc.) seems to make a difference to me. Every time I have a few weeks eating crap, getting stressed and sleeping badly my nails suffer and tear more easily.


    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    Thank you all for your replies and advice, I've ordered a wolfram glass file and will use that for a while and see if I need to harden the nails at a later date when they have a bit more length to them.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • You could try calcium and vitamin D supplements. Also, drink more water and less caffeine.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2394
    I find that as time goes by I break them less and less frequently, so maybe it's a technique thing or something. I did use something called Bulletproof Nails which is basically superglue that you paint on top of the nail, but these days I don't bother. If I do break them it's invariably doing something other than guitar playing!
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Th4fonzTh4fonz Frets: 227
    I mainly play fingerstyle on acoustic and have no nails.....
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    I've been trying without nails but even as nice sounding as the guitar is it just sounds, how do I explain it? Dull I guess, using a plectrum the guitar rings out beautifully, if my nails aren't strong enough once they are a bit longer I may try finger picks.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Andy79Andy79 Frets: 888
    Worth putting in the effort with finger picks. Not easy to get used to but sounds great 
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Check out Alaska finger picks (see the videos of Eric Skye on YouTube - he uses these picks and they sound great). The "picking part" fits under your existing nail
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    Check out Alaska finger picks (see the videos of Eric Skye on YouTube - he uses these picks and they sound great). The "picking part" fits under your existing nail
    Thank you, they look like they could be useful, cheap too. 
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • I would definitely recommend acrylic nails. Infills one a month, work like a dream no problems at all.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2394
    Nic Jones was a great fingerstyle guitarist who never used his nails, he had a very individual sound that is widely copied nowadays.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Stuckfast said:
    Nic Jones was a great fingerstyle guitarist who never used his nails, he had a very individual sound that is widely copied nowadays.
    Absolutely, there's nothing wrong with bare fingers they can sound great, but the OP asked for tips on nail strengthening.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • Stuckfast said:
    Nic Jones was a great fingerstyle guitarist who never used his nails, he had a very individual sound that is widely copied nowadays.
    Tommy Emmanuel also uses bare skin and no nail.
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    I remember watching this.

    James Taylor on his technique for maintaining his nails.



    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
  • fishfingersfishfingers Frets: 103
    edited January 2019
    There are risks with applying nail adhesive yourself. Although this paper discusses paediatric cases it is worth reading if you intend going down this route:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5011344/
    0reaction image LOL 0reaction image Wow! 1reaction image Wisdom
  • zepp76 said:
    I've been trying without nails but even as nice sounding as the guitar is it just sounds, how do I explain it? Dull I guess, using a plectrum the guitar rings out beautifully, if my nails aren't strong enough once they are a bit longer I may try finger picks.
    Seriously, it's worth trying acrylics. I've been playing for over 50 years, bare fingers, fingerpicks and various homemade treatments for my nails.
    Now I go to a good salon where the technician knows exactly what I need. I have only three nails done, as I usually use a thumb pick, and I keep them fairly short just as I would my normal nails. They are natural coloured, and you probably wouldn't notice them if I didn't point them out to you. They are never removed, but grow out and are infilled about once a month.
    Good luck.
    0reaction image LOL 1reaction image Wow! 0reaction image Wisdom
Sign In or Register to comment.