Wife's long fingernails

jaygtr

My wife shocked me recently by saying she wanted to learn to play an acoustic . She's a drummer by nature but fancied a new challenge .

The problem is she is reluctant to trim her nails.

So is she wasting her time or will she adapt eventually?

I notice Dolly Parton manages ok

VimFuego

I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen dolly play with those long nails, the guitar is just a prop. Personally I can't see how she could play, but mebbe it's possible.

carlos

Long fingernails on right hand are essential for classical nylon guitar playing. The ones on the left have to go, though!

[Deleted User]

You can't play traditional guitar techniques with long fretting fingernails.

Slide/open tuning styles maybe...

octatonic

georgenadaintl said:

Long fingernails on right hand are essential for classical nylon guitar playing. The ones on the left have to go, though!

You don't ned nails to play classical- it is just traditional to do so.

Steve Howe plays nylon with no nails.

Well, he has nails, they aren't long though.

carlos

You don't need them, but they certainly help! I play hybrid on electric w/ short fingernails, but I began by playing classical and the fingernails were great. Well, in fact I started with these - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_guitar

Phil_aka_Pip

You can't fret properly with long nails. IMO picking with long nails is also difficult, I prefer them just 0.5mm proud of the fingertip.

jaygtr

Sadly that's what I though.

I'm hoping that she will get really into it and cut them off herself. I have mentioned it but I don't want to put her off really. :-/

digitalkettle

georgenadaintl said:

You don't need them, but they certainly help! I play hybrid on electric w/ short fingernails, but I began by playing classical and the fingernails were great. Well, in fact I started with these - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_guitar

Sor point  >:D<

bertie

its a fucker to wipe yer arse well,  thank god I wipe with me left  

digitalkettle

bertie said:

its a fucker to wipe yer arse well,  thank god I wipe with me left  

I have always used toilet paper!

John_A

Another thing, don't let the missus practice on your good guitars without trimming her nails first, they'll put nast divets all over your fretboard!

stickyfiddle

Does this help?

http://www.londondiycentre.co.uk/ekmps/shops/londondiycentre/images/unibond-no-more-nails-exterior-adhesive-310ml-cartridge-2292-p.jpg

ddlooping

bertie said:

its a fucker to wipe yer arse well,  thank god I wipe with me left  

You got an arse well??? :-O
I wouldn't want to drink water of it!! :-S 

daveyh

I had a girl student a while back who refused to cut her nails. I discovered with her that if you fret at 45degrees-ish from parallel to the frets, rotating along the axis of the arm it becomes quite possible.

jaygtr

surprisingly its not the problem i thought it would be, admittedly her finger nails are a bit shorter than they were

but as daveyh said it is possible, although not ideal 

:-?

EricTheWeary

VimFuego;11162" said:

I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen dolly play with those long nails, the guitar is just a prop. Personally I can't see how she could play, but mebbe it's possible.

I have seen footage of her play. With the long nails. Quite a weird thing to watch.

EricTheWeary

No idea how to do a YouTube link on my phone but go on YouTube, search Dolly Parton Parkinson and watch her play and sing Coat of Many Colors.

benvall

EricTheWeary said:

VimFuego;11162" said:

I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen dolly play with those long nails, the guitar is just a prop. Personally I can't see how she could play, but mebbe it's possible.

I have seen footage of her play. With the long nails. Quite a weird thing to watch.

Ok - I'll admit this. Me and my wife saw Dolly Parton at the O2 in London a few years ago. I was pretty far away but when she was playing it didn't look right. I wondered if she was miming. It might be she has just developed some strange style, but I was suspicious.

EricTheWeary

benvall said:

EricTheWeary said:

VimFuego;11162" said:

I'm pretty sure I've never actually seen dolly play with those long nails, the guitar is just a prop. Personally I can't see how she could play, but mebbe it's possible.

I have seen footage of her play. With the long nails. Quite a weird thing to watch.

Ok - I'll admit this. Me and my wife saw Dolly Parton at the O2 in London a few years ago. I was pretty far away but when she was playing it didn't look right. I wondered if she was miming. It might be she has just developed some strange style, but I was suspicious.

I just watched the Parkinson/Coat of Many Colours clip through once and the singing and guitar are both so good I could easilly be convinced she is miming both but yet it looks authentic. There is no obvious micing up of either but then those interviews would have been done with big boom mics so they could have been in use. I haven't seen Dolly live but MrsTheWeary went to Dollywood when she was living in the States.

Tunez

Dolly's the real deal. I have the same problem with female students from time to time, wouldn't recommend to learn to play like that but if you can sing and write with an ounce of her ability, who gives a fuck about chops!