If you have been playing guitar for a while chances are that you hear the word “Tone” or “Timbre” quite a lot. The tone is the sound that comes out of your guitar when you pick or pluck a string. It’s a result of different elements such as the strings, type of guitar, and the way you pluck the strings. Some guitar players use nails to pluck the strings and get the guitar tone they want. The question is, should you grow out nails to play guitar?
Do you need nails to play guitar? Simply put, you don’t need nails to play guitar. However, some classical and acoustic guitar player grows their nails to achieve more control, dynamics, and speed on the instrument. It is a fact that playing with nails help you develop a brighter and louder tone but, again, countless fantastic guitar players play without nails, and they sound fantastic.
So, in the end, it is up to you whether or not you should play guitar with nails or not. It comes down to the type of tone you want, so if you have been playing for a while using only the flesh/pads of your fingers and you are not happy with the sound, maybe it’s time to grow your nails and see what’s different.
In this lesson, we are going to talk about the top 10 questions you probably have about playing guitar with nails. I am going to share my experience as a classical, electric, and acoustic guitar player to show you the difference between playing with nails, flesh, and a guitar pick.
We will talk about:
- 1. Why some guitar players use nails?
- 2. How to pluck the strings with nails.
- 3. Is it better to play guitar with a guitar pick or fingernails?
- 4. The downside of playing guitar without nails.
- 5. Can I use fingernails on an acoustic guitar?
- 6. How long should your nails be for guitar?
- 7. How to trim and shape your nails correctly for guitar.
- 8. Is it easy to grow nails to play guitar?
- 9. Can I use fake nails to play guitar?
1. Why Some Guitar Players Use Nails?
Classical and flamenco players were among the first to use nails to play guitar. I remember watching a video of Andres Segovia playing Asturias when I was just eleven years old. He was plucking the strings with long nails. The tone was rounded, dull, beautiful, and balanced. These were the first time I saw someone playing guitar with nails.
Segovia became one of the most influential classical guitar players of all time and called everyone who didn’t use nails “stupid.” He had an apparent reason why nails are so important for guitar players.
This is one of his quote from an interview:
When you play with flesh only, the flesh doesn’t bring a robust sound, that is why you need to have nails to support the flesh as long as the tip of the flesh, never over. For that reason, we can dig into the string and boost the sound with power and good color.
From Segovia, we learn that for some guitar players nails are essential to boost the sound generated by the pads of the fingers. It is almost as if playing with the flesh only wasn’t enough for him, so he had to use nails to achieve the tone he wanted.
Here’s the video of Segovia playing Asturias.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-2ZalhVKiM
2. How to Pluck the Strings with Nails
Before you learn how to shape your nails, let me show you how to pluck the strings correctly. It is important to understand how the finger engages with the string and the point of contact of the nails.
So how should you pluck the strings with nails? With the thumb, pluck the strings with the left side of the finger. The first point of contact is the flesh, followed by the fingernail. For the index, middle, and ring finger position your hand at a 45-degree angle and pluck the strings upwards. Shape the nails so that the fingers slide off the strings smoothly.
This is how I like to position the right-hand on the strings.
3. Is it Better to Play Guitar with a Guitar Pick of Fingernails?
Another great question is whether you should play guitar with a guitar pick or fingernails. The guitar is a versatile instrument that ranges from classical music to folk and rock music. Usually, classical music is played on a classical guitar which involves plucking the strings with nails. Rock music, on the other hand, is mainly played on the electric guitar and requires a guitar pick.
So if you want to know if it’s better to play guitar with a guitar pick or fingernails, you should listen to the style of music you want to learn and let the music guide you. If you love classical music, then you should probably buy a classical guitar and grow out fingernails. If you like folk music, you could either use the fingerpicking technique or strumming.
We can broadly categorize the classical, acoustic, and electric guitar in three big groups which should help you figure out if you should play with a guitar pick or fingernails.
4. The Downside of Playing Guitar Without Nails
As a classical and acoustic guitar player, I find that playing with nails has always been beneficial for me. I started as a classical guitar player when I was ten years old, and I finished my degree in classical guitar when I was 21 years old.
When you get used to playing guitar with nails, it is difficult to play without. I also believe there is a significant downside when you play guitar without nails.
The guitar is a very dynamic instrument. The tone of your guitar is a result of different musical and technical elements such as hand position, articulation, and plucking. The way you touch the strings affect the quality of your sound, and I believe that with nails, you have way more tonal possibilities than plucking the strings with your fingers pad only.
So, the downside of playing guitar without nails is that you are limiting the range of tonal color that the guitar is capable of. It is just like the difference between painting something with either two or ten colors. The picture painted with ten colors is indeed more colorful. However, countless guitar players play guitar without nails and sound awesome so you should try both approaches and see which option works for you.
Fingernails give you more tonal color and dynamic range than plucking with the flesh only.
5. Can I use Fingernails on an Acoustic Guitar?
Classical guitar players use nails to play classical music but can you use fingernails on an acoustic guitar? Absolutely! However, the steel strings of an acoustic guitar can be quite hard on the nails. There is a chance that your nails will break a few times before you learn how to pluck the strings correctly. Keep your nails short so that you can smoothly pluck the strings with the side of the finger.
This is how I like to shape my nails for fingerstyle acoustic guitar.
6. How Long Should Your Nails be For Guitar?
If you decide to grow your fingernails to play guitar, you will probably have to face the uncomfortable feeling of having them. Trust me. I have been playing guitar with nails since I was ten years old, and I still feel awkward sometimes.
Now, you don’t need long nails to play the guitar. There are a lot of guitar players who play with very short nails and have a fantastic tone. There are also many players who have insanely long nails and still sound awesome.
So, how long should your nails be for guitar? Typically, guitar players grow their fingernails about a half centimeter for the index, middle, and ring finger and one centimeter for the thumb. Keeping your nails too long will make the plucking more difficult and less smooth so trim them regularly.
7. How to Trim and Shape you Nails Correctly for Guitar
The length of your nails is not the only thing that it’s important. Once your nails have grown, you can then trim and shape them for the guitar.
But how should your trim and shape your nails correctly for the guitar? A drop-like shape is recommended. Make the left side of the nails smooth so that the finger can pluck the string without frictions. Position the fingers at a 45-degree angle and pluck the strings with both flash and nail.
IMPORTANT: Pluck the strings with both flesh and nails. The first part of the finger that touches the string is the flesh, followed by the left side of the nail. This is why I like to trim my nails so that the flesh on the left side of the finger is uncovered.
8. Is it Easy to Grow Nails to Play Guitar
The number one fear about growing your nails to play guitar is whether or not it will be easy to live your life with long nails.
It’s normal to ask yourself if you could do it. A business guy, a consultant, a climber, a gardener, or anyone with a job that involves shaking hands, writing in front of other people, or only using your hand to work will find that it’s difficult for them to grown nails to play guitar. In this case, it’s acceptable.
There are also other players who are more concerned about how their hand is going to look like and if they will be able to do their daily tasks without feeling awkward or embarrassed.
So, is it easy to grow your nails to play guitar? It takes time to get used to having long nails. I recommend that you start with very short nails (less than half centimeter long). If you are a beginner, leave out the nail on the thumb and play guitar with the nails on the index, middle, and ring finger only. As you get more comfortable, grow the nail on the thumb too.
9. Can I Use Fake Nails to Play Guitar?
I hate fake nails. They make my hands look weird, and I don’t like the tone of my guitar. Also, it takes longer to shape, glue, and play with fake nails. However, if your fingernails break all the time, you should consider using false nails all the time.
I don’t have experience with playing guitar with fake nails, so I did a little bit of research and found an interesting article about how to repair and apply fake nails by JustinGuitar which posted a video showing you the whole process.
Let’s Wrap This Up
I hope you find this article helpful. I think the best way to figure out whether or not you should use nails on the guitar is to try it out. It takes around two to three weeks to grow out nails long enough for you to play some fingerpicking stuff.
There isn’t a one way of plucking the strings so you should always try different approaches until you find the one that works for you.
If your nails quickly wear down easily, consider fake nails as an option, and maybe give it a try.
Keep trying and experimenting guys.
Good luck.
Marco.
