Fingernail Basics
This is not an article about how to shape your nails. Because I don’t know. It too me two years to find a nail shape that works for me. This is an article with some general thing to think about.
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Length
How long do your nails really need to be? I think that depends on what sort of sound you like and your technique. For me, long (super long, anyway) nails get in the way. I tend to have too work to hard to play with long nails. On the other hand, super short nails feel equally awkward. Find a balance. The good thing about nails is that they grow. I’d start with shortish nails (about even with the finger tip), and keep the edges nice (see below). As your nails grow, evaluate and see what you like. Like anything, you can take notes about this in your practice log.
Another thing is that your nails might actually need to be longer depend on your genetics. That is, your nail bed matters. That’s the part that give the nice pinkish color to your nails. Some people have very small nail bed which requires a lot of a white nail to show to get a decent length. Others have nail beds that extend all the way out to their fingertips. People with shorter nail beds will probably appear to have longer nails than those with bigger nail beds. I have a friend who looks like he has half-inch long claws for fingernails–turns out his nail beds are tiny. His nails barely poke out beyond his fingertips.
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Use the Right File
Emery boards are not good. Nor should you (EVER) use a nail clipper on the right hand nails. File them. A “diamond dust” file should be used. You want a very fine file that won’t take a lot of nail off all at once. If you can’t find something like that, just get a decent diamond dust file and run it over some rock or concrete to take some of the files potency away.**
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Edges
The edges of your nails shouldn’t contain any jagged breaks or odd angles. A good way to think of if is that, if you were to lay your nail out flat, the edge would be a straight line. Whatever shape you decide to use, avoid odd contours on the nail.
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Buff
Every had your nails wear away from playing? Or maybe you’ve felt that you finger nails were catching on the strings or not releasing cleanly? That has to do with the edge. Assuming you don’t have any odd contours on which the string can catch, the next step is getting it smooth. Some super fine, wet/dry sandpaper works well for this–available at your local hardware store, it should be black in color. Other options are nail buffers
or some sort of specialized emery paper.
A good test is to hold the edge of the nail up to a light, it should be shiny and reflective – there should be a nice gleam on the edge.
Anatomy of the Guitar Players Nail
There’s a contact point and a release point on the nail. The contact point, for most of us, is on the left side of the nail where it meets the flesh of the fingertip. Those who play with a more Ida Presti style technique will have a contact point on the right side.
The release point is where the nail leaves the string. We want this string’s travel along the nail to be easy. That’s what we avoid rough contours and buff the edge of the nail. I always think of the release point as the longest point of the nail.
Shapes?
There’s many different ways to do this, and I have no clue what’s right for you. The best method is experimentation. I’ve been hesitant to write an article about nails because I feel that I don’t know anything. It took a lot of experimenting to figure out what works for me.
There’s the ramp style of shaping a nail mentioned in Pumping Nylon or just a nice curved shape. Or anything in between! There’s many options. Start with one shape and experiment for a while, then try something else out. Take notes, choose what you like best.
Don’t be afraid to combine shapes. What works well on one finger might not work well on another. Mix and match if need be. Nails don’t have to look uniform. They just have to sound good.
I use a pseudo curved shape, but I put my release points more towards the right side of my nails instead of in the middle. Except for a, which has a release point closer to the center.
**Similarly, if you can’t find sand paper fine enough for your needs, just rub the sand paper on itself for a while to smooth it down a bit.
Got some nail tips? What works for your nails? Want to vent your nail frustrations? Post a comment below!
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About the Author
Christopher Davis founded The Classical Guitar Blog in 2008. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in guitar performance. In addition to his studies, Chris is an active teacher and performer based in Middle Tennessee. Connect with Chris on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, and the Classical Guitar Network.
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Great post. I suffered a lot with my nails until I read Pumping Nylon. My nails hook drastically to one side, so the “ramp” is essential for me.
Right now I’m experimenting with my ring finger, since it’s shaped differently from my other nails. I’m not convinced I’m getting the best tone out of it yet…
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I’m always messing around with my a finger. Unfortunately that one is hit and miss in the sounding good department. -CD
My problem is not my right hand nails, it’s the left! My nails grow very fast and I seem to be endlessly sawing away trying to avoid buzzing strings etc. Having small hands doesn’t help as I have to stretch to reach the notes.
I might add that this is my 3rd attempt at classical guitar playing – very frustrating that someone who can play other instruments quite well can’t do much with the guitar!
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I feel your pain, my nails grow super fast as well. Stick with it! it gets easier. -CD
I agree, a great and informative post. As for what to shape with, I’ve found that 3M’s Tri-M-Ite sandpaper works best for me. A full sheet will last you a long time, and it yields great results for both shaping and buffing (I use it mostly for buffing with a crystal file for shaping). You can get it at on most guitar websites (GSP, stringsbymail).
I’m actually undergoing a bit of a nail crisis myself right now, and have been for quite some time. I have a growth (wart) at the cuticle of my M finger, and it’s doing terrible things to my nail. Since the nail grows at the cuticle, the wart is cutting off a lot of nutrients for healthy nails to grow, so it’s very brittle and has developed a nasty hook on the right side. It’s also actually growing faster on the right side, so when looking at the nail dead on, instead of a nice arch, it points to the right, which gives me pretty awful tone if I don’t get it right. Because of the way it grows, fake nails won’t stick either…really sucks!
I’m currently working with a dermatologist to get that fixed, but it’s a slow process…then I have to wait for the nail to grow out completely from the cuticle…ugh! Until then, anybody have any tips? It’s mostly the hook that’s killing me.
Okay, done venting…
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Have you tried gluing a ping-pong ball piece underneath the nail? That could be a good temp. solution. -CD
It’s good that you mentioned the matter of the nail bed. Players will sometimes try to file their nails to the length suggested by a photo of another player’s hand and will end-up with nails that are too long.
Only my index and middle RH fingernails have ramps that extend along 75% of the edge. That is is because both nails are relatively flat. The ring finger nail is more evenly shaped on both sides because it is curved. The pinky fingernail is evenly shaped and a bit longer for flamenco rasgueos.
For hygiene, I use a toothbrush and soap to clean underneath the nails.
A very good presentation here Chris. I agree that nails are very much an individual thing. The term “nail bed” is new to me but what you say is right on. The shape of the finger tips as well as the size of the nail bed will have a tremendous effect on the length of the nail. People frequently comment on my sound (generally good comments I mean) and are amazed at my short nails but my nail bed is quite long and my finger tips are more blunt than most so short nails go a long way with me.
Good posting. The problems I’ve seen many face are both the issues of catching the string with a “hook” nail, or the nail that protrudes too far off of the finger that produces what I call “the pause.” This is a small interruption of the note that happens when the string falls between the flesh and the nail as it is plucked (producing a rather unappealing “click” sound with each note). It’s very slight, and even some professional guitarists do this and don’t even realize it. But once a serious student is aware of it, they will spend however long it takes to get rid of it.
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I have always subscribed to the method that my first guitar teacher taught me. When she was studying in Columbia as a child, she learned that fingernails are indeed individual to each player; no one disputes this. However, this individuality is no reason to stop the lesson of nail shaping (as MANY do). In fact, it IS the lesson. Because of the individuality of each players fingers, the lesson of nail shaping is:
The tips of your fingers are to be the template for how your nails are shaped.
Think about it; by shaping your nails the same as your fingertips you are instantly creating a “oneness” between the two which, as many will tell you, allows for the ideal sound. Quite simply, the best way to achieve this is by imitating the very finger the nail grow from.
When one reads the countless instructional books on shaping nails they often times make reference to a rather defined angle they call a “ramp” that is suppose to allow the nail to easily guide the string off, producing a great tone. They are correct in this, but the method and degree of creating said ramp is usually misleading. There really is no pronounced ramp per se, but rather an uninterrupted union between the finger and its’ nail.
Look at your fingertip. It is not perfectly round or symmetrical. There are tiny curves within the outline of the tip. It is these curves and angles that is crucial to
the shape of your nail. (Incidentally, these same curves are also the “ramp” that all those books are talking about. If you file your nails to create a “ramp” and produce a good tone with it now, it’s only because your ramp just happens to be the same angle as your finger tip. It is not an isolated technique! This is one in the same.) I never knew how many tiny curves and angles my fingertip had until I looked at it under a magnifying glass. The larger the magnifying power, the more I saw what I needed to do with my fingernail shape. Try this as a starting point and you will be on your way to producing a warm tone others only dream of.
Why is fingernail length important for playing classical guitar? Was it always like this?
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No, it wasn’t always like this. We do use nails now, but early guitarists did not use nails. Even Taregga didn’t use nails. But most modern players today do. It’s a personal choice as far as I’m concerned — though using nails does make thing easier.