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 Classical Guitar Playing - Fingernail Shaping
Submitted by TheClasGuit on Tuesday, October 14 @ 19:27:28 MST
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Fingernails play a very important role in classical guitar playing. As far as the left hand is concerned it is quite simple - just trim them back as close as possible with a nail clipper without drawing blood. By contrast the right hand requires a lot more regular attention. Modern classical guitar technique uses both the flesh of the fingertips and the fingernails of the first three fingers only of the right hand. There are three attributes that need attention: length, shape, and edge.
There are many views on how the fingernails should be shaped. Some professional guitarists file the fingernails at an angle, some prefer them to be squared off. However, by far the most common shape that I recommend is rounded and following the shape of the fingertips. Also, the fingernails should not be too long.
File your nails so that when you hold up your hand, palm towards you and at eye level, you should just be able to see the nails beyond the end of your fingers, and they should have rounded profiles following the shape of your fingertips. The fourth or little finger is not used so just clip this nail short. Your thumbnail can be left a little longer.
Ok, this takes care of the length and shape, now you need to polish your nails to create the edge. If you look closely at the edge of your fingernail with your fingers pointing straight at your eyes, they should be as smooth as the edge of a fine crystal wine glass. An edge like this is absolutely essential avoid extraneous noise created by your fingernails as they slide over the strings while you're playing. To achieve this edge polish your fingernails with the finest grit emery board.
You may think this is all a bit fussy but it is a necessary procedure to achieve the best tone quality from your guitar.
TheClassicGuitar.com
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