Fingernails

[Blooby]

I used to bite my nails twice as much, but I regularly wear socks these days.

But perhaps I reveal too much.

Lurker.

[Geir]

I'm finding that bright pink nail polish works the best.

But perhaps i reveal too much.

Lurker

well you signing as Lurker makes me wonder

[Speed Demon]

I'm a finger picker. Stopped using picks many, many years ago.

I keep my nails clipped as short as possible. I use finger tips only for picking. No string bumps and rattles.
Works well for me and it is rare to end up with a split nail.

[Blooby]

I'm finding that bright pink nail polish works the best.

But perhaps i reveal too much.

Lurker

well you signing as Lurker makes me wonder

I'm just seeing if John will notice.

[bruno]

My guitar teacher gets stick on nails put on in a manicure nail shop. Just on his right hand - swears by them. Lasts for a while and then then fall off - and then he gets the next lot :-)
B

[Farrell Jackson]

I'm a finger picker. Stopped using picks many, many years ago.

I keep my nails clipped as short as possible. I use finger tips only for picking. No string bumps and rattles.
Works well for me and it is rare to end up with a split nail.

I do the same Gene....pick with my bare finger tips. I guess you could say I was a bare naked finger picker, lol.  I keep my nails short on both hands. If I don't they seem to get hung up on the strings on my finger picking hand and my fretting hand. When gigging and if I happened to drop a pick during a solo I would just use my index finger in place of the plectrum and never miss the pick. If I did that too long though my finger would get sore...so it was a new pick for me as soon as the song was over.

Farrell

Farrell

[IanR]

I like to do Travis Picking and I have found that a thumb pick plus bare fingers works really well. When Travis Picking, the bass strings get palm muted and with the thumb pick, the bass notes are a lot clearer and sharper. It makes the mix of bass notes and melody notes very sweet indeed.

Ian

[Speed Demon]

Years of picking to develop these callouses.

           

[AndyR]

I'm a finger picker. Stopped using picks many, many years ago.

I keep my nails clipped as short as possible. I use finger tips only for picking. No string bumps and rattles.
Works well for me and it is rare to end up with a split nail.

I was starting to think it was just me that does this!

When I was younger I tried to grow nails for picking because I thought that was what you were meant to do - they NEVER got strong enough.

When I started playing bass years and years ago it was obvious I didn't want the longer nails that cause clunks and wotnot... so I started cutting them as close as the left hand. It was round about the same time I started switching to using fingers only for certain stuff on six string as well.

I have a nail-splitting problem on the index finger of my right hand, that's because of how I use a pick. That finger drags across the strings before the pick gets there - it's how I get a lot of the sounds I do. When I was gigging there was always a callous on the finger below where the nail starts, and the nail itself grows thin on the right-hand side and curves upwards as it leaves the finger - all from constantly being dragged across the strings. If I leave that nail too long and play any serious guitar, the nail splits horizontally on the nail bed and takes a week or two to grow out - quite painful sometimes... but we all have to suffer for my art!

I find it hard to imagine splitting nails on a keyboard though - am I not hitting those ivories hard enough? Is that why I can't get this organ part sounding right?!

EDIT: Ah! Didn't realise there was a page 2 already - Farrell, play/practice bass a lot, fingers are hard enough to cope with guitar then

[AndyR]

I like to do Travis Picking and I have found that a thumb pick plus bare fingers works really well. When Travis Picking, the bass strings get palm muted and with the thumb pick, the bass notes are a lot clearer and sharper. It makes the mix of bass notes and melody notes very sweet indeed.

Ian

I've tried that, especially for resonator stuff - I can't make it work for me, I end up with my thumb tangled with the strings!

I tend to use a pick and middle and ring finger (that's what Rory Gallagher did as well - but I can't do it that well... works nicely when transferred to blues-rock electric guitar though)

If I feel the need to use a thumb pick, I find I get on better with a full set of metal claws. I've tried all sorts of finger picks over the years, and a couple of years ago I finally tried metal ones, and they seem less painful to wear. I don't practice enough with them, so I don't tend to get them out when I'm actually recording something... nice sound though, and completely different vibe from how I usually play.