Long nails have always had an awful standing among guitarists. In any case, new guitar players are advised to keep their nails short and clean to learn to play better.
Yet, do long nails stop you from being a great guitarist? Of course not! You can learn how to play the guitar and keep your long nails. In this article, we’ll provide insights into how you can play the guitar with long nails.
Do Fingernails Affect Guitar Playing?
Yes, the length of fingernails affects how you play the guitar. Most people, especially men, do not have nails that extend past the length of their fingers. However, your nail can get in the way of your fingers pressing into the guitar if it’s too long.
Here’s how to check if your nail is too long:
Place a ruler flat against your fingertip; the ruler should not come into contact with your nail. If it does, the nail may be too long. Hence, the nail interferes with your playing by making it more difficult to push into the fretboard. Otherwise, the length of the nail is good enough!
How To Play Guitar With Long Nails
Are you wondering how to play guitar with long nails? The guitar is a great instrument that you can play in various ways. You can keep your nails long and make beautiful music if you stop using a pick, file your nails, and tune your guitar differently.
Here’s how to play guitar with long nails:
1. Play your guitar without a pick
If your nails are longer than a pick, don’t strum your guitar with one. Your nails will get in the way of the pick, causing you to hit other strings or even harm your nails.
But, if your nails are not as long as the pick, you can try holding the pick like a pencil to keep your nails out of the way. However, this may feel awkward and can distort your sound.
2. Use your finger to pick the strings
Using your finger to pick the strings of your guitar rather than strumming with long nails may be more convenient. Besides, fingerpicking allows you to pick out one string at a time and pull it with two fingers on your strumming hand. Then, you won’t have to rub your nails against the strings at all.
Note that it may take some time to adjust when switching from strumming to fingerpicking on a guitar. As you learn this new skill, try not to be discouraged.
3. Tune your guitar to “open tuning.”
Why should I tune my guitar to open tuning? Open tuning helps you to hold a chord easily. You should consider tuning your guitar to “open tuning” if you want to keep all of your nails long. Whether you have a chord on a fret or not, your guitar will automatically play a chord in an open tuning. The E, G, or D chord is commonly used in an open tuning.
The DIY steps to tune your guitar to an open E chord are:
- First, tune the A string to a B.
- Then, tune the D string to an E.
- Also, tune the G string to a G#.
- Leave all other strings as they are.
Voila! Your guitar is tuned to the open E chord.
4. Round your nails to play classical guitar
When you fingerpick your guitar, rounded nails give it a richer tone. So, if you’re just getting started, you might want to pluck a classical guitar with your fingernails rounded. To do this, file your nail tip into a half circle using a nail file. Then, check to see if your nail is smooth and free of sharp edges.
5. Make a warm sound by sloping your fingernails
Sloping your nail is another way to play guitar with long nails. To either the right or left, file your nails in a downward slope shape. Check to see if the slope is straight. You can also have different slope angles on your nails or keep them all the same.
6. Shape your fingernails into a point to look like a pick
If your nails are longer than a guitar pick, you can file them into points that look like one. Make a pointed shape in the centre of your nails with a nail file. Also, check that the slopes on each side are equal. You can file all of your strumming hand’s nails like this, or just your pointer and thumb.
Note that using your nails as a pick can cause them to chip or break. If you want to keep your natural nails safe, you can fix acrylic nails that are stronger and more durable than natural nails.
7. Cut your fret hand’s nails short
Without a doubt, it isn’t easy to have long nails on your hand that you use to hold chords in. You can keep your fret hand’s nails short and your strumming hand’s nails long. This will make your hands uneven, but short nails make it easier to hold chords.
How Long Should Your Nails be for Playing Guitar?
Guitar players’ fingernails are typically half a centimetre long for the index, middle, and ring fingers and one centimetre long for the thumb. Keeping your nails too long will make plucking more difficult and less smooth, so regularly trim them.
Although, the length of your nails doesn’t stop you from playing the guitar well. Many guitar players play with very short nails and have a fantastic tone. But, on the contrary, many other players have very long nails and still sound awesome.
Do I Need Nails to Play Guitar?
No, you don’t need nails to play the guitar. However, some classical and acoustic guitar players grow their nails to improve the instrument’s control, dynamics, and speed. While it is true that playing with nails can help you develop a brighter and louder tone, many guitarists play without nails and sound good.
So, in the end, it’s up to you whether you want to play the guitar with your nails or not. It all comes down to the tone you want. If you’ve been playing for a while using only the pad of your fingers and aren’t happy with the sound, it might be time to grow your nails and see what’s different.
How Can I Hold a Pick with My Long Nails?
Long nails may make it difficult to hold a pick comfortably. But it is possible! There are a few tips for getting it right.
First and foremost, make the correct selection. For example, a typical teardrop-shaped pick might be too small to compete with your nails. However, a larger, more triangular pick might work better because it is large enough to extend past the nail when held. If you don’t have the correct pick, you can look into other guitar pick alternatives or even make your own.
Second, tuck your other three fingers into your palm, so your nails don’t accidentally brush against the strings as you strum. That’s it; the pick would be held in place by fingers.
Effects of Playing Guitar with Long Nails
The effects of playing guitar with long nails can be categorized into two:
- Positive Effects
- Negative effect
Positive Effects
Playing the guitar with long nails have the following advantages:
-
Better Fingerpicking
When you’re fingerpicking, having long nails comes in handy. The nail allows you to carefully select each string to ensure that accurate tones are produced.
-
Smooth Tone
A combined fingerpicking technique that uses the nail bed and the nail can produce a uniquely smooth tone. You can never achieve this same tone with short nails, which makes using long nails interesting.
-
Suitable for Classical Guitar
Long nails are much more advantageous when learning to play fingerstyle on the guitar, especially on classical guitar. In addition, several country guitarists play fingerstyle music with both a thumb pick and their natural nails on other fingers.
-
Better Control of the Finger
When you play guitar with long nails, you develop better finger control. You also develop a natural control whenever you play because you have to be extra careful with your every move to ensure the proper sound is produced. Overall, you become a more disciplined guitarist, which brings you one step closer to your goals.
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Negative Effects
Playing guitar with long nails has some drawbacks. Some of the disadvantages are:
-
Difficulty in Plucking the Guitar Strings
Playing guitar with long nails makes it difficult to pluck the guitar’s strings, especially if you’re new to it.
-
Trouble while Applying Pressure on the Fretboard
Long nails make it hard to apply pressure on the fretboard when playing guitar.
-
Lack of Control Over Picking of Strings
This is especially true for players who have artificial or extremely long nails. In this case, your finger pads will not have a firm grip on the guitar pick, which may cause it to slip or rotate while you’re playing. And we all know how inconsistent the resulting melodies will be when this happens.
Can I Use My Nails on an Acoustic Guitar?
Yes, Absolutely! You can use your nail on an acoustic guitar. However, the steel strings of an acoustic guitar can be quite hard on the nails. Your nails may break a few times before you figure out how to pluck the strings correctly. Keep your nails short so that you can pluck the strings with the side of your finger smoothly.
Is It Easy to Grow Nails for Playing Guitar?
Whether it’s easy or not to grow nails for playing guitar depends on the person. For example, if you use your hands to do other activities that may likely break your nails, it’ll be more difficult to grow your nails for guitar. On the other hand, if you do fewer activities that could damage your nails, it can be relatively easier to grow your nails for playing guitar.
Generally, it takes some time to adjust to having long nails. I recommend starting with very short nails (less than half-centimetre long). If you’re a beginner, leave out the nail on the thumb and only use the index, middle, and ring fingers to play the guitar. Grow the nail on your thumb as you become more comfortable.
Why Do Guitarists Paint their Nails?
There are two main reasons why guitarists paint their nails: physical and aesthetic purposes. The physical purpose of painting the nails is to strengthen the nail. That is, to make their nails last longer.
On the other hand, the aesthetic purpose of painting nails is to make them look more attractive. Besides, paints may also affect the tone quality. The practice is common among classical guitarists as they often use their nails to play the guitar.
Do Guitarists Have Longer Fingers?
Yes, guitarists do have longer fingers. So, why do guitarists have longer fingers? This is because fingers are stretched when playing. In addition to this, fingers grow a little longer over time due to stretching and strengthening.
If you’ve been playing guitar for a while, you should notice a difference by comparing both of your hands. Your fretting hand fingers should be able to stretch more than your picking hand fingers. So not only will you be able to see the difference, but you’ll also be able to feel it as well.
Even if you’re not looking at your hands, by just stretching your fingers, you’ll notice that your fretting hand will stretch more than your picking hand.
Conclusion
Summarily, there’s no reason why you can’t play the guitar and keep your long nails if you want to. You can simply do this by changing the way you pick your strings, filing your nails, fretting your chords, and tuning your guitar, amongst others.
However, you might be unable to fret extended chords or use advanced lead guitar techniques with long nails. Nevertheless, you can become a skilled rhythm guitarist with fingers that look great and play even better with these minor tweaks.
Finally, remember that playing the guitar with long nails will be difficult at first. However, to be successful, you must be determined to see it through until the end.
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