All things related to fingerstlye acoustic guitar

Hello,

Welcome to my Artistry of the Guitar blog where we'll discuss all things as it relates to playing, composing, performing, and recording fingerstlye acoustic guitar. I want your input. What would you like to know about? I have contact with some of the finest players in the world, and if I don't have an answer or opinion (unlikely) about something, I do know who to reach to get it.

First, I think a definition of fingerstyle guitar is in order. Since we don't play the guitar with our toes, what sets fingerstyle players apart? Simple, instead of using a pick to strum or pluck notes we use the fingers of our right hand (if we're right-handed) to pluck and strum the notes. The advantage is you can play the 6th string and the 1st string at the same time without hitting the 2nd-5th strings. It allows guitarists to play music with moving bass lines while playing a melody on top. For all practical purposes playing fingerstyle guitar allows us to turn our guitars into 6-string orchestras in a box.

So, to start off the first blog I thought it would be a great idea to talk about the great un-mentionable, the subject fingerstyle players bring up in hushed tones after a workshop; fingernails. Or as I like to call them, the "Freddie Krueger starter set."

While there are some contemporary artists who use fingerpicks on their right hand, Will Ackerman, Chris Proctor, and Don Alder come to mind, and others like Duck Baker and Tommy Emmanuel (with the aid of thumbpick), who stick to bare fingers when they play, most contemporary guitarists have longer than average nails on their thumb and/or 2 or 3 fingers of their plucking hand.

So this begs the question. Why? Why do guitarists need fingernails? What's the purpose. Well, for me it's like having 4 picks. With nails you get volume and articulation, or detail around the note. If I pluck a note with the flesh of my right hand the sound is muted and dead, but when I add my nail, the note is there in all its richness. Harmonics ring brighter, and my guitars come to life with the extra volume.

Fingerstyle guitar has been around since folks started playing the guitar in the 16th century, when it was originally strung with gut strings. The guitar was famously quiet and nails become a way for players to get volume. Since the late 1800's steel string guitars are used as much, or more often than nylon string guitars for fingerstyle playing, but they can eat a players nails up if you play 2-3 hours a day. Fingerpicks became the solution in the 20th century, and famous players from Leo Kottke to Preston Reed used National thumbpicks and fingerpicks on their plucking hand.

It wasn't until the early 80's when Michael Hedges and Alex DeGrassi in the US came along that guitarists started to hear the instrument played with nails. European players like Martin Simpson, Davey Graham, and Bert Jansch had played with their nails since the 60's, but it wasn't until the 80's that many folks heard these players. But it started a movement away from picks toward nails.

Nails are much more organic sounding than picks, they don't scrape, they don't add much noise to the plucked note, and they allow you to use your right hand thumb and fingers to mute desired strings. This is a very important thing for players who use alternate tunings; something else that was becoming more common in the early 80's.

But, as I said before, when you play 2-3 hours a day steel strings will eat your nails. Most players have dealt with this by adding a little extra to the nail. Some folks go to nail salons and have acrylic nails or fiberglass wraps applied. I did this for years and players like Ed Gerhard, Alex DeGrassi, Dakota Dave Hull, Martin Simpson (he does use a thumbpick), Larry Allen Brown, and countless others go this route. If you take good care of them you can go 6-8 weeks between 'fills'. Many guitarists just paint on several layers of super glue to reinforce their natural nail. For years Bill Mize glued ping-pong ball pieces shaped on top of his nails, and in the weirdest approach I've heard of, Benjamin Verdery used to glue his mother-in-law's toe nails to his fingernails. That's just wrong.

Other guitarists such as myself and Pierre Bensusan have taken control of our own nail care. I like the freedom of being able to repair or customize a nail at any time. And while I'm not an official endorser, I strongly encourage you to check out Guitar Player Nails if you go the self-help route. They have all the materials you'll need, and they have great instructions on how to safely apply and remove the nail products. And to my ear, they sound better than acrylic nails.

So, what should you do if you want to use your nails to play fingerstyle guitar? Experiment. If you've always had problems with your natural nails you'll probably enjoy the freedom acrylics or super glue give you: being able to dig in and play at louder volumes without worrying about wear or breakage is priceless. Personally I like the tone better than natural nails. Since the artificial nail is thicker it sounds warmer. I learned this from bluegrass flatpickers; the thicker or heavier the pick, the warmer the tone.

So what's the right length, shape, or composition for nails. There is none; the key is to experiment. For example I have to have a very long thumb nail, it extends 1/2" beyond the flesh, but my finger nails are quite short, barely longer than the flesh. It took years of experimenting, but that's what works for me. I also recommend that you experiment with shape, from almost straight across to very rounded, or almost sharp. Experiment with thickness; you can add as many layers of super glue , silk, or fiberglass as you want. The point is, find out what works for you. Don't worry if it's different from me or your favorite guitarist; if it's right for you, it's right period.

If you are able to stick to your natural nail, I envy you. It would save me 45 minutes to an hour every week; the time I spend on keeping my nails in good order. To me it's absolutely worthwhile, and as a bonus it's given me the opportunity to bond with my 4 daughters who've learned everything they know about nails from me. How many dads can say that?

So, after you've read this treatise on nails, offer your comments, questions, or other topics you would like to discuss.

Time for me to go work on my nails.

Adios, kb