Is It Necessary To Grow Your Nails To Play Guitar

Classical guitar is cute. It has a rich and full audio.

Simply practise y'all really demand to grow fingernails on your right hand? Tin you play classical guitar with no fingernails?

Brusk respond: Yes, absolutely. No nails required.

Why Play Classical Guitar with Fingernails?

Classical guitars use nylon strings. And when nosotros use fingernails on our right paw, we can produce dissimilar sounds.

With well-polished fingernails, nosotros tin create bright metallic sounds. Or we can create thick, wooly, "dark" sounds.

Nails likewise allow us to play with more than volume (a higher dynamic range).

When we play with a variety of different sounds and volumes, nosotros can make music with more contrast.

But can we play with no nails?

Can Y'all Play Classical Guitar Without Nails?

Fingernails are not required on classical guitar. In fact, traditionally, people played without nails. Lute players still do not use nails.

Nails may non exist user-friendly for our lifestyle. If this is and so, we can safely and comfortably decide against them.

Nails accept near abiding attention. They may suspension or split. And thye may expect incongruent within our profession or social circumvolve.

In fact, there are several benefits to foregoing the fingernails…

The Benefits of Not Using Nails

Nails accept well-nigh constant attention. They may break or split. And they may look incongruent within our profession or social circles.

Here are other benefits to skipping the fingernails:

Less Maintenance

Longer nails go muddied more than easily. We have to keep them clean.

And nails do not abound out evenly. Each twenty-four hours, they grow small ridges on the edge. These ridges can snag and cause painful hangnails. And they exercise non sound adept on guitar.

And so to go on classical guitar fingernails in adept working club, we need to continue the edge polished. This takes time and endeavor.

When nosotros play without nails, we can avoid all this nail maintenance. We can just proceed them trimmed as brusque as possible.

More than Consequent Tone

Nails sound best when the edge is every bit smooth as drinking glass. And the shape of the blast matters too. This means that whatsoever imperfection in the blast tin create a tinny or scratchy tone quality.

When we play without nails, it is much easier to create a consequent tone. One finger tin can audio very much like the next. This is much more difficult with nails.

Nails can also scratch the nylon string. And this in turn tin scratch the edge of the nail. Now nosotros have a downward screw of boom and cord compromising each other. No nails – not an issue.

No 1 Volition Know Your Classical Guitar Secret

In about of western civilization, it's non usual to accept longer fingernails on one manus than the other. This is especially true for men.

When we practice have nails (such as a long thumbnail), we tin can go strange looks.

Without nails, in that location is no need to explicate. We can safely motion through guild safe in our "classical guitar secret".

Should You Apply Classical Guitar Fingernails?

Ane of the positive attributes of fingernails is that they grow. Whether you utilise nails now or not, you can ever decide to utilize them in the time to come.

Based on your current life situations, 1 option may be better than the other.

Also, some people find that their nails are not suited to grow long. They may fleck. Or they may exist as well brittle or soft. If so, not to worry. Simply play without nails.

Classical guitar fingernails tin exist a fun experiment. If yous try them and enjoy them, that is wonderful. If not, that'south fine too.

The most important affair is that we practice practiced work on the guitar. With nails or without, we can bring our best attention and focus to the small challenges of daily do. And this yields a fun and rewarding life of music.

Howdy, I'm Allen Mathews.

I started as a folk guitarist, then fell in honey with classical guitar in my xx's. Despite a lot of practice and schooling, I still couldn't get my music to flow well. I struggled with excess tension. My music sounded forced. And my hands and body were often sore. I got frustrated, and couldn't see the fashion forward. Then, over the next decade, I studied with two other stellar teachers – one focused on the technical movements, and one on the musical (he was a concert pianist). In time, I came to detect a new set of formulas and movements. These brought new life and vitality to my practice. Now I assistance guitarists observe more comfort and period in their music, so they play more beautifully.
Click here for a sample formula.

Get a Fellow member and Play More, Beautifully!

"The basics are the nuts, and you can't crush the basics."

Charles Poliquin

Join the programme that takes you from the showtime fundamentals to avant-garde mastery, so you…one