Fingernails & Guitar Picking

Part of the Video Series How to Play Finger Style Guitar

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Video Transcript

Fingernails & Guitar Picking
Hi this is Jeff Isbell on behalf of ExpertVillage.com. Today we’re going to talk about fingernails or finger picks. Some people use nails, some people just use bare fingers, some people use finger picks, some people use metal finger picks, some people use plastic, some use banjo style and some use these picks that assume the position of your natural nails. Many folks now a days go down and get a set of acrylic nails put on. I can’t tell you which you’ll prefer, I can tell you that I use my own nails, it’s kind of a hassle, but I’ve gotten use to it after all these years. There are chemicals that will harden your nails, eating gelatin is suppose to give you stronger nails. If you do use your own nails, you’ll need an excellent nail file, I use the diamond deb. Most people say to file your nails so that they’re a little longer on the left side, steel string players tend to keep their nails a little longer than nylon string players. What I find to be true is that nail length should be determined by how long your fingers are when they’re bent and held in playing position. Speaking of that, some people use their pinky as an anchor, some let their left hand hang free, I prefer the latter, and it gives me one more finger when I need it. Back to filing, finish by rubbing the picking surface on your jeans or somebody else’s to buff the surface. Well that’s it for now, see you next time.

About the Expert

Expert: Jeff Isbell has been playing, composing, performing, and teaching various styles of guitar for more than 35 years. Read More


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