Shaping all three nails at once for the ramp is actually such a useful tip. I've used rounded nails simply because I always shaped my nails one by one.. when shaping the ramp I would always spend forever shaping my nails to get the angle right, but this becomes obsolete when shaping them all at once. Definitely trying this out
Bless you Brandon. I have struggled for years trying to get a good shape. After viewing this video I decided to give it a go. Wow! It works. I am now achieving my best tone ever. Grazie mille.
I'm used to play without nails since I started to learn the guitar. Right now I am letting my nails grow because I want to achieve a sharper sound of the notes. This video was very helpful.
@@brandonacker By that, do you mean that you let your nails grow for a while and play with them, then file them back and play without them? Surely you can't go back and forth with doing this...
@@GarySchiltz Yes that's exactly what I mean. I've been doing that for 3 years and have made many recordings and played many concerts using both techniques.
@@brandonacker hello Brandon ! Not practising guitar myself i have a question that guitarists may find a bit weird to ask but ...is it possible to break a nail while playing the guitar or not ? If so , is it more likely to happen with nylon ,metal or both ?
I’m a rounder. Everything you say is valuable. I play steel string with a pick and have many types of picks. My favorite ones tend to be those made for jazz which have a slightly rounded tip. The pointed more flexible ones give a brighter sound which is great for folk songs and strumming. Alas. We can’t change our nails as readily. Otherwise, I might try the ramp but it would take me another three to six months if I preferred the rounded. One caveat about nails is that I find them inconvenient for a 12 string steel and have to modify my angle to use flesh only. Work in progress. Thanks.
I find that washing and drying my hands (and thus nails) right after filing helps show your new nail shape and softens the nails slightly so it's easier to make the careful adjustments with fine sandpaper/a nail file. Great vid as always!
amazing :) thank you Brandon :) my nails are super long in comparison to yours but I like them this way. I recently lost one as well, which was a tragedy of course but the nail specialist glued the artificial one for me and it works ok too :)
I've been struggling with my thumb nail for quite some time. I was very pleased after having applied the suggested things in this video because I could use my thumb nail nicely afterwards. The first shape shown works for me and the "7th string" approach is nice but I let I,M,A sit on strings A,D,G. Since my thumb nail has a lot of curvature, I use a hot spoon to bring it into desired shape (saw it on another big channel).
I’ve been playing for 50 years. Nightmare nails (guess I chose the wrong instrument but I’m hooked). They’re bent, hooked and curved and all are different. The only solution for me is to keep them really short, barely beyond the flesh. But it’s import then to use a lubricant so the flesh slides across the strings and doesn’t catch. Short nails also ensure a nail/flesh initial contact which is so important for a good tone. But I have always had problems with the angle of attack of the "a" finger. It wasn’t ramping cleanly , more of a scrape. Then I realised what had gradually been happening. I was changing the angle of my thumb (often due to thumb nail problems). If the thumb is at say 50 degrees to the strings, the back of the right hand moves away from the strings on the pinky side radically changing the angle of all fingers and therefore the way their ramps interact with the strings, especially "a". If the thumb is at a more normal 25-30 degrees the ami fingers becomes nearer 90 degrees. In this flatter position the nail problem with "a" disappears. So it could be argued that the thumb nail determines the ramp angle on the other nails and should be settled on first. Just a thought. Love the stuff you put out there Brandon. So calm. Even the background music (so often a major irritant elsewhere) is soothing. Good ol’ Chopin.
I found this to be true also. Got to be careful with the thumb nail. What works for me is playing a chord at 7th fret from the A, find the right plucking angle with the thumb on the bass note till that chord sounds pristine with all fingers. Once you're good there you're good all over.
I switched to the ramp style a while back. For me it works better and has an added advantage. I used to break a nail often, which was very frustrating. Now with ramped nails I rarely break a nail, and when I do it's much easier to file around the damage.
I like mine somewhere between ramp and rounded. You don't have to go 0-1 binary in this case in my experience. My nails tend to hook slighty tho so I hav to keep them around 1,5 mm max. This way I can get to play picado and rasgueados without bigger issues.
Look almost exactly like mine, apart from thumb as I didn't keep on top of the length and caught it on my chest playing a snooker shot, snapped it good.
Although I’m not particularly experienced in playing classical guitar, I find my use of nails to be most prominent in playing electric bass. Particularly with more abrasive styles of music (Punk, Metal, etc) they tend to benefit from the more aggressive sonic character of nails compared to flesh. The rounded shape nail works fine as my fingers are more or less perpendicular to the strings. I’m kinda surprised at that slanted nail but I can see how it works with how your fingers are positioned near the strings as well.
Thanks for sharing how to shape your right hand thumb (P) and fingernails (i m a ) to a 45 degree slanted shape when you decided to play classical guitar fingerstyle using your nails as a pick to get a better brighter plucked string sounds. I do normally file my fingernails to an "oval shape" using a file and sand paper to smoothen the rounded nails. The reason as a guitar fingerstyle player (playing without using guitar pick) I do a lot of percussive strumming with the tips of my fingernails and sometime switching to fingerstyle picking patterns (P i m a) when playing guitar chord melody pieces. I guessed playing with some fingernail tips still sounds better than playing with the fleshy part of our fingers and it all depends on which styles of guitar playing techniques you choose to play. I have seen some schools of classical guitar emphasizing playing without nails and the playing techniques is much harder pressing down the strings to get the right sounds. Anyway, thanks for sharing an interesting topic of playing with fingernails how to shape your nails correctly for the purpose of classical guitar playing techniques.
You're welcome! Having spent a lot of time with nails and without, I would like to emphasize that they are both equally valid and beautiful techniques. The choice entirely depends on one's preference for timbre. I don't think one is harder than the other but they both require many years to become proficient. All the best with your playing! Brandon
Thank you, Brandon. I look forward to seeing how you shape rounded fingernails, as a compromise between these long slanted ones (my nails are too weak) and no nails (softer volume).
Hello, thanks for the great video. I have an issue with the sound on like 7th fret and higher on trebles. The sound is often quite scattered, depends on the angle of the nail, but I can’t find some shape which eliminates it completely. Usually index finger sounds more projective/less scattered - maybe because the nail touches the string rather perpendicular. Any thoughts about it? Or do you think it might be because of guitar?
This has me intrigued. I play the harp, and keep my nails very short. The reason being that while plucking with my nails gave a sharper sound, I would actually lose that length very quickly as my nails would catch on the strings infrequently. I might start playing around with nail shape to see if I can reduce the chance of nail catching
I cant Really decide how i want my nails, sometimes it feels better to shorten them and sometime its more comfortable having longer nails....is there any solid answer about the nails?
One of my guitar teachers used plastic or nail-clippings with crazy-glue to force the nail curve and have a little more nail material: thickness, not length. I haven’t tried hard enough to copy him & make that all work out for me yet… but I’m gonna try again. Maybe I’ll ask my li’l sister or a friend how is a girls to help me out, and if it’s goes successfully (& if the results are significant enough), perhaps I’ll look into appointments with a professional nail-care person…
Yes it's my preferred shape for everything but it is all above personal preference here. I find it works best for speed while maintaining a full free stroke sound. You can also taper the ramp in very subtle ways if you find it catching too much.
Tone Production on the Classical Guitar by John Taylor. The Bible thereof. If you can find it! Now out of print. John was/is a world class guitarist and recording engineer.
Take vitamins. I've been playing for 30 years and I'm also a cabinetmaker so I abuse my nails. Vitamins do the trick for me. A good multi- vitamin should work.
I needed this. I took an entire year to learn a fingerpicking song, 8 hours a day for a year. I managed to pull off one recording of it with no errors, but the recording was done on an inner pickup, not a mic, so the recording sounds like it's from 1920. I am still very proud of it.
If it’s in more of the Travis picking vein, you can also use a pick on your thumb. That’s how Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and even Paul Simon do. You can even use just the bare flesh like James Taylor does. (Some classical guitarists also use bare flesh.)
@@StarQueenEstrella Yes! That's what I did. I was holding a pick, but my motor muscles couldn't support holding a pick at that speed, so I used a thumb pick.
Yes fake nails are an option. Another great option for very weak nails is to play without nails which is a wonderfully warm and intimate sound. I have a course which teaches this technique here: classicalguitarpro.teachable.com/p/no-nails-in-10-days
You made a video on how no nails made a great sound and made a big deal of it telling us how some of the greatest guitar players/ composers used the no-nail method. Why nails now??? It wasn't such a great idea after all?
I think you misunderstood my point. Both the nail technique and no-nail technique are beautiful. I use both at different times. One is not better than the other because it comes down to personal preference. The reason I make such a point to say many of our great guitar composers (not all) played without nails is because there is a widespread myth that long nails are the ONLY valid option and this is nonsense.
i have weak nails. dear nail salons, if you actually come up with a set of guitar nails short one hand and according to Brandons video you might could make some money
Feels a bit like peeping through a hole here. I mean, we regular pluckers all know you pros are all obsessed about nails and files, but there also seems to be an odd taboo shrouding the topic. Googling details seemed hard to me when I tried once. Now that hidden guitarist knowledge, like it happens regularly, finds me through your channel.
The difference in timbre and amplitude when playing with nails vs without nails, is that playing with healthy nail & flesh will project crisp and resonant sound, and positive valence that leads to feeling happy as a Clam at high tide. Playing without nails and only flesh is like having a one way ticket to Palookaville where the feeling is static ambivalence, which can be as welcoming as outhouse breeze. No nails is Nicky Nacky Noo🫥
This is an unfortunately common position which, I believe, comes from only ignorance of the technique. It is often stated by those who have never spent even a year playing without nails. Those who have sincerely tried both techniques come to the conclusion that both are valid and have a beautiful sound and which technique one uses is only due to preference. obviously you cannot hold your views and know your history. how else would the greats like Sor, Carcassi, Pujol and Tarrega have come to the clear conclusion that they preferred playing without nails?
@brandonacker Opinions & beliefs are like assholes, everybody's got one. However, I am an acquired taste. If you don’t like my subjective descriptions & ideas, think about acquiring some taste:) Perhaps take the advice from your fellow UA-cam stars that ripped the quote, ad infinitum, from it's origin: Do not fear perfection, because you’ll never reach it. Most importantly, don’t be so humble-you are not that great🤠🤙🏼 Cheers!
You have stated your preference for nails which is valid, the ad hominem attacks are a waste of time. However, many prefer the sound with flesh. No problem here, just taste differences. Claiming either technique is ridiculous or invalid is absurd. Again, tell that to Sor, Carcassi, and Giuliani.
My Online Beginner Guitar Course: classicalguitar-pro.com/
Shaping all three nails at once for the ramp is actually such a useful tip. I've used rounded nails simply because I always shaped my nails one by one.. when shaping the ramp I would always spend forever shaping my nails to get the angle right, but this becomes obsolete when shaping them all at once. Definitely trying this out
Bless you Brandon. I have struggled for years trying to get a good shape. After viewing this video I decided to give it a go. Wow! It works. I am now achieving my best tone ever. Grazie mille.
I'm used to play without nails since I started to learn the guitar. Right now I am letting my nails grow because I want to achieve a sharper sound of the notes. This video was very helpful.
Welcome back to team nails 😁
🤣I have no team! I do both
@@brandonacker By that, do you mean that you let your nails grow for a while and play with them, then file them back and play without them? Surely you can't go back and forth with doing this...
@@GarySchiltz Yes that's exactly what I mean. I've been doing that for 3 years and have made many recordings and played many concerts using both techniques.
@@brandonacker hello Brandon !
Not practising guitar myself i have a question that guitarists may find a bit weird to ask but ...is it possible to break a nail while playing the guitar or not ?
If so , is it more likely to happen with nylon ,metal or both ?
@@virginielafrench3921 of course, but I tend to not let them grow that long, I get nicks etc in them and file constantly, trash nails sadly.
WOW all i can say is, i've been needing this for a long time. This is by far the best. Thank you thank you!!!!!!!
Thanks so much for this Brandon!
I’m a rounder. Everything you say is valuable. I play steel string with a pick and have many types of picks. My favorite ones tend to be those made for jazz which have a slightly rounded tip. The pointed more flexible ones give a brighter sound which is great for folk songs and strumming. Alas. We can’t change our nails as readily. Otherwise, I might try the ramp but it would take me another three to six months if I preferred the rounded. One caveat about nails is that I find them inconvenient for a 12 string steel and have to modify my angle to use flesh only. Work in progress. Thanks.
thank you brandon, this was exactly what i was looking for
This was so helpful -- I immediately reshaped my nails -- what a difference!! Thank you!
I find that washing and drying my hands (and thus nails) right after filing helps show your new nail shape and softens the nails slightly so it's easier to make the careful adjustments with fine sandpaper/a nail file. Great vid as always!
amazing :) thank you Brandon :) my nails are super long in comparison to yours but I like them this way. I recently lost one as well, which was a tragedy of course but the nail specialist glued the artificial one for me and it works ok too :)
I've been struggling with my thumb nail for quite some time. I was very pleased after having applied the suggested things in this video because I could use my thumb nail nicely afterwards. The first shape shown works for me and the "7th string" approach is nice but I let I,M,A sit on strings A,D,G. Since my thumb nail has a lot of curvature, I use a hot spoon to bring it into desired shape (saw it on another big channel).
Excellent timing lol my nails are ready for shaping
I’ve been playing for 50 years. Nightmare nails (guess I chose the wrong instrument but I’m hooked). They’re bent, hooked and curved and all are different. The only solution for me is to keep them really short, barely beyond the flesh. But it’s import then to use a lubricant so the flesh slides across the strings and doesn’t catch. Short nails also ensure a nail/flesh initial contact which is so important for a good tone. But I have always had problems with the angle of attack of the "a" finger. It wasn’t ramping cleanly , more of a scrape. Then I realised what had gradually been happening. I was changing the angle of my thumb (often due to thumb nail problems). If the thumb is at say 50 degrees to the strings, the back of the right hand moves away from the strings on the pinky side radically changing the angle of all fingers and therefore the way their ramps interact with the strings, especially "a". If the thumb is at a more normal 25-30 degrees the ami fingers becomes nearer 90 degrees. In this flatter position the nail problem with "a" disappears. So it could be argued that the thumb nail determines the ramp angle on the other nails and should be settled on first. Just a thought. Love the stuff you put out there Brandon. So calm. Even the background music (so often a major irritant elsewhere) is soothing. Good ol’ Chopin.
I found this to be true also. Got to be careful with the thumb nail. What works for me is playing a chord at 7th fret from the A, find the right plucking angle with the thumb on the bass note till that chord sounds pristine with all fingers. Once you're good there you're good all over.
@Mackievellian Definitely worth a try, cheers.
Brillant ! Thank you :)
I switched to the ramp style a while back. For me it works better and has an added advantage. I used to break a nail often, which was very frustrating. Now with ramped nails I rarely break a nail, and when I do it's much easier to file around the damage.
0:39 should I be right in thinking that since your pinky nail isn’t longer like the other four digits, you don’t use the pinky for playing the guitar?
nobody uses pinky
Yeah that's true. You barely use it and from what I know, I've only used it in some flamenco strumming or some advanced hybrid picking.
@@xx_pcgamer_xx6866 Kazuhito Yamashita does
@@StarQueenEstrella hes a phony
@@StarQueenEstrellavilla lobos also used it, that’s why you can see chords with 5 notes at once; he didn’t strum bite he plucked them with pimac
I like mine somewhere between ramp and rounded. You don't have to go 0-1 binary in this case in my experience. My nails tend to hook slighty tho so I hav to keep them around 1,5 mm max. This way I can get to play picado and rasgueados without bigger issues.
I didn't expect any professional to actually use the sandpaper method as well Xd
Now I don't need to feel like I'm doing this too wrong
All professionals use sandpaper!
Look almost exactly like mine, apart from thumb as I didn't keep on top of the length and caught it on my chest playing a snooker shot, snapped it good.
Although I’m not particularly experienced in playing classical guitar, I find my use of nails to be most prominent in playing electric bass. Particularly with more abrasive styles of music (Punk, Metal, etc) they tend to benefit from the more aggressive sonic character of nails compared to flesh. The rounded shape nail works fine as my fingers are more or less perpendicular to the strings. I’m kinda surprised at that slanted nail but I can see how it works with how your fingers are positioned near the strings as well.
Thanks for sharing how to shape your right hand thumb (P) and fingernails (i m a ) to a 45 degree slanted shape when you decided to play classical guitar fingerstyle using your nails as a pick to get a better brighter plucked string sounds. I do normally file my fingernails to an "oval shape" using a file and sand paper to smoothen the rounded nails. The reason as a guitar fingerstyle player (playing without using guitar pick) I do a lot of percussive strumming with the tips of my fingernails and sometime switching to fingerstyle picking patterns (P i m a) when playing guitar chord melody pieces. I guessed playing with some fingernail tips still sounds better than playing with the fleshy part of our fingers and it all depends on which styles of guitar playing techniques you choose to play. I have seen some schools of classical guitar emphasizing playing without nails and the playing techniques is much harder pressing down the strings to get the right sounds. Anyway, thanks for sharing an interesting topic of playing with fingernails how to shape your nails correctly for the purpose of classical guitar playing techniques.
You're welcome! Having spent a lot of time with nails and without, I would like to emphasize that they are both equally valid and beautiful techniques. The choice entirely depends on one's preference for timbre.
I don't think one is harder than the other but they both require many years to become proficient.
All the best with your playing!
Brandon
Thank you, Brandon. I look forward to seeing how you shape rounded fingernails, as a compromise between these long slanted ones (my nails are too weak) and no nails (softer volume).
You're welcome! I show how to file rounded nails in this video too but I don't personally like the shape.
@@brandonacker Oh, that part went by so quickly I missed it. Thanks again!
Hello, thanks for the great video. I have an issue with the sound on like 7th fret and higher on trebles. The sound is often quite scattered, depends on the angle of the nail, but I can’t find some shape which eliminates it completely. Usually index finger sounds more projective/less scattered - maybe because the nail touches the string rather perpendicular. Any thoughts about it? Or do you think it might be because of guitar?
This has me intrigued.
I play the harp, and keep my nails very short. The reason being that while plucking with my nails gave a sharper sound, I would actually lose that length very quickly as my nails would catch on the strings infrequently. I might start playing around with nail shape to see if I can reduce the chance of nail catching
Harp is played without nails, for the best!
Legend
I cant Really decide how i want my nails, sometimes it feels better to shorten them and sometime its more comfortable having longer nails....is there any solid answer about the nails?
One of my guitar teachers used plastic or nail-clippings with crazy-glue to force the nail curve and have a little more nail material: thickness, not length. I haven’t tried hard enough to copy him & make that all work out for me yet… but I’m gonna try again. Maybe I’ll ask my li’l sister or a friend how is a girls to help me out, and if it’s goes successfully (& if the results are significant enough), perhaps I’ll look into appointments with a professional nail-care person…
I had to let my nails grow before trying. Well, it works! Thanks 👍🏻
I filed my ramp in the wrong bloody direction. Saw a picture and didn’t think it was reversed🤦🏻♂️- this video helped, take two!
Genuine question....The ramp shape is also good when you play the tremolo? From my experience i preferred the rounded shape
Yes it's my preferred shape for everything but it is all above personal preference here. I find it works best for speed while maintaining a full free stroke sound. You can also taper the ramp in very subtle ways if you find it catching too much.
What guitar are you playing here?
Saers torres copy :)
Hello,
may I ask you why you have no nail on your pinky finger?
Thanks in advance.
We don't use it to pluck
Recommend us some books to read in a video ❤❤ SENSEI ❤❤
Tone Production on the Classical Guitar by John Taylor. The Bible thereof. If you can find it! Now out of print. John was/is a world class guitarist and recording engineer.
Brandon, what do you use to make nails stronger? Thank you.
I have strong nails so I don't do anything except making sure that I don't use them as tools.
Take vitamins.
I've been playing for 30 years and I'm also a cabinetmaker so I abuse my nails. Vitamins do the trick for me. A good multi- vitamin should work.
I needed this. I took an entire year to learn a fingerpicking song, 8 hours a day for a year. I managed to pull off one recording of it with no errors, but the recording was done on an inner pickup, not a mic, so the recording sounds like it's from 1920.
I am still very proud of it.
If it’s in more of the Travis picking vein, you can also use a pick on your thumb. That’s how Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and even Paul Simon do. You can even use just the bare flesh like James Taylor does. (Some classical guitarists also use bare flesh.)
@@StarQueenEstrella Yes! That's what I did. I was holding a pick, but my motor muscles couldn't support holding a pick at that speed, so I used a thumb pick.
I work with my hands. It's very difficult for me to keep from breaking nails. What do you do when you break a nail? Do you ever use fake nails?
Yes fake nails are an option. Another great option for very weak nails is to play without nails which is a wonderfully warm and intimate sound. I have a course which teaches this technique here: classicalguitarpro.teachable.com/p/no-nails-in-10-days
What happened to your no nail phase?
I've been going back and forth for several years now. Depends what instruments and music I'm working on.
As a pop Christian rock musician, I usually use my thumb 👍 my index & middle finger. To play. This is valuable info as usual Brandon. Thank you. 😊
What is a pop christian musician may i ask out of curiosity?
A boring one! Lol!
@joseph2832 to an atheist yes. 😊
@Thelightfool listen to KLove radio for 30 seconds and you'll see.
@@oreally8605-
Great answer. 👍
I thought i was the only one doing this lmao
Best way is to polish the nails is to use 600 + grit waterpapers
Bro if this video was released in 1955 it would get a million views
🤣
Playing *with* nails? Oh no, another hero goes back to the dark side LOL.
haha! I go back and forth and don't have a side.
You made a video on how no nails made a great sound and made a big deal of it telling us how some of the greatest guitar players/ composers used the no-nail method. Why nails now??? It wasn't such a great idea after all?
I think you misunderstood my point. Both the nail technique and no-nail technique are beautiful. I use both at different times. One is not better than the other because it comes down to personal preference.
The reason I make such a point to say many of our great guitar composers (not all) played without nails is because there is a widespread myth that long nails are the ONLY valid option and this is nonsense.
What?! You’ve gone to the dark side 😱
i have weak nails. dear nail salons, if you actually come up with a set of guitar nails short one hand and according to Brandons video you might could make some money
Try fat soluble vitamins and collagen.
Feels a bit like peeping through a hole here. I mean, we regular pluckers all know you pros are all obsessed about nails and files, but there also seems to be an odd taboo shrouding the topic. Googling details seemed hard to me when I tried once. Now that hidden guitarist knowledge, like it happens regularly, finds me through your channel.
I prefer no nails I just don’t like having long nails in my opinion it looks unattractive and it looks painful.
Brandon Nailing It.
But, alas, there are many ways to attack a poor, defenseless widdle string....
I swear I've heard the song ur playing before but idk where
The difference in timbre and amplitude when playing with nails vs without nails, is that playing with healthy nail & flesh will project crisp and resonant sound, and positive valence that leads to feeling happy as a Clam at high tide. Playing without nails and only flesh is like having a one way ticket to Palookaville where the feeling is static ambivalence, which can be as welcoming as outhouse breeze. No nails is Nicky Nacky Noo🫥
So get outta Palookaville Douchebagistan and grow the nails. Get Wicked.
Word.
This is an unfortunately common position which, I believe, comes from only ignorance of the technique. It is often stated by those who have never spent even a year playing without nails. Those who have sincerely tried both techniques come to the conclusion that both are valid and have a beautiful sound and which technique one uses is only due to preference.
obviously you cannot hold your views and know your history. how else would the greats like Sor, Carcassi, Pujol and Tarrega have come to the clear conclusion that they preferred playing without nails?
@brandonacker Opinions & beliefs are like assholes, everybody's got one. However, I am an acquired taste. If you don’t like my subjective descriptions & ideas, think about acquiring some taste:)
Perhaps take the advice from your fellow UA-cam stars that ripped the quote, ad infinitum, from it's origin:
Do not fear perfection, because you’ll never reach it.
Most importantly, don’t be so humble-you are not that great🤠🤙🏼
Cheers!
You have stated your preference for nails which is valid, the ad hominem attacks are a waste of time. However, many prefer the sound with flesh. No problem here, just taste differences. Claiming either technique is ridiculous or invalid is absurd. Again, tell that to Sor, Carcassi, and Giuliani.