Great tip for shaping nails

[muchi]

Hi All,

I found this in an old thread in the forum, but I have found it to be remarkable advice, and so I'm bringing it to the fore as an offering to all those who have not yet heard it. It really has improved my tone immeasurably.

1. The correct nail bevel is important. Wrap a piece of 400 grit sandpaper around the 1st E string and then hold the guitar as if you're going to play it. Pluck the string with the i, m, a fingers until you see a flat area. You want a flat area about 1/4" wide for plucking the string. Use fine grit file / paper to finish the nail and round the edges. Repeat the above procedure by putting the sandpaper on the 6th E string and pluck it with your thumb until you get the obvioius flat area. Enlarge to 1/4", round, etc.. This is best way to get custom nail angle for yourself.

Best wishes,
Muchi

[AsturiasFan]

I don’t get it. I’ve tried this before and it just made things really bad. A few strokes to smooth things out is ok but any more and I just file off the part of the nail that is already working well. I guess I need to experiment more.

[muchi]

I don’t get it. I’ve tried this before and it just made things really bad. A few strokes to smooth things out is ok but any more and I just file off the part of the nail that is already working well. I guess I need to experiment more.

Maybe I've just never found the right shape for my nails in the past - but I've experimented lots.

Filing my nails this way, with the tip of the nail at the exact angle as the nails stroke on the string means less resistance from the nail, and hence - for me - I find my fingers follow through more easily, and afford a purer tone.

Of course, playing the guitar is a never ending quest for improvement, so maybe in a year's time I'll be filing my nails in a different way altogether. But for now, I've got to say, I'm really happy with this technique.

[cn90]

Interesting idea.

Maybe we all should buy a "junk" guitar for $50-100 only for nail filing, then wrap sandpaper around strings and file the nail as if we are playing it!

[sandollars]

I wish I was good enough to be working on such details of my playing.....

[muchi]

Maybe I should've been a bit more specific. Firstly, I'm not quite sure how one would go about wrapping sandpaper around the string, so I just cut a strip of sandpaper which I hold onto the string with my left hand.

Also, I don't try to sand my fingernail down entirely in this way. I simply use the method as a 'mark' for the correct angle at which to file, and then continue as I always would have done before - away from the guitar.

I'm interested to know if others have tried this, and what they think?

[muchi]

Interesting idea.

Maybe we all should buy a "junk" guitar for $50-100 only for nail filing, then wrap sandpaper around strings and file the nail as if we are playing it!

Hey! Maybe there's a hole in the market for selling special guitars fitted with special sandpaper strings - just for filing nails!!

[AsturiasFan]

Muchi

Because of you post I'm going to try again--I probably filed too much. I think I just have to do it intelligently and observe exactly where I'm filing, which should be where there is too much resistance. Currently the i-finger could glide more at the far left, while the m-finger at about the quarter mark.

Thanks for your post!
AsturiasFan

[HAZ]

HI I HAVE ALWAYS HAD TRUOBLE GETTING MY NAILS TO GLIDE OVER THE STRINGS UNTIL I READ YOUR TIP OF WRAPPING THE SAND PAPER ROUND THE STRING TO GET THE SHAPE, NOW I EVEN REALLY ENJOY PLAYING TREMOLO NOW IT SOUNDS MUCH SMOTHER, GREAT TIP

[kehern]

CAPS LOCK IS CRUISE CONTROL FOR COOL.





Seriously man, that is quite unnecessary. We can all read when you don't have caps lock on.

[GeoffB]

Hi HAZ,

I notice you've only recently joined. Would you like to visit the Introduce Yourself subforum and tell us a bit about yourself so we can welcome you and give you a few tips about getting the best out of the forum? (Tip number 1: Please don't type in all caps, as it is actually harder to read! )

See you there,

Geoff

[JohnH]

Personally, I don't want sandpaper anywhere near my guitar!

[miramadar]

This baffles me.

For the first 3 or 4 years I played classical guitar, I shaped my nails so that each nail extended a uniform length beyond the finger tip. A couple of years ago I read about Scott Tennant's "ramping" method. I may have misread the article, but I thought his advice was to let the nail grow out a bit where it struck the string. I'm right handed. So, my nails are a bit longer on the left side of the fingertip than the right since my fingers (i, m and a) strike the string naturally on the left side of the fingertip. So, imagining that the nail is the face of a clock...my nail is longer in the 10 to 11 o'clock section and shorter (almost even with the fingertip) in the 1 to 2 o'clock range.

The method described above seems to remove nail where it strikes the string. I'm very confused. I'm a self-taught player, so any help would be appreciated.

Miramadar

[AsturiasFan]

This baffles me.

A couple of years ago I read about Scott Tennant's "ramping" method. I may have misread the article, but I thought his advice was to let the nail grow out a bit where it struck the string. I'm right handed. So, my nails are a bit longer on the left side of the fingertip than the right since my fingers (i, m and a) strike the string naturally on the left side of the fingertip.

Miramadar

Hi Miramadar

I think in almost any discussion it's implicitly understood that the fingers strike the string on the left side. If you came to the conclusion that the left side of the nail must be longer than the right, I think that you did indeed misread. That would be downhill ramping, but most common is uphill ramping. Tennant’s advice from pate 33 of Pumping Nylon can be broken down as follows

1. Low and Medium arched nails: Ramp uphill or downhill (consider downhill if you prefer rest strokes over free strokes)
2. High arched nails: ramping uphill is ok but downhill is preferable
3. Hooked Nails: ramp uphill

The method described above seems to remove nail where it strikes the string. I'm very confused. I'm a self-taught player, so any help would be appreciated.

I agree that since you downhill ramp the nails, this beveling method wouldn't be appropriate. I currently ramp uphill and still have the opinion that it just removes nail where it shouldn't. Even with further experimentation I couldn't get this method to do anything for me--but I'm still going to keep trying just in case in pays off later.

[David]

Firstly, I'm not quite sure how one would go about wrapping sandpaper around the string, so I just cut a strip of sandpaper which I hold onto the string with my left hand.

There are two ways of doing this:

1. Fold part of the sandpaper over & just hook it over the strings. If I remember correctly there was a photograph in one of the threads on this. There are also a couple of sites that show the method. I'll find one of them later & post the link.

2. The method that I've used, slide the sand paper under two strings, over one & under the next two. You play the sandpaper that is 'over' the string.

The idea is to get the correct contact angle for your stroke, use it as a starting position. The length of the nail is ultimately up to you but most prefer a shorter nail than longer - do a search on nail length as it's been discussed many, many times. My finger nails on 'i' & 'm' are shorter on the LHS, for 'a' shorter on RHS (I'm right handed).

Kampret