Tone Production On The Classical Guitar : Shaping, filing the fingernails
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- čas přidán 9. 12. 2010
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A clip from "tone production on the classical guitar" part one now available from www.payloadz.com/go/sip/?id=18... 22 minute film In which you will learn the basics of making a good sound on the classical guitar and many other tips...
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That nailed it :)
🔨
"You can remove weeks of good growth in a couple of files" applies to 'ol life as well, doesn't it. :)
+LuckyLicks absolutely!
..does. Sure af does.
I'd never thought that filing fingers for guitar playing would be this complicated
Oh yes! Sure is!
trust me, it's complex but it's really not that usefuòl
I use to have lessons with this guy when I was a kid amazing at guitar
love the soundsamples from the start to finish .. the difference is really huge
Thanks
thx sire. It was my problem which never attention to that and now its realy working for me to enjoy alot....
had a lil trouble putting this into perspective. couldn't tell which side was lateral and which was medial
Really instructive, precise and clear video, thank you!
Thanks for watching 👍
Fantastic video on nail shaping!
Really, really excellent advice. Thanks!
I've been using a French liquid nail solution called Onymyrrhe for a year or so now, and it's really helped to keep my usually rather brittle nails strong and durable; that plus applying lip balm a couple times a day in winter to keep them from drying out. It's made all the difference in the world.
As I've trailled lots of different shapes, I think it's more important that the nails are angled in such a way that they release off the string quickly whilst sounding good. As the guy said, file them at a slight ramp and round off the edges, if the sound is thin, then it means your hand is angled wrongly or that the nail itself is not shaped correctly.
Wish I could play well enough to worry about the shape of my nails. I just play and whatever sound comes out suits me fine.
Thanks David, good vid.
Great video, thanks!
Thanks Brian. Try just reducing the ramp a little. Since making this film I've tried to brighten my sound a little, different sounds for different people, I suppose!
Hi Jon, yes, false nails are a good option. I have broken nails several times over the years and have "resorted" to false nails. Once on and filed I remember thinking, "these are great, I'll use them all the time!" It's when your nails re-grow that they're not quite so convenient. I have a friend, a fine player called David Cottam who only ever plays with false nails. He makes a lovely sound too, so if you have thin nails give them a go. Careful taking them off though, you can damage the nail.
Awesome video!
very useful! Thank you
Awesome!!
Thanks MrTrucTran, I've now fixed the problem!
Pretty cool I’ve just started playing with my nails I always thought they were to thin cause they would catch and bend bud recently started folding them and it seems to be working out pretty good
👍
Very usefull. Many thanks !
😊👍
Thanks. I’m currently growing out my nails. I’m a beginner.
Nails take time, hope the video helps 👍😊
Helpful video.
Thanks dude..👌👍😊
Hi pikachu. Thanks for your contribution. What isn't clear in this clip is that I do say in the film that this isn't the only way, many people do it differently, playing with crescent shape nails, (John Mills) or even from the other side of the nail, (Presti, Abreu etc.) This way works for me. I think it's governed by hand position, size of nails etc....
It’s interesting to notate that the shape of nails you precognice is almost the way the nail shapes itself naturally with time just by the simple fact of playing a lot on the strings (taking acconnt you play on one side of the nail). ;)
Thank You Sir...👍👍👍👍👍👍
very informative
Hi Michael. It could be a number of reasons, I'd really have to see what's happening. Do you mean picking with i and m? If so, try angling the nails straight on by turning the wrist very slightly and they won't scrape across the wound strings. If it's the thumb it'll be the way you've filed your nail. Hope this helps you!
hi..quite a good demo with the safe and better sounding quality tips and steps of filing especially just before the performance etc..well, could u also suggest some tips for strengthening a brittle nail or so would also be so kind of u..thanks so much..warm cheers..siva..india..(guitsiva)..
Hi David,
Love your videos, and your arrangements. One thing I’ve never been certain of is the correct stroke for the thumb. Does the stroke start at the bottom of the ramp and release in the middle, or is it the other way round?
Hi Richard. It starts at the bottom will flesh and nail and releases the string at the top.
Thank you very much!:)
Hope it helps Jordan. ☺
what do you recommend if you want to play both classical and flamenco style?
Many Thank' s for This ( vdc ) Tutorial on Delicate Argoment. .. For Me it' s a' Very problem or question of the Nail' s. .. Nice One Mr. D. Jaggs ... ☺😊😀/💙💙💙/👍👌👏
Thanks for watching ☺
Try lapping paper much much finer than emery paper 😊
Excellent video!!!All my dudes about nails has gone!!!
nicely explained
Thanks for watching 👍
The part of the nail i.e left or right side that touches the string depends on the angle of the hand to the string.
Therefore very important to have the guitar placed correctly-Ana vidovic has virtuoso technique in this respect.
Where can I get the nail buffer shown at 3:44 and how is it different from the 'diamond file'?
Me: Omg, who would waste their time watching beauty guru's?!
Also me: ↑
I prefer the fig 1. nail with a ramp on both sides. Makes a more articulate tone. Personally I find the full ramp to be a dull thud. However, I do really like the sound of your playing so the full ramp obviously works for some.
Perhaps the fact that there are a variety of nail curves needs to be addressed more?
Cheers for the video.
if you want to have strong nails you can shape any way you want to and rarely break or tear them take pre natal vitimins. Works super well.
I switched to strumming/picking with my right-hand fingertips only, and find it ideal for the Renaissance and early Baroque music I tend to play on my Spanish guitar. You can hear the result on my YT site, under "Francesco d'Amstelredamo".
Strengthening nails with liquid strengthener works great, though the nail itself weakens. Takes too much sanding though. Glue on nails sound great to me, but pop off rarely, and weakened my nails. Taking keratin everyday is strengthening my nails naturally.
I have just started playing Spanish guitar with fingertips and sounds good and mellow but lacks the bite, particularly on high notes. How long does it take to master nails and what do I do if I am a nail biter?
Tad Pole it'll take a little time.. when you hear the results you'll stop biting and want to look after the nails!
Any thoughts on playing without nails? It has gained popularity in the last couple of years (now being 2024). I like it from the standpoint of not needing nail maintenance, but find the tone less satisfying. And for some reason, my nails have pretty much quit growing now that I'm in my mid 60s, so for me it's a moot point anyway.
It's nice to hear 19th century and older music without nails, as that is closer to how it would have been performed originally.
. You have the possibility of false nails too, not really much difference in feel or sound.
I have very thin fingers and I can find the correct shape to produce a good tone.What do you recommend?How did you discover your correct nails shape?This doesn´t let me advance...please reply...I have tried ten years and still I can solve this very important problem...
Thank you so much for this video. Could you do a video on how to strengthen weak nails. it would be much appreciated :)
I use nail hardener as well..😁
👍
Is it okay to do the whole process with a multi-sided nail filer (the little colorful ones that have a buffer and polisher)?
If they sound good. . Yes!😀
What type of paper is that?
Thanks so much for sharing this video!!!
I had the book Pumping Nylon by Scott Tennant and he had a small segment in there similar to what you're talking about ...showing the way the nails should be shaped to get the best tone production out of your playing. If you take what you do seriously, all bases should be covered including Nail Care. I play Classical guitar... but I'm fascinated by the Flamenco style. I let my nails grow a little bit longer for the Rasqueado, Picado, and Alzapua. But even still tone production should be the main priority!!! I really appreciate you helping me to get back on track.👍
Thanks for writing Kevin. I'm glad it's been of some help to you.
for some reason I cant make my ring finger sound good...
WHAT ABOUT FALSE NAILS / GLUE ON?? please reply
it would be really great if it was in 720p (maybe my phone does not work properly right now but only options are 140p and 240p for me now) but the video is very informative, loads of people play the guitar unfortunately dont care enough about tone control and nails
Thanks! I made it a long time ago on an old camcorder!
I'm a pony! No really, this is a very good video! Two thumbs up!
A quick and easy polisher I always like to keep on hand is simple paper or rough cardboard. It's readily available in daily life and I like to take a few minutes here and there to polish the surfaces with cardboard or paper any time I might have idle.
If you want a glass surface, it's really good. The material is softer than high grit sandpaper too, so you're less likely to lose material.
I found this tutorial useful though.
I usually use a 'bad' shape (ramped on the front side and rounded tip) because the attack is quicker and I had been using another bad shape that encouraged a lot of sliding of the string. I had always assumed that this was just my bad habits and I should have a perfect round moon shape with a 90 degree angle to the string. I'm going to give this a try though and see if I can get a meatier sound without sliding on the string using the angles my finger takes.
Hey, when I pick the top E A and D strings, it produces a scratchy sound. Would this be because of the way my nails are shaped or my technique.
I know it's 6 years ago, but I have the same problem. For me it's the angle my thumbnail makes to the base strings, among other things - instead of plucking cleanly, it slides along. I'm trying to adjust, but habits die hard. Hope this helps.
Fucking excellent tutorial
my 'a' nail never seems quite right tone wise, I've tried shaping it in many different ways, but it's just naturally very curled and hard to kind of flatten out for a good tone, if that makes sense
Makes perfect sense actually. I remember seeing this vídeo back in 2014 or 15 and tried to match 'visually' the,shape of my nails to this guys' ones.. Took me literally years to find out that my right hand position/technique actually called for a totally inverse 'ramp' that he shows, especially the a finger. So reading again these comments i found yours especially relatable, and i am hoping that 2 years after you writing this, that you had some sort of paralel evolution to mine. Its much more about how you attack the string, how you feel it in your fingertip and nail, than about an abstract shape do you agree? Hope I made sense as well!
lol I just let mine grow 1 centimeter and shape then with a pointy aspect, I find it better for the style I play, but then again it's just an opinion because lol I can't realy play fingerstyle without huge nails.
it took me 20 years to find my own ways to shape my nails. And, And. And, at last, my nail shape is pretty similar to John Williams, it works the best for me, amazingly better. I do not listen to anyone anymore, I tried so many shapes, big no for me! There is a reason why John Williams has his nails quite flat instead of rounded nor angled. Of course, this will never apply to every guitarists. But it works the best for me. Also, the top view shape of nails is not entire crucial. It is how we buff and shape the nails sectionally too!!! It took me 20 years to realise a few breakthrough factors to fix my nail flaws!!
et pour le jeur de flamenco
I didn’t know Quentin Tarantino played classical guitar!
Hah! Could be worse I suppose!
Awesome video thank you Quentin!
Would this still contribute to acoustic guitar?
Not really... although listen to my latest video "clap ". I use nails on a steel string. ...
i have the problem with the loud overtone on the ringfinger. ive tryed everything, but it sounds still so loud.
darkthrone=neat.
???
cut closer to finger so you get more skin, it will tone down the volumne
then i play some notes with the nail and some with the skin. and when i find the optimal lenght, then its much louder. ive make the left side on the nail longer, now its better.
could be the positioning of your ring finger Ana Vidovic did a master class on how to get a warm tone with the ring finger finger
my m and a finger's nail beds are very, very curved...please suggest me something...
Soumyadipta Ray You should get used to play with very short nails, because the more long the nail is the more curved it gets.
How do u NOT bite them?
I've had them for 40 years... you get used to them. Couldn't play without them!
My ring finger nail lifts off from the finger much lower than the other nails, so I have to grow it longer to compensate for it, so weird.
and the thumb?
Hi Blake. Same sort of shape. Ramp from left to right.
i play very much and often hard i see that the nail is a bit leaving the flesh.. is there any tipp? i have the feeling it doesnt grow together
+Arjuna 1 I don't fully understand your question..
DPJFILMS
the nail gets of the flesh at the top. Not much.. but very, very little.. i feel like i doesn't grow together.. that scares me.
i cames through much and hard playing and picking hard maybe..
+Arjuna 1 I'd have to see what you are doing, but maybe you could try playing with a quicker attack, this could maybe reduce the problem.
At this moment in time, your link does not work ....
who's nails look that good
i cant have nails because of my job
Shame.. but players in the 19th century didn't use nails so you can claim to be more authentic than us nail players!
But your job is a carpenter !
Welp all of my nails have different shapes and sizes so......
I just use finger picks
for classical?
Sorry, I know nothing about flamenco!
As a classical guitarist, those nails are way too long. Per Segovia and self, you’re missing half of your tone abilities by not playing with flesh along with nails. Just buy lee press ons for jeez sake.
Which nails are way too long?
this bullshit,,,,, it is all on the guitarist stroke,,,,,,,,,,,
Play with scratchy nails and you'll have a vile sound whoever you are.
These nail videos are so lame..just play and you'll eventually figure out tone on your own
Of course concert classical guitarists disagree with you, but hope you have fun with your instrument
Johnny Brimstone they’re extremely helpful. It’s easy to be unaware of how nails generate tone so what’s the harm in a point in the right direction
That’s like saying ballerinas don’t care about their toenails
James Kelley exactly!😂
If I had seen this video just as I begun it would have saved me months of gradual exploration and learning.