nails - if I bite them am I out of luck?

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hippowong

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I have a serious OCD issue with biting my nails. I've been able to grow out my pointer and thumb nail to some degree but the other fingers I can't resist not biting them.

Am I screwed if I want to do finger rolls and plucking?
 
I've bitten my nails my entire life. I've also played guitar for about 35 years and ukulele for several months. It's never been an issue. I just pick with my fingertips.
 
I'm no authority but I'm gonna say no. Just pluck the strings with your finger tips. You'll just be getting a softer sound out of the plucked string. I used to mess around with finger picking on the guitar and didn't want to grow out the nails on my fingers because I just hated how it looked. It looked too odd for me to have long nails on one hand and short on the other and I didn't want to have long nails on both hands to make it even. In the end, I preferred the softer sound of the string plucked with my finger tip over the sound of a string plucked by a nail.
 
mikelz777 said:
It looked too odd for me to have long nails on one hand and short on the other and I didn't want to have long nails on both hands to make it even.
Click to expand...

You know, I'm probably gonna get a lot of flak for saying this on a forum built entirely around stringed plucked instruments, but here goes: as I guy, I feel like it's just creepy having one hand of long fingernails (for the record, having long fingernails on both hands is no better). I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, but I'm sure you don't need longer-than-normal fingernails to play an ukulele well. Sure, it may help, but so too would having six fingers on your left hand and I can say with some degree of certainty that unless you live in the deep south (USA), Wales (UK), or Tasmania (Australia) then that's really not a good look either...

So basically, in answer to your question: "no". Let your OCD run free, and bite those nails as often as you want to.

Cheers,
Ash

Disclaimer: No offence intended to those who live in the deep south (USA) or Wales (UK). Oh, and I'm well aware that I have not included Tasmania in this disclaimer.
 
AussieAsh said:
You know, I'm probably gonna get a lot of flak for saying this on a forum built entirely around stringed plucked instruments, but here goes: as I guy, I feel like it's just creepy having one hand of long fingernails (for the record, having long fingernails on both hands is no better). I'm sure a lot of people will disagree, but I'm sure you don't need longer-than-normal fingernails to play an ukulele well.
Click to expand...

When I started playing the Guitar at age 12 my first guitar teacher had long nails and also glued some sort of plastic thing to the side of his thumb nail... So I agree with the creepiness because it creeped me out too. :eek:

However some ukulele players do grow their nails. It's just they don't grow them noticebaly long. Just enough to pluck the strings.
 
Your nails do not have to be long to fingerpick effectively. Yes, you can pick with the pads of your fingertips, but without nails it wouldn't sound as clear, crisp or loud.

OP, how old are you? I'm not going to bag on you for biting your nails, but it's about as classy as picking your nose, scratching your buttcrack or rearranging your junk in public.

Also, I'm going to assume you're male, because you've apparently never had to put on pantyhose with rough nails and ruined them.

My advise... let them grow a little bit. When they start to seem too long, file them down. Then when you've found the optimal length for you, you just need to file them a bit a couple times a week to maintain them. It's not like you need some type of religious routine, just keep a nail file near where you watch tv so you think to pick it up now and then.
 
I had been a nail biter for 35 years. I quit after picking up the uke. If you can't quit cold turkey, then try just biting the left hand (if you're a righty).
 
On occasion, I've had the opportunity to play an instrument at a friends house or wherever, and discovered that my nails are too long on my fretting hand. Many times I've bitten them off only to take too much nail and make them too painful to play properly.

Don't do it!
 
Picking goes quite well with the fleshy part of my fingers, but for a good sounding strum I really need a bit of nail on my right index finger, it just sounds way better. My son is also a nailbiter and we bought something to put on his nails, it just tastes awfull, and it really helps him to not bite his nails. When I'm stressed from work or something else I put a bit on my strumming nail to. It helps.
 
I am an avid nail biter, i bite down to the quick a lot... and no, you do not need to worry about finger picking. I have played a piece in a recital by picking with the flesh of my fingers. but i do somewhat use my nail (even if it is short) to strum.

hope this helps :)
 
itsme said:
I'm not going to bag on you for biting your nails, but it's about as classy as picking your nose, scratching your buttcrack or rearranging your junk in public.
Click to expand...

ROFL! Actually, scratching one's buttcrack regularly might be the cure for biting one's fingernails...

John
 
Just pick and strum with what you have. If your nails are short you'll still be able to develop some 'snap' when you pick. I file my nails down fairly short and have developed some callous on the finger tips. I do catch a lite nail when I pick. I also prefer Worth clears for the sound they produce with little nail.

I'm certainly no expert on any of this. But I encourage you to put as much time into playing as you can. You will be surprised how much better you become.
 
I'm a hardcore nail biter. I mean I bite til I bleed... BUT I quit cold turkey three weeks ago thanks to the uke.

I didn't bother with only biting one nail or any of the other methods, I just stopped. The way I deal with the anxiety is I allow myself to put my fingers to my mouth but instead of biting the nail i just kind of flick it against my teeth. Hard to explain...

Also chew a lot of gum, it helps.

After one week of not biting your nails, scratching your balls will never be the same and you'll realize it's worth it.
 
Tycho Brahe said:
After one week of not biting your nails, scratching your balls will never be the same and you'll realize it's worth it.
Click to expand...

That's probably the best reason to keep chewing your nails. Unless you like spending the whole day walking like John Wayne.
 
My dad used to threaten to dip our fingers in dog $#!+ if we kept biting our nails. Seems to have worked for me. He now tells my kids the same thing. They have lovely nails.
 
I don't bite my nails very often, but I do keep them really short. I do a fair amount of finger picking, all with my fingertips, and I like the sound. If you really want a brighter attack, there are plenty of finger picks on the market.

I agree that long nails do look kind of odd on guys - as a former cop, I still tend to associate it with the cocaine lifestyle...
 
I managed to keep myself from biting my nails when I worked as a plumber.
There's just something about raw sewage that put me off the whole thing..
But in all seriousness. I'm also a hardcore nail biter. What has gotten me to quit biting my nails has been two things.
My work. And women.
Those two "motivational factors" worked very well.. Lol
Amazing what we do for our loved ones.. :)
 
I've always kept my fingernails short. I've never had a problem with it. I do fingerpicking with my fingertips rather than my fingernails. And on a lot of strumming, I use the backs of my fingernails rather than the ends of them.
 
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