So while em waiting for my nails to grow?

Lord.. I never thought I'd ask this.. But how do you guys do your nails? Mean if I wait a month to grow them and they break.. I well just screem!! hee.. Mean stamp my foot and lord knows what.. Really though, do you use nail hardening or what ever it is called? Does your wife catch you stealing hers.. Lol.. Just wondering??

Well there are different varieties of crystal nail files. I use one like this. Wouldn't be without it.
http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Glass...=1403837881&sr=8-9&keywords=Crystal+nail+file
Occasionally, I use this. It has worked well when I needed it.
http://www.amazon.com/Nailtiques-Fo...TF8&qid=1403837948&sr=8-1&keywords=Nailtiques

Hope that helps.

You don't have to have fashion model long nails for them to be effective. The white part of the nail just needs to be a bit over the fleshy pad of the finger.

I take four capsules of flax seed oil each day, which helps strengthen the nails and promotes growth. Good for you in other ways as well.

actadh said:

You don't have to have fashion model long nails for them to be effective. The white part of the nail just needs to be a bit over the fleshy pad of the finger.
I take four capsules of flax seed oil each day, which helps strengthen the nails and promotes growth. Good for you in other ways as well.

Click to expand...

Mmm.. Watching these Utube video, these guys nails sure are pretty..

I put NO products on my nails. They will get stronger naturally. I have had mine grown out on my right hand for about 5 years now, and they are very very strong now.

Here are some tips for maintaining nails.

- Only have them as long as you need, the longer they are, the more fragile they become, and are more susceptible to being damaged from other things, like catching them on something.
-- TIP: A shorter nail allows more variety in tone, you can switch between using flesh, and using nail on the string.
- If you get a little bit of a cut in the side of one, FILE IT SMOOTH IMMEDIATELY. It WILL catch on something, most likely a shirt, and it WILL rip the end off.
- DO NOT CHEW YOUR NAILS
- Avoid using your nails for anything but playing ukulele. Try to avoid using them to open bags, and things like that. Picking your nose with them is fine however.
- Shape the nail so it is at the optimum pick angle for how you place your hand on the strings. For me this means slanting them off to the right (If looking at the back of my right hand)
- Avoid using nail cutters to shape them. Because of the way nail trimmers apply pressure across the nail, they can weaken it by flexing it in directions it doesn't want to go. Use a really gritty file to get rid of most of it.
- Remember to use a fine file on the top and bottom nail edges, and remember to get the UNDERSIDE of the nail, that's the part that makes contact with the string. If you remember to round the edges with a fine file, the nails will be less prone catching on things or tearing.

Tapping your nails is said to strengthen them as well.

EDIT: You can see in the photo how I have them trimmed for my optimum picking angle, with the exception of the index finger, as I use that like a normal pick often. If you were to trim them normally, the nail edge would slide along the string. But because they are slanted, they are more of a parallel contact on the string, creating a more aggressive pick. Making some form of a point will also help with the attack. If you leave the sides of your nail square, they are also likely to tear more often, and it makes picking the instrument more difficult.

EVERYTHING that Dane wrote above is good

Most importantly, nails do not need to be long to be effective, but they do need to be maintained at a consistent length, then learn to play with them at that length. One of the best amateur pickers I ever met is a stone-mason by trade, hands like shovels with nails kept to an absolute minimum almost by default, but because they were always like that, that's how he learned to play !

When Dolly Parton was interviewed by Michael Parkinson a few years ago, he asked her "How do you play guitar with nails like that?" ... "Easy", she replied, "I take them off!"

mistydoo said:

Lord.. I never thought I'd ask this.. But how do you guys do your nails? Mean if I wait a month to grow them and they break.. I well just screem!! hee.. Mean stamp my foot and lord knows what.. Really though, do you use nail hardening or what ever it is called? Does your wife catch you stealing hers.. Lol.. Just wondering??

Click to expand...

I cut my nails as short as possible
to where the skin shows can't stand long
nails Estibans long nails always grossed me out

http://liveukulele.com/gear/fingernail-care/

Thank you, Mr. Bordessa.

I've been trying to grow my nails since picking up the uke a few months ago - after a lifetime of keeping them very short I'm finding it difficult, as I do a lot of hand-heavy work so keep tearing/sanding/filing the edges off by accident!

I keep wondering how all the old finger-picking blues players managed, as manual labour doesn't seem to fit with nail care - did they just have super-tough fingertip calluses they used instead?

Depends on your nails. When I was younger I didn't have to harden them. in recently they have been a little weaker so I've had my picking nails reenforced by acrylic. They paint on the acrylic rather than glue them on. My thumbnail has always been strong enough so I reenforce only the nails that I use for picking.

Anthony

I keep wondering how all the old finger-picking blues players managed, as manual labour doesn't seem to fit with nail care - did they just have super-tough fingertip calluses they used instead?

Click to expand...

... exactly ... that and a slightly different "angle of attack". It's all down to how you learn in the first place

This is a good thread. I think there are definitely misperceptions regarding the need for long nails. I really agree with Dane and the other posters above about keeping them long enough to barely extend past the tip of your finger. I too would like to stress the importance of not using nail clippers to shape the nails. I basically keep everything on my left hand, and the pinky on my right hand as short as possible (some people pick with their pinky, but mine only works for nose picking, not uke playing). My thumb, first, middle, and ring fingers on the right hand only get filed. I typically use a cheap emery board to really shape and file down the nail close to where I want it, then I switch over to one of these:

http://elderly.com/accessories/items/ONS.htm

The Oasis nail shaper is great for attaining a nice smooth and polished nail edge. I believe they are made with four different grades of Micro-mesh polishing cloth, so you can work your way from medium coarse to super fine. Polishing the edge can really help to reduce any potential snags, and also can improve how clean the nail sounds on the string. I would like to try some of the glass files out there, as they are super durable, but I'm not sure they would be a total replacement for my Oasis. The Oasis shaper is not durable, which is why I recommend only using it for finish work. It is still very good, though, and I do recommend it overall. The Micro-mesh is mounted on a thin bed of soft foam, which allows the Micro-mesh to sort of flex and help achieve a nicely rounded edge.

-Steve

If one gets nervous and bites their nails like a woodchuck, and because their fingers are chubby, they end up playing with just the protruding meat on the end of their digits, will that do anything to their sound other than diminish the volume? I have a friend like that who blames the low volume on the warmth of the Koa wood.

Make sure to file your nails too as they grow to take away and sharp edges that may catch the strings on your attack...

I have two things working against me in the fingernail department. I have nails that are soft, weak, and that peel up in layers. Add to that a profession that requires me to work my hands to the bone (sometimes literally). I've found the cure. I treat my nails with Vaseline at least twice a day. I rub it on the nails and into the cuticles (kind of scrub it in with just my fingers). In addition, during the winter, I treat my whole hands with a generous amount of Vaseline (again rubbing it into the nails and cuticles) before bed and sleep wearing cotton gloves. The results have been remarkable. I do still get the occasional work-related, catastrophic breakage, but the nails never flake and are far stronger than ever. When I started doing this, it took a month to get the full effect, (I suspect the nails had to grow out all the way to shed the old, weak portion). But, all winter long, never a break or flake.

coolkayaker1 said:

If one gets nervous and bites their nails like a woodchuck, and because their fingers are chubby, they end up playing with just the protruding meat on the end of their digits, will that do anything to their sound other than diminish the volume? I have a friend like that who blames the low volume on the warmth of the Koa wood.

Click to expand...

I actually think it can make a big difference. There is a crispness and brightness that comes from playing with nails that "protruding meat" just can't achieve, no matter how hard the strings are plucked. In fact, I think nails are an often dismissed element in discussion threads about "which strings sound best." I have had ukes that I really only liked to play when my nails were good. But, inevitably, I would break one or would need to cut them back, and I just wouldn't even want to play that uke because the sound was too mellow for me. So, I would just wait until they grew back, and I would play something else instead. In fact, I might go so far as to say that I am more of a strummer with very short nails, but when I have nice shaped nails, I'm mostly finger picking.

That reminds me of another bit of advice. My nails, in particular, tend to grow somewhat warped and can hook when they get too long. Sometimes, if I let them go too long, I find it is best to just start over, so I trim them all the way back and go from there. This is usually more of an issue in the winter when everything is so dry and nails can become brittle. To counter that, I have used vitamin E oil on my nails and cuticles to help prevent problems. You can brush it on and just rub it into the nail and cuticle and it can really help to even strengthen the nail. I'm not sure it will help to grow thicker nails, but it certainly helps with chipping and breaking. I have always stayed away from any type of nail clear coat or polish.

-Steve

Newportlocal said:

Well there are different varieties of crystal nail files. I use one like this. Wouldn't be without it.
http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Glass...=1403837881&sr=8-9&keywords=Crystal+nail+file
Occasionally, I use this. It has worked well when I needed it.
http://www.amazon.com/Nailtiques-Fo...TF8&qid=1403837948&sr=8-1&keywords=Nailtiques

Hope that helps.

Click to expand...

+1
The crystal nail file makes a really smooth edge. A smooth edge is so important to prevent catching, snagging , or tearing my nails. This file is works great.

"Avoid using your nails for anything but playing ukulele. Try to avoid using them to open bags, and things like that. Picking your nose with them is fine however."

I'm sure glad that my daily routine is OK from the nair strength standpoint!

Just my two cents' worth re: nail strengtheners (Nail Envy, Nailtiques etc) - these actually *weakened* my nails, since they need to be removed with nail polish remover and reapplied weekly. Nail polish removers are absolutely brutal when it comes to drying out nails!

As others have said, they don't have to be super long. I still have awful nails that break and peel with next to no provocation, but have had a bit of success using this Sally Hansen stuff from the drugstore. It's not a polish, it's a gel that you rub into the nails, and it really has made a difference.

Thanks Dane, ur post is very helpful. My problem is I play rough. Like playing in dirt, n the rough side of using my hands. Been using a Nylon pick the las three days sinse I got my first Uku and so far really liking the results. But after watching so many incredable Utube vids of folks finger picking. Deff the way I want to go as the pick, seems to limit one as the finger picking open just endless variations..