Alternatives to nails

karathrow

Joined: Oct 26 2010

pretty sure eric is glaring at his monitor right now.

surreal

Eric: tank,godlike

Location: Arizona

Joined: Jan 04 2009

I used to fuck up my nails a lot doing stuff other than guitar. Over time, I've actually learned to innately compensate for the fact that I have nails on one hand.

I was blackout drunk yesterday, remember nothing, broke several forties all over the floor, flipped an intense 180 in a car, and killed my ipod; my nails, however, were in pristine condition.

What if bears could

Location: Florida

Joined: Jun 29 2010

I've tried some of Dunlop's steel finger picks, but I could not get used to them. After that disaster, I spent a lot of time searching for the perfect finger pick. I eventually narrowed my choices down to two:

Fred Kelly Freedom Finger Picks. As far as finger picks go, they are pretty pricey. $15.00 plus shipping for at least 3, and of course you can't get just 3! What if you lose one? Anyway, the very first time I tried them out I immediately realized how much easier it was to play with them compared to the Dunlops. Of course it wasn't the same as playing with nails, but I could tell that—with practice—I could eventually achieve the same results (unlike with the Dunlops).

However, a word of caution: these picks make the ends of your fingers a lot bulkier. If you're not careful, they may audibly "click" together as you play. This can be overcome with practice, but it is incredibly annoying until you do so.

The other type is the aforementioned aLaska Pik. I never got around to actually trying them out, but I've heard a lot of praise for them. They seem like they would capture the "playing with nails" feeling pretty well. The only downside I could think of is that in order to use the picks, you must maintain a suitable length of nail in order to properly hold the pick in place. I figured that, with the amount of nail I'd have to maintain in order to use the picks, I was better off just learning how to play with shorter nails.

In the end, I decided to do exactly that. Despite all of the time and money spent trying to find the right finger picks for myself, I stuck with nails. I realize we're not in the same boat, but I hope my experiences are helpful.