Finger picking or..

surreal

Eric: tank,godlike

Location: Arizona

Joined: Jan 04 2009

On a classical nylon string guitar it's always better to use the fingers.

Vic9mm

The Fingerstyle Mechanic

Location: Dallas Texas

Joined: Aug 27 2008

finger picking all the way. Grow your nails out just a little not to much round them off smooth the underside of them with 1500grit sand paper and you will be good to go. Keep your nails healthy by using lotion on your hands make sure you keep them clean espacially the underside of them this will result a more healthy nail.

Vic9mm

The Fingerstyle Mechanic

Location: Dallas Texas

Joined: Aug 27 2008

Clifurd1 said

Hey this is a good post. For a classical with nylon strings everyone would definately suggest fingerpicking. But as for fingerpicking being able to do everything a pick can do but better, I would have to say that for an acoustic guitar definitely better to use fingers but if you are trying to pick fast (which should probably be done on an electric) you won't be able to pick as fast with your hands as you can with a pick. I can't use a pick never could lol
OH and Vic9mm's post was really informative you should take his advice with consideration. lol I never thought about keeping your hands hydrated for fingernail health!

Thanks...but really its not for the hands per say its mainly for the fingernail itself you dont have to put lotion on your hands you can rub it into each nail if you wanted to. Its vitamn E that promotes a healthy nail they say. I know its a bit girly but hey you got to do what you got to do. I dont mind it at all, hell I have even put on fake nails to play the classical guitar.

Vic9mm

The Fingerstyle Mechanic

Location: Dallas Texas

Joined: Aug 27 2008

you dont have to grow them too long...remember nail length does effect sound so you dont want them that long. Ive seen your videos and have to say i would leave your nails as is. But thats just my opinion.

Maikoi92

Linsey

Location: Belgium

Joined: Apr 21 2009

Hmm I might try growing them a little to try it out, but I'll probably stick to having short nails.

surreal

Eric: tank,godlike

Location: Arizona

Joined: Jan 04 2009

Nails drastically improve the volume of your playing while your fingertips act as piano-like felt tips to mute the string right when you're about to pluck it again.

You don't need them to fingerpick, but the option is always there.

auriplane

Joined: Sep 06 2008

What's a trichord?

t-o-m-o

Joined: Feb 05 2009

i use my fingertips

i have tried growing my nails, is it about the shape and not the length?

Vic9mm

The Fingerstyle Mechanic

Location: Dallas Texas

Joined: Aug 27 2008

well honestly the pros have them like little ramps so the string can glide off but thats the pros smooth and rounded should sufice for us.

Magicshmop

Joined: Dec 21 2008

I think that with acousitc guitars, there are 3 types of playing.

Fingerpicking style.

Rythem.

Soloing.

With a classical guitar, it feels like there isnt much room for rythem. Strumming a classical nylon feels wrong somehow, it's hard to explain. For the two other extreams though, its perfect!

Fingerpicking is a given when it comes to classical guitars. Through my personal preferance though, I perfer soloing on a classical nylon string guitar with a pick then on an electric. With the right modes and scales you can really add a perfect compliment of any style(well most...) to a song.

Modern acoustic guitars are good at all aspects. Being able to fingerpick, strum freely for rythem, and solo at times make it more versitile then a classical. Higher gauge strings make it difficult to fingerpick for me, hence me owning a classical.

I've never tryed a steel string classical though, everyone seems gung-ho about them here.

Idk, just my two cents, and yeah, i realize this is super old haha.

natenmn

I haven't had a chance to trim my hedges recently. Thanks for visiting anyway...

Location: United States

Joined: Jul 17 2009

I used to think I didn't need nails for my classical... that was me being ignorant. After I tried it, there is no going back. Some of the things I've learned:

1) Shape, not size. I try to make little ramps so that my nail can glide along the string for a nice smooth sound. There are a few different shapes that different guitar masters swear by. I've even seen squarish o_O. Don't keep your nails too long, or they will hinder you.

2) Keep them smooth like vic said. One of my favorite things in life is to smooth my nails and play on a freshly tuned guitar. It sounds very nice. I use one of those girly 7 sided nail buffer things.

3) Again to reiterate something vic said earlier. Keep your nails moisturized. I used to have breaking nails all the time, and went to get some womanly advice from my mom about which nail hardener is best. She said none of them are because your nails break when they are brittle. She suggested a nail moisturizer and I have never had a broken nail since I started using it. Keep in mind that I play VERY aggressive various rasgueados. The thing to note about this is that it may make your nail all shiny and girly (it is similar to nail gloss or polish), but that can be solved by lightly using a medium grit from your girly 7 sided nail buffer thing.

4) You can use the nail in conjunction with the fingertip to produce different dynamics... this is very important to keep in mind, but it is very difficult and only comes with time. You need to grow the nails, first, before you can learn this. This is why I suggest to grow nails sooner rather than later... you will get more practice with nails the longer you have them :P.

So anyone who is on the fence, my suggestion is to at least give them a shot... but give them a good, well informed shot :). Make sure they are in good shape before you make your decision of whether or not to keep them.

By the way, I still hate when I go to shake someone's hand or accept change. It makes me feel like those old screeching Ren and Stimpy close-ups lmao.

BooDoo

People

Location: Somerville, MA

Joined: Mar 24 2008

You pull your finger in towards your palm and strike the string with the inside of your nail. You don't typically pick 'out' (with the back/outside of your nail)

surreal

Eric: tank,godlike

Location: Arizona

Joined: Jan 04 2009

BooDoo said

surreal said

. . . Steel String Classical?

You're joking right?

This was my exact reaction, too. But can I get your opinion on the 'CL5' strings here?

They're labeled by the manufacturer as classical guitar strings, but have steel trebles. They don't list tension on the site or packaging, so I'm pretty confused.

They seem to be an interesting case. They mention "Manufactured to a medium quality" which basically is a steel acoustic term for "medium guage."

What's strange is that, despite referring to them in steel guitar specs, they list the steels to be the three trebles. This makes it unlikely that it's meant for a steel acoustic due to the 3rd string not being wound in this set.

It seems like a strange hybrid set, I'd be wary about trying it.