Strengthening nails for fingerstyle?

FastEddie · January 2019

zepp76 said:

Do any of you fine people have any tips for strengthening nails for fingerstyle playing please? I'm really getting into acoustic playing and would appreciate any tips you have, thank you.

My old classical guitar teacher occasionally glued a piece of plastic to his thumb. But that's only if it had broken.
That is of course 'pre-nail bar' days.

I think the main nail to focus on is the thumb. That's if you use a your index finger nail as the plectrum on down, and thumbnail on upstrokes.

Merrick · January 2019

Balrog68 said:

Interesting thread.. I've always kept my fingernails short so they don't impede my picking, I can't play with long nails...i just get snagged up in the strings if I try.

My acrylic nails are very short. I only need a few millimetres of nail edge, this also allows me to use a little flesh if required. Like you, I cant cope with long nails but I need to be able to take a hard swipe at the strings occasionally and need to know there'll be something left on my finger ends at the end of the song.

Someone mentioned the "clickiness" of acrylic nails on strings. I've found that this is much reduced by applying less acrylic to the nail. For some reason the nail bars like to apply the stuff in a mound onto the nail, making a bulge near the cuticle. I found by filing this down and shaping the nail edge so there is a thin, but hard, coating, the sound of the nail on the string is quite natural and my nail bar now knows how I want them.

If I hadn't already committed to acrylic nails (you'd need a decent spell of not gigging to get them grown out and your own nails back to something like usable) I'd certainly be looking at the Biotin option but I can't see it ruling out broken nails completely.

JAYJO · January 2019

dont really use my fingers lately as working on alternate picking. never had a problem if nails are kept short. Using a capo may help.

DLM · January 2019

GTC said:

Prior to using Barielle, I also used the Orly nail rescue kit for small repairs - which is easier and neater to use than the tea bag / superglue method.

https://i.kym-cdn.com/entries/icons/original/000/000/015/oreally.jpg

Dominic · February 2019

I get Acrylic nails put on in a Nailbar for tele chicken-pickin' .......they work brilliantly even if I do look like a drag queen on my day off .

uberkraaft · February 2019

https://food.ndtv.com/food-drinks/no-more-brittle-nails-load-up-on-these-6-essential-nutrients-for-healthy-nail-growth-1768895

Collagen supplements work for me.

EzraPoundland · March 2019

I have been told that eating foods with gelatin can help. A professional player swore by it and ate a couple of cubes of raw flavoured jelly ( that you dissolve to make normal jelly) each day.

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Strengthening nails for fingerstyle?

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