subject: Guitar Learning Basics: Keeping The Integrity Of The Fingernail [print this page] Countless times have I heard a question from people when they see a man with a particularly long thumbnail on either the left or the right hand. They look at it and then they ask, "why do they have a long nail that is manicured and kept so neat, it almost looks like a woman's fingernail?" of course, this question almost always is accompanied by a smirk and a suggestive smile.
For some who are not familiar with guitar playing, one of the things to know about playing the guitar is that it has to be strummed with a stick, a pick, or a nail, on the right hand if they are right handed. The use of the nail is preferred by a lot of professional guitar players, especially the classical guitar players because it makes them feel the instrument. They feel a closer connection to their instrument which makes them perform better. If the guitarist is a flamenco golpeador or a classical guitar player, the nails of the right hand are groomed to perfection. They are manicured and trimmed at just the right length to ensure a good strumming quality that could not be derived from a stick or a pick.
If you, the reader, still find this incredible, just look to famous guitarists like the Gipsy Kings. They actually reinforce their nails with fibreglass when they go on a tour to ensure the integrity of their nails. Constant strumming could file it down to the quick and could cause bleeding and injuries, as well as damage the strings of the guitars.
It must be noted that the classical guitar is not as easy to play as the electric guitar. In the electric guitar, a slight pressure on the frets and a light strumming of the strings could produce the sounds that amplify it to several meters. With the classical instruments, they are stiffer, the steel strings could cause injury, and the frets need more pressure. Also, the ways the guitars are held are different.
Classical guitarists hold and position their guitars differently and they strum them differently too. They also include tapping on the wooden body for some pieces like flamenco.
Understanding the differences between guitars and how they are played will open the eyes of those who conclude that the classical guitarists are weird or strange. They are most definitely not, and it is undeniable that all their preparations make them produce sounds that are incredible to the ears.
