How to Grow and Shape Classical
Guitar Nails
Almost every classical guitarist uses fingernails on their right hand
to pluck the strings. This helps them to produce loud, clear, and
brilliant sound.
However, to get this sound, you must carefully manage both the
length and shape of your nails. After all, nails for classical guitarists
are like reeds for wind players, or bows for string players. Slight
changes can have drastic affects on tone quality, volume, technical
facility, and much more.
This page gives you step-by-step instructions about how to grow
and shape classical guitar nails, and shows you the various nail
shapes that you can choose from.
Step 1: Grow Fingernails
As a classical guitarist, you need to grow nails on the thumb, index,
middle, and ring fingers (p, i, m, a) of your right hand. The nails
should be long enough to easily pluck the guitar strings.
Standard Guitar Nail Length:
For a standard nail length, grow the index, middle and ring
fingernails until they extend slightly past the fingertips--just 2 - 3
millimeters. Depending on how fast your nails grow, this will take
anywhere from 1 - 2 weeks.
Meanwhile, grow the thumbnail until it extends well past the
fingertip - about half a centimeter. This will usually take
somewhere between 4 - 8 weeks.
Experiment with Long vs. Short Nails:
As you get more advanced, you should experiment with different
nail lengths to find one that you like the best.
In general, long fingernails are good for:
• Playing free stroke
• Playing accurately
• Playing loudly
• Making a bright, clear tone
Whereas short fingernails are good for:
• Playing rest stroke
• Playing at faster speeds
• Making a warm, mellow tone
Step 2: Shape Fingernails
Once your nails grow to the right length, you can then shape them
with a nail file. There are many different ways you can shape
classical guitar nails, each with its advantages and disadvantages.
Rounded Fingernails:
Rounded fingernails are the most common guitar nail shape. They
are versatile, easy-to-use, and produce a good, balanced tone - not
to bright or too dark. If you are unsure what shape to use for you
for your nails, I recommend you start with rounded first.
To make a rounded fingernail, file the tip of the nail so that it looks
like a half-circle. There should be no edges or points, if you divide
the nail in half, it should look symmetrical.
Sloped Fingernails
Sloped fingernails are the next most common nail shape. They
minimize resistance when going through the string, and produce a
warm, mellow tone.
To make a sloped fingernail, file the tip of the nail so that it slopes
left or right. The slope should look like a straight line. When you
play, the string should start at the lower part of the slope, and end
at the higher part.
Flat Fingernails
With flat fingernails, it's easier to push your finger through the
string and to produce a very warm, mellow tone. Flat nails are
especially good for techniques like rest stroke, and fast scales.
To make a flat nail, file the nail very short, and relatively flat across
the top, so that it almost looks like a straight line.
Pointed Fingernails
Pointed fingernails are the least commons of all the nail shapes, but
some people like them for their consistent, bright sound.
To make a pointed nail, file each side of the nail so that it comes to
a point in the middle. The nail should be symmetrical on both sides.
Step 3: Polish Fingernails
After you've shaped your nails, polish the tip of each nail with extra
fine sand paper until it is nice and smooth. This will eliminate the
"scratchiness" of your nails to give you a clean, smooth tone.
I recommend using 500 grit "open-coat" sand paper. You can buy it
from most hardware stores. It will do wonders for your sound!