Flamenco Guitar Nails
- What is the proper length?
- How do you file and care for them?
- What is a good replacement for natural nails?
To exaggerate slightly, nails are the bane of flamenco guitar. If there is a problem with your nails, then you cannot really play flamenco - as simple as that. And everybody has issues with their nails when it comes to using them to pluck strings repeatedly.
I cannot say that I have answers to all the questions regarding flamenco nails. But I can share with you my observations and current decisions about the matter.
First and foremost, nothing beats your natural nails in terms of tone and control. Although this is less of an issue in flamenco than classical, it is still better to play flamenco guitar with your own nails. Alas, if it were only possible… Playing picado especially on the basses will fairly quickly wear them off and you will have filed them down to nothingness before you manage to achieve the full speed at a badass buleria cierre.
One piece of advice I can give you is that you should polish your nails with fine grit sandpaper to absolute smoothness. The smoother the edge of the nail the longer it lasts. Tiny cracks and fractures on the nail will allow water to seep in over time and the nail will be more susceptible to breaking.
Proper length and shape
This is a controversial topic to say the least. There are as many different types of nail as there are people and different ways of playing will lead to different shapes and lengths of nail. Here is what I do:
I file each nail down so that the tip of the nail and my fingertip align on the same plane. This seems to be the optimum length for pretty much every technique. Besides, I file down the left side to achieve a slight angle. This enables me to adjust the warmth of the tone simply by twisting the fingers slightly to hit the strings sideways.
Then of course, your nails will start cracking and chipping off and you start looking for artificial alternatives.
0 - Nail hardeners
If you wish to try cosmetic nail hardening products before you start wreaking havoc on your nails with crazy glue, be my guest and let me know if you find something that really works. I did try a few options before driving to the hardware store, such as this calcium gel:
Then of course, your nails will start cracking and chipping off and you start looking for artificial alternatives.
0 - Nail hardeners
If you wish to try cosmetic nail hardening products before you start wreaking havoc on your nails with crazy glue, be my guest and let me know if you find something that really works. I did try a few options before driving to the hardware store, such as this calcium gel:
It coats your nail with a thin layer of something that seems to protect the nail. It does provide some protection especially when you do lots of strumming but forget about it for something like alzapua! Some suggest coating your nail with this stuff before applying super glue but I haven't tried that myself.
1 - Super Glue
It's a flamenco player's best friend :-) Just spread a thin layer over a crack and voila!
Although super glue is great at fixing small damage, I find it insufficient as a general reinforcement supply. You can coat your nails with multiple layers of super glue and it will work fine for a while before it starts chipping off. Super glue needs some kind of fibered mesh underneath to hold on to the nail (see the next section). I have seen some players use tissue or even light fabric as reinforcement, but never tried that myself.
You can get superglue from any hardware store. Don't be fooled by fancy looking bottles you find at drug stores labelled "nail adhesive." They all have one thing in them: cyanoacrylate. The advantage of buying it as a nail product from a nail salon or a pharmacy is that it comes with a brush.
If you stick your flesh to your nail while applying the super glue, don't panic. It will come off on its own. Do not poke it or you'll hurt yourself.
2 - Silk stickers + Super Glue
I used this method on and off for at least 10 years.
1 - Super Glue
It's a flamenco player's best friend :-) Just spread a thin layer over a crack and voila!
Although super glue is great at fixing small damage, I find it insufficient as a general reinforcement supply. You can coat your nails with multiple layers of super glue and it will work fine for a while before it starts chipping off. Super glue needs some kind of fibered mesh underneath to hold on to the nail (see the next section). I have seen some players use tissue or even light fabric as reinforcement, but never tried that myself.
You can get superglue from any hardware store. Don't be fooled by fancy looking bottles you find at drug stores labelled "nail adhesive." They all have one thing in them: cyanoacrylate. The advantage of buying it as a nail product from a nail salon or a pharmacy is that it comes with a brush.
If you stick your flesh to your nail while applying the super glue, don't panic. It will come off on its own. Do not poke it or you'll hurt yourself.
2 - Silk stickers + Super Glue
I used this method on and off for at least 10 years.
Silk+glue is an easy method to achieve durable nails.
- Cut a small piece of silk roughly in the shape of your nail
- Remove it from its backing to expose the adhesive
- Stick it onto your nail
- Cover it with a thin layer of super glue.
One disadvantage of silk+glue is its relative fragility compared to other methods. No matter how well you prepare the silk layers and how effectively you infuse them with super glue, the resulting mass is not homogeneous. Since you have to judge the shape of the silk and the amount of the glue yourself, it is virtually impossible to standardize the process. It is different every single time. Therefore, the artificial layer cracks and breaks over time and you have to do the whole thing again. Occasionally it will detach as a whole and you will be able to stick it back on. But that happened to me once of twice.
3 - Plastic Sheet + Super Glue
I tried this one for a few months.
3 - Plastic Sheet + Super Glue
I tried this one for a few months.
Basically you cut a piece from a transparent sheet of plastic and glue it onto your nail. Then you file it. In the beginning I thought this would be the better option over silk stickers. Primarily, you don't get the issue of inhomogeneity that plagues the silk+glue method. If the adhesive fails, the whole layer breaks off and you simply put it back on. Also, the clear transparency of the plastic sheet is quite appealing for players who have other lives than flamenco guitar :-) People don't notice anything strange with your nails.
However, the plastic sheet is completely flat like a piece of paper and it does not fit the curvature of the nail. This means, you have to force it into shape before applying it, which is really difficult. The sheet always tries to turn back to to its initial flat shape and therefore pops up from your nail surface frequently. At the beginning I was so happy with the transparency of the material that I insisted using it for a while. Then I discarded it as it had become too much of a hassle to keep the plastic pieces on my nails.
4- Acrylic Nails + Super Glue
However, the plastic sheet is completely flat like a piece of paper and it does not fit the curvature of the nail. This means, you have to force it into shape before applying it, which is really difficult. The sheet always tries to turn back to to its initial flat shape and therefore pops up from your nail surface frequently. At the beginning I was so happy with the transparency of the material that I insisted using it for a while. Then I discarded it as it had become too much of a hassle to keep the plastic pieces on my nails.
4- Acrylic Nails + Super Glue
Women also use this method to extend their nails. I used to order the ones I'd use from stringsbymail.com. I am not sure is these ones are made specifically for guitarists but I'd like to think so :-) You measure the width of your nail at the widest point and place an order based on this number. The raw acrylic nail is quite long and you need to shape the part that covers your cuticle to fit your nail perfectly. Once you have done that, simply stick it on, cut and shape the tip and you're good to go.
Acrylic nails are the most durable among the methods based on sticking alien stuff on your nails. They are already shaped like nails and follow the natural curvature of the nail bed. So, the stay on for quite a while if you have applied them properly.
Although I still believe that your natural nails are a whole lot better than these plastic prostheses, because they are extremely smooth and shiny, acrylic nails make your rasgueados and alzapuas somewhat smoother.
Acrylic nails are the most durable among the methods based on sticking alien stuff on your nails. They are already shaped like nails and follow the natural curvature of the nail bed. So, the stay on for quite a while if you have applied them properly.
Although I still believe that your natural nails are a whole lot better than these plastic prostheses, because they are extremely smooth and shiny, acrylic nails make your rasgueados and alzapuas somewhat smoother.
One disadvantage of acrylic nails is that they look hideous. People will stare at your nails thinking what the hell is wrong with you. I wonder why they don't make these transparent! I read somewhere that if you play under ultraviolet light, in a nightclub for instance, acrylic nails shine intensely in darkness making it look like 4 disembodied nails are strumming some strings :-)
Also, among all the alternatives, acrylic nails have the most noticeable effect on the tone. Due to their thickness and lack of elasticity they make your tone somewhat rounder. Especially if you have applied a thick layer of glue underneath to make sure they don't fall out, your tone may sound like you are using a pick, which is not good!
5 - UV Gel
I used this method for a while. You need a container of what is known as "ultraviolet gel"
Also, among all the alternatives, acrylic nails have the most noticeable effect on the tone. Due to their thickness and lack of elasticity they make your tone somewhat rounder. Especially if you have applied a thick layer of glue underneath to make sure they don't fall out, your tone may sound like you are using a pick, which is not good!
5 - UV Gel
I used this method for a while. You need a container of what is known as "ultraviolet gel"
and a small ultraviolet lamp.
The application is simple enough. First you clean your nail really well. Then you apply a coat of bonder which ensures the gel sticks to your nail. Then finally you apply the gel onto your nail. It is perfectly transparent and feels a bit like jello before it cures.
Once cured, the gel gets hard and blends almost perfectly with your natural nail.
The advantages of UV gel:
- You don't have to worry about shaping the raw material as it is completely malleable prior to hardening. Apply a generous amount on your nail and you can shape and file it after the curing process.
- You can adjust the thickness of the material by using as many (or few) layers as needed.
- It looks natural compared to all the other methods.
6 - Grand Finale: Nail Salon!
You know what?!
After years of trying to do my own nails, I realized that this was an area of expertise! People go to schools to learn how to properly treat, strengthen, fix, extend human nails. These experts can be found in places called Nail Salons :-)
Seeing my constant suffering and frustration, my pro musician student told me to go to a nail salon and ask for strong UV nails.
And OLE!
The result was excellent! When I did my own nails I had to repeat at least every week or so. The ones by the salon last for 6 weeks minimum.
So, I would urge you to skip the first 5 steps in this article and go straight to number 6 and make an appt with your local nail salon.
You know what?!
After years of trying to do my own nails, I realized that this was an area of expertise! People go to schools to learn how to properly treat, strengthen, fix, extend human nails. These experts can be found in places called Nail Salons :-)
Seeing my constant suffering and frustration, my pro musician student told me to go to a nail salon and ask for strong UV nails.
And OLE!
The result was excellent! When I did my own nails I had to repeat at least every week or so. The ones by the salon last for 6 weeks minimum.
So, I would urge you to skip the first 5 steps in this article and go straight to number 6 and make an appt with your local nail salon.
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