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Journeyman
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I play a somewhat finger style with a thumbpick. I do the Freight Train, Wheels, etc Chet style, but I also use the thumbpick for swing music and comping. I have tried many different avenues including geletins and liquid silicon to have those nice thick oval finger nails, but I inherited my mothers nails: soft and flat so I tear and shred fingernails easily. When I was backing a wanna be folksinger ala Gordon Lightfoot, Clancy Bros, I used silver banjo picks on my 12 string, six string and my six string with Nashville tuning. Otherwise I wouldnt have lasted an evening. My partner refuses to let me wear fake nails. Currently I am trying a product called FlexNail. I just apply it to the cuticle area of my right hand as it allows the nail to breathe. Then I apply Hoof Laquer or other Hard as Nails products to the upper end of my nails. This gives me a level of structure and thickness. I tried crazy glue and it works good however you have to be carefull not to apply it fully to your nails (leave the cuticle bare) because the glue is very effective in sealing off your nails which can apparently cause other problems such as fungus and nail separation. Certainly any product applied to the nails should be removed on a regular basis. I sure would welcome a lot more discussion on this subject as I still havent found the right one for me, Thanks for starting it, DennisD
There are only 3 kinds of musicians: those that can count, and those that can't!
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I'm sure, with todays technology and advances in materials, there are better solutions than the one's we're discussing above. The trick would be to find a materials scientist that fingerpicks on a steel string and also has weak nails, and excite his imagination.
Anybody know someone like that ? : )
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Quote:
I'm sure, with todays technology and advances in materials, there are better solutions than the one's we're discussing above. The trick would be to find a materials scientist that fingerpicks on a steel string and also has weak nails, and excite his imagination.
Anybody know someone like that ? : )
Fred and Helen Kelly are a home business operation. Fred has been finger picking in the Merle Travis style since he was a boy. As a musician he was quite aggravated with the choices available and started making his own picks. He started his business out of his home in 1994. His website says that he now makes 58 different kinds of picks. The freedom finger pick that I talked about is quite unique in its construction. It worked pretty well for me without my poster putty addition but that little addition to preclude movement off the nail made a great product fantastic for me.
I'm not trying to spam the freedom pick. It is one of the best things since sliced bread though.
Keith
2025 Audiophile Windows 11 RYZEN THREADRIPPER 3960X 4.5GHZ 128 GB RAM 2 Nvidia RTX 3090s, Vegas,Acid,SoundForge,Izotope Production,Melodyne Studio,SONAR,3 Raven Mtis
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Thanks to Keith S for the headsup about the old wive's tale.
I once had a classical guitar teacher, long ago, who advised me on that gelatin makes strong fingernails tip.
And now, after years of eatin' that crap maybe once a week I find that my fingernails are likely just strong claws to begin with.
Will probably continue to eat it because the sugar-free Jello mimics a dessert and doesn't add to the calorie count enough to bother, though.
Thanks again, Keith.
"I din' know dat..."
--Mac
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another thing I do:
the metal picks used with banjos always seem sharp around the edges to me. No matter how I adjust them, the metal edges dig into my fingers
So what I did was dip the wraparound part of the pick in the stuff that's sold in hardware stores to put a plastic coating on tool handles. (You may already have a can of it in your shop.) It air cures pretty quickly, and it completely covers the sharp metal edges. Since those picks are bendable, you can easily reshape them to account for the added thickness.
It also seems to help the picks stay on.
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I go to a local nail salon. They use a white powder and dip the brush in what I assume is acetone, then paint it on. They can form the nail in any way or thickness you like. Cost around 20 dollars or less. Last for about one month for me. Looks pretty natural.  I have tried doing all this myself. I just get better results from a professional. You do not have to finger-pick to use this sort of thing. Also, modifying plastic thumb picks is common. Here is a photo of a standard Dunlop and one I modified.  Billy
Last edited by Planobilly; 05/17/23 07:12 AM.
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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Journeyman
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Many professional fingerpickers go to the salon and get acrylic nails, as Billy mentions. Most places will do the 3 or 4 fingers on your picking hand for about 10 to 15 bucks. There are some old wives' tales about letting your nails breathe and not leaving these fake nails on too long etc. That is just an old wives' tale. Your nails don't breathe. They get their nutrients from your blood system. As for your cuticles. The most important thing it to not damage them. There is no harm is they are covered etc. They are there to provide the barrier at the base of the nail to prevent infections etc. If you ever do go to a salon to get fake nails, they will push the cuticle back and even trim it with cuticle scissors to keep it healthy. The professionals that don't have great nails to begin with need the fake ones to make their living. Chet used to wear a glove on his right hand when traveling and before shows to protect his nails. I have seen him play with a fake nail on one of his fingers before, obviously damaging it at some point. There is a good product out that called Guitar Player Nails. Guitar Player Nails They are kind of a chore to use, but you may get the best nail you have ever had when you are done. They have videos and pictures explaining the whole process. I use my natural nails now. I used to use the acrylics but I got tire of doing that and my real nails are pretty good. I file them regularly and shape them as well and use Hard As Nails by Sally Hansen to keep them hard and try to protect them. You need to learn how to file them properly so as not to create weaknesses that will sometimes split etc.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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Eat. Gelatin.
Find out the foods that contain natural gelatin, such as fish and foul skins, etc. and also plain old "Jello" - and add it to your weekly diet regimen. No need to overdo this one, but not paying attention to it can be the kiss of death for the guitarist's nails.
Check out Tommy Emmanuel and the use of Thumb Pick with fingernails. Also check out how he grabs the thumb pick much like it would be a standard plectrum when circle picking those awesomely fast and accurate single note lines.
For Flamenco, which I understand Joe is studying right now, I'd go with Paco de Lucia method. Nylon strings and fingernails.
--Mac Tommy does not use his nails. His nails on his right hand are cut as short as possible. He has callouses on his right-hand fingers and that is where he gets his tone. I had the chance to talk with him about this about a year ago. He said he never could get a good sound with his nails but found that if he built up the callouses it was just what he was looking for.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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Just remember if you have long fingerpicking nails on your picking hand, you may want to keep it in your pocket if you go into any redneck bars!!!! Buster B. Jones used to tell that joke every year in his "office" at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society convention. His office was the Bar in the lobby of the Sheraton Music City where the convention is held. RIP, Buster.
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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I think what Joe said about Tommy is true for many blues players I have known.
They developed callouses on their thumb and fingers. I know for sure that was true for Gate Mouth Brown. I think T-Bone Walker played with the nail on his first finger. I am not sure. A lot of water has run down the Mississippi River since the last time I saw him play...lol
Billy
“Amazing! I’ll be working with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Parker, Art Tatum, and Buddy Rich, and you’re telling me it’s not that great of a gig?
“Well…” Saint Peter, hesitated, “God’s got this girlfriend who thinks she can sing…”
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eddie1261
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Wow. 10 year old thread revived. Is that the record?
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Wow. 10 year old thread revived. Is that the record? ' It'd be close, I think I've seen something a little bit older, but it would be close for sure.
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I used to lose a lot of fingernails to breaking and splitting. For health reasons I now take a multivitamin tablet and a calcium tablet every day. I now have tough nonsplitting nails. Try it if you have the same problem.
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I take Biotin which is a supplement for nails. Nails are slow-growing so it takes about three months before you see the benefits.
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Wow. 10 year old thread revived. Is that the record? I saw it was quite old, but someone had started it up again so I chimed in!
My wife asked if I had seen the dog bowl. I told her I didn't even know he could.
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Nothing wrong with picking up where we left off. After all, it is the exact same topic.
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Few things are certain in life: death, taxes, and a brand spankin’ new XPro Styles PAK! In this, the 10th edition of our XPro Styles PAK series, we’ve got 100 styles coming your way! We have the classic 25 styles each from the rock & pop, jazz, and country genres, and rounding out this volume's wildcard slot is 25 styles in the Praise & Worship genre! A wide spanning genre, you can find everything from rock, folk, country, and more underneath its umbrella. The included 28 RealTracks and RealDrums can be used with any Band-in-a-Box® 2026 (and higher) package.
Here’s just a small sampling of what you can look forward to in XPro Styles PAK 10: Soft indie folk worship songs, bumpin’ country boogies, gospel praise breaks, hard rockin’ pop, funky disco grooves, smooth Latin jazz pop, bossa nova fusion, western swing, alternative hip-hop, cool country funk, and much more!
Special offers until December 31st, 2025!
All the XPro Styles PAKs 1 - 10 are on sale for only $29 ea (Reg. $49 ea), or get them all in the XPro Styles PAK Bundle for only $149 (reg. $299)! Order now!
Learn more and listen to demos of XPro Styles PAKs.
Video: XPro Styles PAK 10 Overview & Styles Demos: Watch now!
XPro Styles PAKs require Band-in-a-Box® 2025 or higher and are compatible with ANY package, including the Pro, MegaPAK, UltraPAK, UltraPAK+, and Audiophile Edition.
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