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Live Stream: Tuesday, January 10th at 3:00pm EST (check your local time zone)
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Hey guys, we are back with Live Lesson EP050! This month’s topic is: Nail Care For Ukulele Players.
In this session, we’ll discuss how fingernails (regardless of length) can shape your tone. We’ll also cover the basics of maintaining your nails.
This month’s topic should stir up some great questions! So please post all you have below and I hope you guys join us for the live stream. 🙂
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For details on how to join the live stream and chat live, please refer to the FAQs HERE.
Things I never thought I’d say: I’ll wait to cut my nails again until I hear the advice of a ukulele gentleman on the internet. 😅
This should be pretty interesting indeed!
The main “nail issue” I’ve had with ukulele is with the tremolo technique. It isn’t just the nail length, but if the nail “bypasses the finger” which mine doesn’t enough on my thumb; it creates that harmonic sound. Maybe I still don’t have the hand angle right or something though?
Sigh, I used to have such nice nails before I started playing ukulele and working in a wealthy baron’s basement dressed as a marshmallow…
I used to do martial arts, so I couldn’t grow my nails. Now I do pottery, so I still can’t grow my nails. I’ll just have to make do for my uke playing.
@robinboyd, hahaha, well, not literally a marshmallow. Just a protective suit that makes me look like a marshmallow or a CSI or an Oompa Loompa, depending on who(m) you ask.
😂 Sorry.
It seems like with many creative ventures nail length / integrity is a factor. Pottery is one for sure. Even with drawing, longer nails get in the way or just get stained with material. Although with ukulele, I noticed that Taimane Gardner actually had nice manicured nails in one of her concerts, so maybe all hope isn’t lost.
@tbb I’m curious now.. What work do you do that requires protective suits 🙂 Sounds exciting..
Nails.. I keep the second, third & fourth finger nails neat and tidy (No longer than anyone else) as I find I get a nicer sound when strumming with nails. I did try to grow my thumb nail but:
1. I made the mistake of shaping it as you would a normal nail which when you do this your filing down the sides which makes contact with the string. Meaning you need to grow it even longer to make it useful. By the the I worked that out I just had a big pointy nail which was at best odd 😂
2. Taimane – I’ve heard her mention a couple of times her nails are acrylic. It creates a different sound and also won’t wear down against a wound string. She also uses a thumb pick you can often see it hanging next to her tuning pegs.. If I’m doing anything which requires a nail on the thumb I just use a thumb pick (cut the pointy weird thumb nail).
Looking forward to the lesson 👀
@surferjay, hahaha, the overly long pointy nail, that’s quite an image! 😅 I also tried to grow out my thumb nail longer than usual for the tremolo, but because of the shape of my thumb it didn’t help much either. So, I switched to my index finger.
Oh that’s very interesting about Taimane and her acrylic nails! I need to look into that ASAP. I like having nice, fancy nails, man! But I need to get a different job because my job, as “an industrial antique cleaner,” stains my nails too much, so I also need a different job. I have a lot to do this year–including starting that blog. 😂😅
Same. I love these live lessons; they’re kind of like the ukulele club meeting I always wanted, and so much appreciation to Andrew and Matt for putting these together and wading through all the verbose tomfoolery. I. I think that’s partly my fault. Just partly. 😅
I’ve been lucky to have strong nails which do grow very fast, so I’m filing them often. Did you know the middle finger nail grows the fastest? As I’ve gotten older my middle finger nail especially doesn’t have as nice a curve as it use to so I “ramp” my nail (shorter on the thumb side). It slides off easier that way.
Taimane uses a Herco thumb pick, especially on her insane double string tremolos. She rests her index finger against it, so the motion is basically replacing an index finger tremolo.
These live lessons are pretty great.
RonI have shallow nail beds, and as I’ve gotten older, my nails are more brittle so they break easier. It’s hard to grow them long. I just have to play them as is, although sometimes I’ve tried to time their growth with when I record my rock class challenge. Doesn’t always work!
Have you ever seen the video that James Taylor made on his nail care? He uses fiberglass tape to strengthen his nails.
This was a great workshop Matt. Thanks.
This video by Jeff Petersen has been a go to for me as well for nail care. He explains the importance of nail angles, etc.
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